This year at Ohu Maatu, we reconnected with each other, met new members of the NRAIT whānau and revisited our homelands. Events like Ohu Maatu are great opportunities to see our whānau, engage with the Trust and learn more about each other and the whenua.

However, we don’t need to be limited to these events to keep in touch. It’s important to connect and stay engaged all year round, especially with those that live outside of Motueka, or even Aotearoa. Take a look at a few ways you can stay engaged with NRAIT.

Connecting online
We are active on Facebook and are always sharing updates, opportunities, events and our stories for our whānau to keep engaged with the Trust. Make sure you like our Facebook page and visit regularly for the latest news and updates!

We also share kōrero of our tūpuna and our whenua on the Our Stories section of our website, as well as our blog Te Whanake, which is a great place to learn more about your whakapapa and the history of your whānau.

Make sure you also sign up to our ePanui list to receive updates on scholarships, events, and news. To join the list, email info@nrait.co.nz with your name and email address using ePanui in the subject line.

If you’re not in the rohe yourself, connecting with us online is a great way to stay engaged with the activities of the Trust and wider NRAIT whānau. Make sure you also check out this blog for other ways to keep engaged with your whānau and the Motueka homelands.

Register as a member
The best way to stay engaged is to become a registered NRAIT member.  If you’re a descendant of one of the original 109 owners, registration and connection with the Trust means more than just being a name on a list. It’s a sense of belonging, opportunity to access benefits like scholarships and grants, being part of the kōrero around how we work and the Trust’s role, and learning about your ancestors.

For us to continue thriving as a people we need to continue telling our kōrero, and that relies on an engaged next generation, so we encourage you to reach out to your whānau if they’re not registered with the Trust to start their applications. Every two months the Board gathers for a hui, where we review and approve applications for new registered members.

Share your kōrero
As a Trust, we want to continue to share the stories that make us who we are, such as the history of the Trust and how it was established, as well as the efforts from our tūpuna that form our history.

If you have information or kōrero that has been passed down to you about our tūpuna, whenua, or history that you would like to share, please contact us at info@nrait.co.nz.

If you’re already doing all of these things to stay connected, ka pai! It’s great to share our kōrero and stay in touch with our owners. Make sure you share this blog to inspire others to get connected.

Motueka – Whakarewa
Connecting Ourselves, Our Lands and Our Legacy