On Wednesday the 27th of January 2021, Susan Wylie came to Mahia to meet with the community members who are behind the Whangawehi walkway. Susan is working on a March Edition and tried to meet as many people as possible. We are looking forward to reading this first promotional document. A big thank you to our landowners who have made the time to meet and Susan for selecting our project.
On Tuesday the 26 th of January, Cameron Osmond and Kate Jefferd from MBIE came to check up on the progress made along the whangawehi walkway. Southern Star trail as well as local fencers are doing a fantastic job despite the extreme heat. Malcolm Smith was also on site and shared his passion for the project with the group. A big thank you to Cameron and Kate for their support.
On the 14th of January 2021, Elizabeth Pishief from Heritage Services, Archaeologist working for Heritage NZ, came to Whangawehi.
The goal of her visit was to sample a midden recently uncovered during the construction of the walkway and check if the work was carried out as indicated in our archaeological management plan.
The midden is made out of small size cockles and Tuatara with some fish bones. The study will hopefully tell us a bit more about the diet of our ancestors. We will keep you posted.
A big thank you to Liz for her support.
On the 14th of January 2021, the walkway has progressed quite fast thanks to the expertise of Southern Star Trails staff. Josh Knauf, local fencer can hardly keep up with the momentum ! He is shifting fences and installing gates for track maintenance. The front part of the walkway has been retired due to the presence of significant archaeological sites. A big thank you to Pongaroa Station for being extremely accommodating during the construction phase.
On Sunday the 3d of January 2020, the Whangawehi Catchment Management Group promoted the work done along the river at the Mahia market. The day was an absolute success with over 70 persons entering the tent to better understand what the group was about and learn more about the Whangawehi walkway.
On Saturday the 2d of January 2021, family, whanau and friends gathered to Nukutaurua road to attend Kathleen Mato’s tangi. Kathleen lead the Whangawehi Catchment Management Group right from the onset and had the vision of a fully restored Whangawehi catchment. Kathleen was a genuine Leader who worked tirelessly for the betterment of our environment. Kathleen rests in the family urupa under a beautiful Puhutukawa tree, a few hundreds meters from the sea she missed so much lately. Kathleen will be missed by us all. She leaves behind her an impressive legacy for us all to enjoy.
Nga mihi nui kia koe Kathleen.
Whangawehi Catchment Management Group 