Article 14, Variations in the Maori language

 Kia ora, my name is Jack Karetai-Barrett, and I'm a Year 10 student at Whakatane High School. This month, I will be following on from my last article, and writing about regional variation, or mita in te reo Māori and the origins of the Māori language.

Te reo Māori, my ancestral language, originally came from the Eastern Polynesian language family. My ancestors brought this language to Aotearoa when they migrated from eastern Polynesia around 1200CE.

As my people spread throughout Aotearoa, our language took on distinctive features in each of the regions. In particular, te reo Kāi Tahu of the South developed into a distinctive mita with its own sound, nuance, and idioms. (Nuances: Subtle differences in meaning or expression. Idioms: Phrases with meanings that aren't literal, unique to a language or culture.) This variation in dialects is common in other languages. My mum is from the South Island, so as well as speaking Kāi Tahu reo, she says “crib” instead of "bach" and “Belgium” instead of “luncheon sausage”. She also rolls her “r” sounds when she speaks English, like others from the deep South, and likes eating tītī, and cheese rolls (together!).

While the Kāi Tahu dialect is known for its distinctive "k" sound replacing "ng," the Tūhoe dialect also has its own unique features. In Tūhoe reo, the "ng" sound is more like an "n" sound. So, the word for people, "tānata," is used rather than "tāngata” we are taught at school, which is different again from Kāi Tahu, where we say “tākata”. Some pronouns spoken in Tūhoe reo are also  different, with "a" over "ou," such as using "mātau" instead of "mātou." Another difference is the use of "kai" for "kei" and "hai" for "hei." These differences are evidence of the very important oral tradition all the tribes of Aotearoa shaping a dialect that belongs strictly to them within the wider context of Te Reo Māori.

As I explained in my last article, when we introduce ourselves in reo Māori we start with our pepeha, to let people know our ancestors, before letting them know who we are as individuals. My pepeha starts, “Ko Pukekura te mauka." The use of “mauka” instead of the common “maunga” for mountain immediately lets people know my whakapapa is from the South Island, even if they are unsure where Pukekura is located (it is located at the point of the Otago peninuslar). 

A few words are shared in unique ways between some East Coast tribes and Kāi Tahu. Examples include:

Pōua - Grandfather

Taua - Grandmother

Hākui/Hākoro – Mother/Father

Huanui – Road

Pōhatu – Rock

Tātau – Us/Ours

The written history of Kāi Tahu reo dates from the time of Captain Cook's first visits to the South Island. Reverend James Watkin, stationed at Karitane, discovered that the unique Kāi Tahu dialect spoken in Otago differed significantly from North Island Māori. This meant that materials prepared by North Island missions were unsuitable for use in the region, highlighting the distinct nature of the southern dialect.

He taoka te reo Māori: The Māori language is a treasure. From its roots in Polynesia, right through to the development of our distinctive regional mita, te reo Māori is a language that represents my history, my whanau tradition, and my diversity. Understanding the origins and dialectical differences of te reo Māori is critical as ongoing efforts are made to revitalise and preserve our language for future generations. It has been a battle to restore use of our language after colonisation, when use of te Reo was forbidden in education for such a long time. It seems like the government we have right now would like to make it forbidden again. Lucky for me, I get to learn te reo Māori as a subject with whaea Hemarangi Carnegie at Whakatane High School, and she is a champion for all the ways we speak our reo; Whaea, and our other reo teachers encourage us to use our unique mita so we don’t lose it.

We are all responsible for protecting, maintaining, and developing our language so that we can continue to enjoy its diversity and richness. Learning about the diverse mita in te reo Māori, allows me to fully appreciate just how valuable our language really is and how having a better understanding of my language means to my identity as a rakatahi Māori.  

Article 13 pest species

 Kia ora my name is Jack Karetai-Barrett, and I’m a Year 10 student at Whakatane High School. This month, I am writing about pest animal species in New Zealand.

Aotearoa's unique ecosystems have faced significant challenges due to the introduction of various pest species, often with disastrous consequences. The arrival of the Pacific rat, or kiore, with the first Polynesian settlers around 1250–1300 CE marked the beginning of these challenges. Later, ship rats and Norway rats were introduced by European settlers, leading to widespread ecological damage. These rats have been instrumental in the decline of native species by preying on birds, bats, and insects crucial to a healthy ecosystem.

