“Ko te amorangi ki mua, ko te hāpai ō ki muri”
“The leader at the front, and the supporters behind”

Te Tau a Nuku whānau would like to wish you all a Happy New Year as we head into 2025.

Ko wai mātou? Who are we?
Te Tau a Nuku are a collective of Māori Landscape Architects bringing together partnership and manaaki between Ngā Aho (Māori Design Professionals Inc.) and Tuia Pito Ora, New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects.

At the end of 2024, Te Tau a Nuku came together to discuss the future of who we are and where we are heading. We want to thank our tuakana and matua Phil Wihongi for his contribution as chair for Te Tau a Nuku and to inform you that both Ashleigh Hunter and William Hatton have been passed the rākau as co-chairs to lead Te Tau a Nuku into 2025 and beyond.

As the whakataukī above reflects, and with the support of our kahui; the challenge has been laid for us to gaze into a new horizon - he tai timu he tai pari. This is our action to call where like the moving tides and the setting sun, a new generation emerges. Te Tau a Nuku will continue to guide and support Tuia Pito Ora through duality and balance.

Throughout 2025 we will look to provide support for our membership by preparing resources and opportunities to engage with our kaupapa. As the Mahere Rautaki, the Strategic Plan of Tuia Pito Ora sets out; Te Tau-a-Nuku will look to support and develop cultural competency, capability and capacity across our wider membership. To ensure we can achieve our action, Te Tau-a-Nuku are first looking to reinvigorate ourselves, looking to our past to guide our future.

We are wanting to better understand and reach out to our Whānau Māori amongst Tuia Pito Ora in the first instance. We are also interested to hear from our Tangata Tiriti | Kaupapa Whānau within Tuia Pito Ora who are willing to support Te Tau a Nuku in a more active role or to tautoko our kaupapa.

Please find a poll below where we ask those who are wanting to engage to please spare a moment to respond to these pātai. We really appreciate your time in helping with this kaupapa.

Complete the poll – Whānau Māori 

Complete the poll – Kaupapa Whānau

Nōreira, we look forward to supporting Tuia Pito Ora throughout 2025 and beyond, encouraging the dreams of our tūpuna where land, people and our environments thrive together.

“Ko te pae tawhiti whāia kia tata, ko te pae tata whakamaua kia tīna”
“Seek to bring distant horizons closer, sustain and maintain those that have been our stronghold”

Let’s us encourage one another to have vision, and to strive to bring that vision closer to a realisation. What has already been achieved must be strengthened and nurtured.

Nāku noa nā,
Ashleigh Hunter & William Hatton (Co-chairs for Te Tau a Nuku | Māori Landscape Architects)