Pā Kēmu Creations

04/04/2025

April is Earth Month! 🌍✨

This month, we celebrate Papatūānuku and our connection to the natural world. It’s a time to reflect on how we care for our environment and teach tamariki the importance of kaitiakitanga (guardianship).

Explore these Māori kupu related to the earth and use them in your everyday kōrero with tamariki. Let’s nurture a deeper connection to Te Taiao together!

26/03/2025

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend Hui Hihiri at The Pā, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato. This year’s kaupapa was Rangakura – Intergenerational Approaches to Mana Motuhake.

Loved all the presentations, but was especially inspired by the kōrero from Michela Anderson (Ngati Ranginui), who shared the succession planning behind Mamaku Skin. It was cool to hear how the strengths within their whānau are recognised and how they contribute to the wellbeing and success of their pakihi. It also made me reflect on my own whānau, how their skills have contributed towards the creation of Pikitia, and how that could look in the future.

Key Takeaways from the Speakers:

– We all had mana motuhake before the raupatu and colonisation, it only became something to strive for after it was taken away.

– Funding and grants are helpful, but there’s a lot of mana in being sustainable and not needing to rely on them to operate.

– Mana motuhake means building systems that are sustainable for future generations.

Ngā mihi to the hosts, speakers, ringa awhi and everyone who made this awesome event possible.

25/03/2025

Kia ora koutou,

Welcome to Pā Kēmu Creations - a pakihi Māori and social enterprise based in Kirikiriroa focused on helping whānau learn about Te Ao Māori, Te Reo Māori, and pūrākau in a fun, engaging environment.

We’re currently working on two kēmu and have run three playtesting sessions for our first prototype kēmu, Pikitia, in Tāmaki Makaurau, Te Awamutu, and Tauranga. Ngā mihi to those who have participated so far - we’ve had heaps of constructive feedback from all age ranges and reo levels.

Our next playtesting session will be held in Kirikiriroa. We’re also fundraising for our first ever Pink Ribbon Breakfast in May, and heading to a few events to get feedback and do giveaways - so keep an eye on this space if you’re keen to come along!

We’ll be posting more in the coming weeks to keep you all updated. For now, kia pai tō pō! ✨

06/03/2025

Breast cancer affects so many of our wāhine. Every day in Aotearoa, nine women are diagnosed, and 1 in 9 will face this battle in their lifetime. Too many of our māmā, tuakana, kōtiro, and kuia are impacted - 650 wāhine lose their lives to this disease every year.

That’s why we're hosting a Pink Ribbon Breakfast in May to help raise funds for kaupapa that provide life-saving education, patient support, and research that could change lives.

If you can, please donate. Every dollar makes a difference. Let’s work towards a future where our wāhine have the knowledge, support, and care they need to fight breast cancer.

I'm fundraising for Breast Cancer Foundation NZ, to help fund breast cancer education, research and patient support. Please donate to help the 3,500 Kiwis diagnosed with breast cancer each year in NZ.