Welcoming Koanga with Tipu Te Uru – Grow West
We started the spring season by coming together for our latest Tipu Te Uru – Grow West network hui at Te Piringatahi o te Maungārongo Marae in West Harbour, celebrating the arrival of koanga and the growing season ahead.
Tipu te Uru network members
It was a beautiful opportunity to reconnect with each other, spend time on the whenua and learn from the incredible work happening at the marae, including its developing wāo hua - food forest.
A highlight of the hui was learning from Matua Rob Small, who shared the whakapapa of kūmara. Matua Rob spoke about the kūmara collection project led in partnership with Growing Point teaching garden, Te Pourewa and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, including the years of mahi that went into researching and creating the wonderful book Te Taonga o Ngā Kūmara. The book features all 16 pre-colonial kūmara varieties currently held within the collection and can be ordered here.
Te Taonga o Ngā Kūmara poster gifted by Matua Rob Small to the marae
Matua Rob took us on a journey through whakapapa stretching back more than 800 years, sharing how mātauranga, growing guidance and the stories of these taonga have been brought together to help preserve and share knowledge about kūmara.
His kōrero also gave us a glimpse into the traditional practices and knowledge he draws on when growing and planting tipu, from understanding the plants and their whakapapa to working with the whenua and timing the growing season towards an abundant harvest of kūmara.
For Tipu Te Uru, these opportunities to learn from one another are at the heart of the network. Growing kai is also about growing knowledge, relationships and connection to whenua. By sharing mātauranga and practical growing experiences, we strengthen our collective ability to care for the soil, grow kai and pass knowledge between generations.
As we welcome koanga and look towards another growing season, it was a timely reminder that the seeds we plant are not only those that grow in the whenua. We are also planting relationships, knowledge and possibilities for a more connected and resilient local food system.
Ngā mihi nui to Te Piringatahi o te Maungarongo Marae for hosting us, and to Rob for generously sharing his knowledge, stories and passion for kūmara with the network.