$2.2m put into M¯aori initiatives
Ma¯ori initiatives in Southland have benefited from $2.2 million through the Wha¯ nau Ora scheme during the past five years but a Ma¯ori business leader believes the scheme could do better.
Te Pu¯ tahitanga o Te Waipounamu chief executive Helen Leahy said the funding had supported 23 Ma¯ ori-led initiatives since 2015, along with employing 9.5 full-time navigators who look for further opportunities to address needs in the community.
The Government announced a further $3m for Wha¯nau Ora nationally for a total of $87m in the financial year. From the additional $3m, the South Island would receive $750,000 to be distributed on a case-by-case basis, Leahy said.
Wha¯ nau Ora is a Ma¯ ori health scheme run via Te Puni Ko¯ kiri, the Ma¯ ori Development Ministry, that enables wha¯nau to create their own initiatives to improve wellbeing.
Initiatives in the south that benefit from Wha¯ nau Ora include Koha Kai and Maranga Mai, as well as smaller health projects based on marae, Leahy said.
Koha Kai founder Janice Lee said there was no other agency like Wha¯nau Ora in the way it operated and she believed it could offer more to Southland Ma¯ori innovation with further funding.
Koha Kai had been part of Wha¯ nau Ora since 2016, a period that had seen the organisation set up gardens at schools, lunch services and tourism ventures.
Lee said she believed Wha¯ nau Ora could operate as a ministry of its own and shouldn’t have its funding allocated through Te Puni Ko¯ kiri. It was absurd that Wha¯ nau Ora was going in circles between agencies, Lee said.
Tumua Innovations director Daniel Tawaroa said its Maranga Mai project would not have reached a wider South Island audience if not for joining with Wha¯ nau Ora. Maranga Mai is an organisation focused on suicide prevention through promoting community engagement.
It launched in 2012, but had only started receiving funding from Wha¯nau Ora in February last year, Tawaroa said.
Barbara Clouston keeps returning to barrel racing for the challenge and the adrenaline rush.
She’s been a competitor for nine years and is ranked eighth, nationally, heading into the Southland Rodeo, near Oreti Beach, on Saturday.
‘‘It’s the fastest equine sport requiring the most control . . . It’s you and your horse against the clock,’’ Clouston said.
‘‘I like the adrenaline rush that you get from it.’’
Mental toughness and the ability to make quick decisions within 20 seconds were needed, she said.
‘‘It’s mentally challenging because you lose more times than you win . . . You’ve got to pick yourself up and try again.’’
Clouston competes with her 15-year-old purebred quarter horse, Snapper, whom she uses on her sheep farm at Scotts Gap in western Southland.
‘‘He’s got to earn his keep . . . He does mustering and goes round the sheep,’’ she said.
Snapper gave Clouston her biggest thrill in the sport when winning the open barrel race at the Wa¯ naka Rodeo this month.
‘‘It was the first time I had won an open barrel race. I got $950 for 17 seconds [of work] – that’s not too bad.’’
Rider numbers in barrel racing were healthy. More than 100 were competing in New Zealand, including 45 in the South Island, she said.
Before taking up barrel racing in 2011, Clouston was a successful western performance rider who won a host of titles. She is on the committee of the Southland Rodeo Association.
‘‘It’s mentally challenging because you lose more times than you win . . . You’ve got to pick yourself up and try again.’’ Barbara Clouston
Association president Brad Rogers is expecting 1500 to 2000 spectators at its 63rd rodeo on Saturday. Rogers believed the association had a future, despite the sport being often under attack from animal rights groups.
He said animal welfare was always a priority. Officials from the SPCA and the Ministry for Primary Industries, NZ Rodeo Association animal welfare officers and a veterinarian would be inspecting stock during the event on Saturday.
‘‘We observe rules and regulations and make sure we do everything correctly,’’ Rogers said.