Pourewa Reserve

Ka rewa te pou, ka rewa te kōrero – Elevate the post, elevate our kōrero 

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Pourewa takes its name from a raised sentry platform or pūwhara, which was once situated in the vicinity. In former times, toa/tūtei stood guard and protected the palisades and village from this elevated position. During the night, they would call tribal chants called whakaaraara, warning any would-be assailants that the village was alert to their presence.  

This area was dense with pā sites, particularly around Ōrākei basin and out toward the Waitematā. Maungarāhiri stood on the opposite side of the basin and Ōrākei pā at current-day Ōrākei Bay and of Tinana was near the site currently occupied by Saint Kentigen Prep School. 

Pourewa sits on a prominent east-to-west ridge that is shared with Kepa Road stretching around to Onepū Whakatakataka and the Waitaramoa catchment, with a gentle and long sloping face on the southern side dropping down to Pūrewa Creek.

Previously part of the Meadowbank Pony Club the recreation area of 34 hectares (Kepa bush to Ngāpipi bridge) was returned to NWŌ as part of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Claims Settlement Act (2012) and vested in the Ngāti Whātua Orākei Reserves Board made up of Auckland Council and Ngāti Whātua Orākei representatives who manage on behalf of Tāmaki.

Today, all aspects of the Pourewa cultural and production centre is guided by the whakatauki “Ka rewa te pou, ka rewa te kōrero”- Elevate the post, elevate our kōrero. 

This kōrero consolidates the multiple Taiao initiatives on the site purposefully elevating Ngāti Whātua Orākei’s environmental aspirations and projects and sharing them with the world. The design and developments have been guided by the Ōrākei Visual Framework which has been consolidated along with other strategic frameworks into Kākāhuri te Whenua, kākāhuria te moana the Ōrākei Combined management plan.  

From our native nursery, Māra kai, apiary, Rongoā study and living laboratory Pourewa welcomes all visitors to come and learn about the Taiao and Ngāti Whātua Orākei - nau mai, haramai!.

Pourewa Māra Kai

Pourewa is a community vegetable garden – a māra kai – a revegetation nursery for the whānau of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.

The māra kai was completed in June 2020 to a design that incorporated the mauri, wairua, tikanga and whakapapa of the land with a traditional sustainable horticultural and agricultural practice. No artificial fertilisers or weed killers are used. Composting is at the heart of the operation.

 

The aim is to preserve traditional practices to encourage food sovereignty - knowing where food comes from and how it is grown.

All the food is distributed for free to whānau, our local commmunity and the City Mission.


Keep an eye on our Pukamata/Facebook page for regular updates on our weekly Pourewa Māra Kai Distribution.

Pick-up Pourewa Reserve (entrance closest to Z Petrol Station).

 

Visit Our Facebook Page here

Pourewa Nursery

'Ka tupu I ā wīwī, ka tupu I ā wāwā'

This kōrero is an excerpt of a longer kōrero from tupuna Ihenga. It talks of the resilience of his people in the face of adversity and that they will endure to flourish in today's world. Pourewa native nursery is helping  develop and embed the cultural and environmental resilience of our hapū and rohe through the recloaking of Papatūānuku with native plants grown there and through the mahi of our people.

 

The nursery development at Pourewa was completed in June 2020. The activities on-site continue to develop and are actively creating an ongoing legacy in  the  development of aTāmaki plant collection and supply, as well as the collaboration with other native nurseries in the development of a seed bank of Tāmaki-specific  species. These collections help support Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei in our role as key educators, carriers and guardians of knowledge and  inform our leadership in  research  initiatives around kaitiakitanga, traditional use and practices. 

We supply a range of native plants eco-sourced from Tāmaki to our central and local government development partners, and are also open to sales to private groups and the general public. For more information or to place an order by emailing Pourewa@nwo.iwi.nz. 

 

Email the team here

Ōrākei Hapori Parakore Project

Ōrākei Community Zero Waste Project

Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei has been has been awarded funding from Te Pūtea Whakamauru Para -Waste Minimisation Fund (WMF) 2021 funding round for our Ōrākei Hapori Parakore (Ōrākei Community Zero Waste) project.

The parakore kaupapa has been an important one for Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei for more than 20 years. The zero waste commitment has been a tikanga on Ōrākei Marae and a commitment embedded in kaupapa and events held on the Whenua Rangatira. Over 2022 we will be building on all the hard mahi whānau and our community have given to this kaupapa to take it to the next level. Get in touch to get on the parakore waka with us.

Learn more about the Ōrākei Hapori Parakore Project

    • Supported with $80,000 funding from Te Pūtea Whakamauru Para -Waste Minimisation Fund (80% of project costs) we will be running a 1-year data and awareness project on waste reduction within our rohe.
    • Our objectives are to engage with whānau and our community around waste and maximise job creation.
    • Building on what has been done, we will collect data through waste audits, surveys, workshops and wānanga
    • We will raise awareness through workshops and the development of an organisational waste strategy.
    • Key outcomes will be improved data and practical resources to inform effective behaviour change.
    • Overall, this project will follow the mahi already in place through the marae, continuing to increase awareness around reducing waste, circular thinking, and the benefits of composting and urban gardening.

  • The purpose of Te Pūtea Whakamauru Para –the Waste Minimisation Fund (WMF) is to boost New Zealand’s performance in waste minimisation. The WMF invests in infrastructure, services, and educational activity throughout New Zealand. The fund is enabled through the waste disposal levy. There is considerable scope in New Zealand to reduce waste and increase the recovery of useful resources from waste. Lifting our performance in recovering economic value from waste also provides environmental, social and cultural benefits and reduces the risks of harm from waste. 

    More information about the fund can be found on the Ministry for the Environment website – https://environment.govt.nz/what-you-can-do/funding/waste-minimisation-fund/

  • Ko Maungakiekie te maunga
    Ko Waitematā te Moana
    Ko Māhuhu-ki-te-Rangi te waka
    Ko Ngāti Whātua te iwi
    Ko Eruini raua ko Piu Piu ōku tūpuna
    Ko Dawn Rongo Hawke tōku māmā
    Ko Maurice John Faiers ahau

    Kia Ora e te whānau, I’m super excited to be a part of this awesome project, I’m enthusiastic about composting and believe in reuse, reduce and repurpose. I have been working at Pourewa for the past two years looking after the composting initiatives for the iwi, with a focus on regenerating green waste into a usable energy source for the Māra kai. I look forward to the planned events and engaging with whānau and sharing some new initiatives.
    Ngā mihi nui, Maurice John

     

  • Volunteer today at Pourewa!

    Get in touch with the team to see how you and your whānau or community group can get involved - pourewa@nwo.iwi.nz

    Get in touch here
Combined Reserve Management Plan
Iwi Management Plan
Foundational Climate Position Statement