Te Kaupapa
What
Te Ara Tipuna traverses the four rohe of Ngati Porou, Te Whanau a Apanui, Ngai Tai ki Torere and Whakatohea ki Opotiki.
It will capture a broad perspective of the East Coast of the North Island, covering diverse terrain including beach, farmland, dense bush, ridgelines and rivers.
It has also been designed as one continuous trail, divided into 26 “days”, plus a further 3-5 days for the Hikurangi Loop. However, users will have choices of different routes, directions and start and end points, including single day walks.
It is estimated that horse trekking the Ara would take 12 days, while cycling would take eight days.
Te Ara Tipuna passes most marae and every community within its span. Most days of the journey will end in one of these communities where there will be opportunities to stay in a variety of accommodation.
An updated video coming soon…
Why
Te Ara Tipuna means “the ways of our forebears”. It is designed to connect us with the ways of our ancestors, allowing us to both physically and figuratively, walk in their footsteps.
Weaving through diverse landscapes, and with the infrastructure accessible to walkers, cyclists, and horse trekkers, Te Ara Tipuna will complement and enhance the ecological and cultural sites of significance that exist within the rohe.
Te Ara Tipuna will provide for iwi, hapu and whanau to:
- access, experience and connect to more of their whenua
- share and preserve the stories of their wahi
- better connect to one another
Te Ara Tipuna will provide for owners and iwi kaenga to be everyday kaitiaki of the ara and the people who traverse them, both locals and manuhiri.
For uri kei te whenua, Te Ara Tipuna provides an easy opportunity to begin reconnecting to their whenua and identity.
Te Ara Tipuna is also intended to:
- restore connectivity between our communities by providing safe, everyday travel options for iwi kaenga, independent of State Highway 35
- provide opportunities for local-level enterprise, employment and economic development that revitalises our communities especially through the provision of ongoing services and experiences along the ara
- provide an alternative and more resilient route for access along a vulnerable coastline, especially in emergency situations
- provide a distinct tourism experience into the heart of Tairawhiti and its people
Te Ara Tipuna is not just a “walk” or a short-term “project” – it will be a core part of the key infrastructure that underpins future public and private investment in the rohe.
Te Ara Tipuna has a long-term outlook. Even though we are still in recovery mode from Cyclone Gabrielle and successive weather events, we can’t neglect the opportunities we have to ensure our future prosperity.
Governance
Te Ara Tipuna Charitable Trust has been established to govern this project. The Chair is Rei Kohere and the Trustees are Ingrid Collins, Sir Selwyn Parata, Kylee Potae, and Hon Hekia Parata, who is also the Project Lead.
Once the Ngati Porou phase of the trail is completed, new trustees can be appointed representing Te Whanau a Apanui, Ngai Tai ki Torere and Whakatohea ki Opotiki.
Te Poari
Ingrid Collins, MNZM
Trustee
Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Ngati Konohi
Ngati Porou, Nga Puhi
I have been a member of Whangara B5 Incorporation for 50 years, 36 as Chair. Chair of Whangara Farms, Chelsea Private Hospital, Matai Medical Research Centre, Trustee 28 Maori Battalion, Tairawhiti Whenua Charitable Trust.
"Te Ara Tipuna is the dawning of a new beginning. The sun rising first in the world, of every new day, on Tairawhiti, makes this area unique. I am excited to make my contribution to this beautiful kaupapa as an inaugural Trustee and Chair.”
Sir Selwyn Parata, KNZM
Trustee
Te Aitanga a Mate, Te Whanau a Rakairoa, Te Aowera, Ngati Horowai, Te Whanau a Ruataupare, Uepohatu
Ngati Porou
Rei Kohere
Chair
Te Whanau a Tarahauiti, Te Whanau a Hunaara
Te Whanau a Rerewa
Ngati Porou
I was a board member of Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou for 12 years serving as Deputy Chair for most of that time. Currently, I chair the Takutaimoana Kaitiaki Trust for my rohe, represent Ngati Porou on the governance group for the Raukumara Pae Maunga Restoration Project, and I am a member of the board of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
I have been fortunate to have these and other roles enabling me to contribute to the advancement of whanau, hapu, and iwi.
"For me, Te Ara Tipuna presents an exciting opportunity for our whanau and hapu to participate in, and benefit from, a unique enterprise showcasing our whenua, our people, our manaakitanga, our stories, and our heritage, to the world and, importantly, to ourselves."
Kylee Potae
Trustee
Te Whanau a Ruataupare, Ngati Oneone,
Te Aitanga a Hauiti
Ngati Porou
"This project is exciting, our region deserves the investment to lift our communities, and bring in economic activity and benefit to whanau. It has been a long time, if ever, a project of this scale has been undertaken in our region (and beyond). For those reasons, it was an easy ‘yes’ for me to become an inaugural Trustee of Te Ara Tipuna Charitable Trust."
Hon Hekia Parata
Trustee & Project Lead
Te Aitanga a Mate, Ngati Horowai
Ngati Porou
Te Ara Tipuna is my passion project inspired by walking the Camino de Santiago, the 830km pilgrimage across Spain. Experiencing their manaakitanga and enterprise made me think of what could be possible for home.
I'm confident Te Ara Tipuna can bring to life our own unique experience, creating opportunities for landowners, whanau and manuhiri.
"Mo a tatau tamariki mokopuna."