European rabbits were introduced to Aotearoa in the 1830s, making them among the earliest of our introduced pest animal species. Then, in the 1870s, stoats were introduced from Britain in an attempt to control the rapidly increasing rabbit population. Unfortunately, they quickly spread into native bush areas, where they preyed on eggs and young birds, devastating native bird populations. Wild cats, initially brought on ships to control rats, have also become a major threat, preying on native birds, lizards, and insects. This all reminds me of the song about the lady who swallowed the fly.

Possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), another destructive pest, were first brought from Australia in 1837 to Riverton in Southland with the intention of establishing a fur industry. The initial attempt failed, but following four subsequent attempts, by 1858 there was a population explosion. The successful introduction of possums is related to the establishment of fruit trees as a food source. Today, possums inhabit about 95% of all farmland, scrubland, and bush in Aotearoa. Their population density here is much higher than in most parts of Australia, leading to severe ecological consequences as they feed on leaves, fruits, and flowers, contributing to the decline of many tree species and threatening the habitats of native birds and insects. There is also some video evidence of possums consuming native bird eggs from nests.

Deer, goats, wallabys, and pigs, introduced for hunting and farming, have also caused extensive damage to Aotearoa’s forests. Deer, brought in from 1851 to provide game for hunters, have significantly degraded forests due to their huge appetite for young foliage. Goats, initially used by early farmers to control invasive plants like blackberry and gorse (also intentionally introduced), have since gone wild, further damaging native bush. Wild pigs, introduced by Captain James Cook, disturb the ground as they forage, causing additional harm to the native ecosystem.

The introduction of these species was often supported by acclimatisation societies, established by European colonists in the 1860s. These societies aimed to naturalise new species in Aotearoa, not understanding they would have harmful effects. These societies were even legally recognised and supported by Animal Protection Acts, and they continued their activities well into the late 19th century. The Tauranga Acclimatisation Society, for instance, received funding to introduce pheasants and fallow deer, which now thrive around Aotearoa at the expense of our native species. It is interesting to read the old minute books of the Society, available online on the Tauranga City Libraries page. 

There are lots of methods of managing pest species. They include the use of toxins, and traditional methods such as trapping and shooting. I am a hunter, and one of my jobs in our family is to keep Mum’s freezer full of deer and goats.  Hunters, particularly on farms, play a crucial role in managing pest populations. They actively shoot pests like deer, pigs, and goats, helping to minimise the damage these animals cause to the land. Trappers, on the other hand, work tirelessly to control populations of smaller pests like possums and stoats. The combined efforts of these methods are essential in protecting Aotearoa's natural environment.

The history of introduced species in Aotearoa is a reminder of the far-reaching impacts that human actions can have on ecosystems. The ongoing efforts to control these pests are crucial in preserving our country’s unique natural environment for future generations.

Ka ora te whenua, ka ora te tāngata; When the land is well, the people are well. 

We are all responsible for our natural world; we all have to work together to protect our native species, and minimise the impact of pest species on our beautiful land.

Emergency go bag guides.

 Last month, the Whakatane Beacon wrote an article with my Mum about being prepared for emergency response to a large earthquake. The weekend that the article came out we also had a series of eruptions from Whakaari, a large earthquake in the Islands, and a Civil Defence Emergency test - that was scary timing. 

Since then, lots of people have stopped me and my Mum in the street to talk to us about what they should have in a go bag, so I thought I would write about that for my article this month. 

There are some basic things we should all have, and some nice-to-haves. Remember that if we evacuate, you are not going to be on your own and other people will have things that you might not have. We are always a community that looks after each other. 

Something important to remember is that drinkable water is not always easy to come by in an emergency situation, so pack food that is ready to eat without needing to be rehydrated. Small tins of tuna and beans, or foil packs of soups etc… are perfect. Muesli bars, nuts and dried fruit are easy to carry and great for snacks. 

Another important thing is to use backpacks rather bags as your go bags. If you put a pack on your back, you still have two free hands. They don’t have to be fancy packs, they just have to be strong enough to hold your gear and not let you down. You should line your pack with a waterproof liner - this can just be a sturdy rubbish bag, or two. 

Medication is something people don’t think about. Medications expire, and doses change. Remember to add a calendar reminder to check your medications. Check with your pharmacist to see how long you can store medication that is not stored in its original sealed container. 

• What my Mum and I have in our packs:

For me and Mum, we have two backpacks, one on one side of the house and one on the other side. We keep them seperate in case we can get to one and not the other. Mum has arthritis and is slower than me, and I am a lot bigger than her, so I carry the heavy pack. Our packs have some of our tramping gear inside them, with the non essentials in my bigger pack. In each pack we have everything we need to get through three days in an emergency scenario. Everything is packed inside a pack liner, in the pack, so everything will stay dry. 

