FROM THE EDITOR

Two hunter gatherers, handfuls of kaimoana, big smiles. A whakatauki, or proverb, accompanies our cover image: Pai ake te iti i te kore rawatu — little is better than nothing at all. To be fair, there is nothing “little” about those kina. Thelma Rene Kent took this photo circa 1939. It is one of many in the book Mauri Ora — Wisdom from the Maori World.

The last time I was in Te Tai Tokerau, camping at Maitai Bay in 2018, iwi had placed a rahui banning fishing and collecting shellfish to arrest the spread of kina barrens. Kina are a delicacy for us — but also for crayfish and tamuri (snapper). But when fish stocks and crays are plundered, kina are left to multiply and gorge on seaweed, leaving bare, spent rocks. The rahui would help restore the balance to a ravaged and fragile ecosystem. I think of that place so much. Snorkelling, long beach walks. That precious place and its people. I hope the fishery has recovered.

This week, balance is also restored to a once-barren cattle farm-turned-native sanctuary — Tahi, in Pataua North, near Whangarei. Joanna Wane meets the family dedicated to an epic regeneration project. And to mark Te Tiriti O Waitangi, in our special long weekend issue for our readers in the regions as well as the Weekend Herald, some of our most brilliant writers talk about their favourite New Zealand books, and wahine toa Hariata Rongo, wife of Ngapuhi rangatira Hone Heke, speaks on the Northland Wars, extracted from Vincent O’malley’s book, Voices from the New Zealand Wars/he Reo No Nga Pakanga O Aotearoa.

And there are some ideas in our Planner to enjoying debate, discussion, music and celebrations on Waitangi Day.