Some of the important things in our packs are a small gas cooker, gas and a billy, fire-starting gear, multi tool with knife, empty bottles for water,  a life straw (used to filter dirty water), water purifying UV pen, good first aid kits, emergency ponchos and life bivvys for quick warmth and some protection from weather. We have hats, spare socks, medications, toilet paper, ziplock bags, rubbish bags, and small packs of baby wipes, sanitiser, sunblock, can opener, and enough ready-to-eat food for three days. We have head torches (batteries round the wrong way so they don’t go flat), gound sheets, rope, scissors, knives, pen and paper, permanent marker and collapsible shovels. This might seem like a lot, but everything is chosen for its weight, and mums full small pack only weighs 7kgs. We have a sleeping bag next to each pack that can be grabbed if needed. 

An important part of our emergency pack is the calendar reminders we have set on both of our Google Calenders - our calenders remind us to “check your pack”. Every change of season we change our batteries, medicactions and food. We take everything out, check its as it’s meant to be, and replace what needs replacing. It is a normal routine for us to do this, so we never worry about being let down when we are in need.

• What you absolutely should have (bare minimum)

Food for three days: Non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items. For example:

Canned foods (beans, soup, tuna, salmon) and a can opener (don’t rely on tear tabs working). Dry foods for when water is available (rice, pasta, two minute noodles). 

High-energy foods (nuts, dried fruit, muesli bars, one square meals).

Water

Empty bottles suitable for holding water and some way of filtering or purifying water to make it safe. If you are going to use purifying tablets for purifying water, it is great to have some powdered drink to make it taste better. There are so many cheap options for portable water filters now. You can pick up something functional at places like KMart, and for something a bit more effective (and expensive), you can ask at Hunting and Fishing - they have a great selection of filter bottles and life straws.

Clothes:

If you have kids, keep size appropriate clothing (and nappies/wipes) in your pack. Change these every season. Plastic ponchos are awesome because they don’t weigh anything and they do keep you pretty dry. Try to keep your pack near where you have fast access to shoes, that way you arent running around, wasting time looking for things. Clean, dry socks just make life feel better, so keep some in your pack. They double as gloves in cold weather. 

Hygiene, Safety and Sanitation:

Hand Sanitizer, toilet paper, wipes, rubbish bags and something to dig a small hole. 

A big packet of ziplock bags is useful for so many things. Store your medication and first aid kit in them, too. A basic first aid kit should contain bandages, plasters, iodine, tweezers, scissors, dental floss, a sling, safety pins, and a sewing kit. For making a fire, it’s good to have at least a box of waterproof matches and a candle. A multi tool with knife is another essential. 

Additional Items if you have babies and children

1. Baby Food/Formula: Enough for 3-7 days, plus bottles and feeding supplies.

2. Nappies and wipes: supply for at least 3 days.

3. Clothing and blankets: extra clothing, seasonal wear, and a soft blanket.

4. Medications: Infant/child Paraceamol and any prescriptions.

5. Comfort Items: Favourite toy or blanket

If you want a basic go bag that you just need to add food, medication and personal items to, you can buy ready made go bags at places like Mitre10. They are not backpacks though, so just put them in an old backpack with some kai, and you will feel better because you are prepared. 

Lots of people ask my Mum “What is a big earthquake?” A big earthquake is one where it is difficult to stand up, or one that goes on for a long time - like over a minute. The rule is always 

“if it's long and strong, get gone”. Earthquakes can be sudden and violent, especially one like the 9.1 magnitude earthquake that is possible from the Hikurangi Subductions zone in the next fifty years. You don’t have to be scared - just be prepared. 

It’s highly recommend you make an evacuation plan for your family, and practice it together. Choose a safe meeting spot, away from potential slip areas or other dangerous areas prone to flooding. Know the quickest and safest routes to get to your spot. If you have kids at school or preschool, find out what your school policy is for evacuation. Let your school manage taking your kids, and you just worry about getting to the meeting place. 

If we practice evacuating, this will help everyone understand the timing, where to go, and what actions to take in the event of an earthquake. Make sure your go bag, or go bags are ready and easily accessible, (preferably one on each side of the house), and stay informed about local evacuation routes and shelters.

And a last note, please do not get in your car, you will only get stuck in a gridlock. It’s better to walk, run, ride a bike, scooter, or even motorcycle. How ever you find your way to higher ground, make sure you get there as quickly as you can and remember that we are a community that cares for each other. How we look after each other in the Eastern Bay of Plenty is what makes this place so cool. Thank you for reading my article.

Kiwi walk

 Kia ora My name is Jack Karetai-Barrett, and I’m a year 10 student at Whakatane High School. Today, I’m going to be writing about my experience walking the Kiwi walk with the Whakatane Kiwi Trust, and guide, Stewart Sutton. 

I’ve known Stuart for a really long time. When I was five years old, my mum was the Group Leader for Kingsley Scouts, and Stewart was the Kea leader. Stewart has held so many roles in Scouting, at a local, regional, and national level. He is one of the people in our community who makes amazing things happen for kids. 

Recently, Stewart contacted me and offered to bring me on the Kiwi Walk so I could share the experience I had through my writing. The experience was so much fun, I decided to do it again. 

On the first trip, we drove to the top of Burma Road. We got everyone set up with UV torches and headlights, and then Stewart gave a short talk about the Whakatane Kiwi Trust. The Trust is a community-led organisation, dedicated to the protection of kiwi, and other indigenous species in our rohe. As we were walking, Stewart would stop us, and share his knowledge of the bush and the animals that live there. We learned about all the different plants and insects that lived on and around the track, their lives, their habits, their predators, and their challenges.

Although we didn’t see any kiwi, we saw a lot of really cool bugs and heard a kiwi near the end. If you know where to look, you can find weta, and spiders bigger than the palm of your hand everywhere! Some people got some pretty big shocks when they saw them, but for me personally, I was so happy to see these species thriving in our bush. Did you know that a weta can jump three metres?

Stewart also told us about all the things that kill kiwi chicks; some of the most common being animals like stoats, ferrets, cats, dogs, and rats. When ever possible, Kiwi egss are brought to hatchery where the egg can successfully hatch, and the chick will get taken care of until they weigh 1 kilogram; after that, they can defend themselves against most predators in the wild, except cats and dogs. It is advised that you keep your cats and dogs away from the bush. It is also a good idea to take your dog to a kiwi avoidance training course run by the Whakatane Kiwi Trust. In the course, dogs will get to know what a kiwi smells like, and if they’re interested, they get a small, controlled shock. It usually only takes one or two shocks to stop the dog from being interested. The shocks do not harm the dog since it’s just a small zap, but it’s enough to teach the dog that kiwi are bad news for them. Even though avoidance training works, it is best to just keep dogs away from kiwi habitat. Cats are more complicated to control. The best way to stop cats from killing our native birds is to keep cats contained. In New Zealand, people just let their cats run wild, and we end up with lots of wild cats. It is normal in other parts of the world to keep cats inside. The Whakatane Kiwi Trust also has a volunteer-run trapping programme in the bush to control rats, stoats, and possums. 

On the second trip with Stewart, we started at the White Horse Drive entrance to Nga Tapuwae o Toi walkway. It was an incredible night! I thought that the insects were big on the first trip, but this one blew my mind! They were massive, and there was way more insect life. The walk felt a bit shorter than the Burma Road trip. It was a lot smoother to walk along, and there were no stairs or big roots, so it was a lot easier for people who are not confident in trail walking. On this night, we found some huge weta under an erroded bank. There were also a lot more spiders in the trees. The insect life is thriving because pests are being managed. There is so much life in the bush at night, that we don’t get to see, unless we take advantage of these opportunities. 

If you are thinking about taking a trip, I recommend that you find out the starting point for the night you are interested in. If you have mobility issues, the White Horse Drive starting point will be easier for you.

I am thankful to Stewart that I got to have this experience. It was so much so that I have now volunteered to help guide for the night walks and also on the kiwi avoidance training days, Organisations like the Whakatane Kiwi Trust do amazing work in our communities, and they can only do it when people are willing to volunteer. If you would like to help them, there are lots of different volunteer roles. Just go to www.whakatanekiwi.org.nz Let’s do everything we can to support conservation in our rohe.

#10 Youth Council

Kia ora my name is Jack Karetai-Barrett and I’m a year ten student at Whakatane High School. This months article is going to be about Youth Councils throughout Aotearoa and using your voice to be part of making change. 

Last month, I was elected as the co-deputy chair of the Whakatane District Youth Council. The other co-deputy chair is Jasper House, and our chair is Charlotte Billings.

In Aotearoa, Youth Councils give young people a chance to share their ideas with local leaders and decision-makers. They help young people get involved in their communities, learn leadership skills, and make sure their voices count in decision-making for the future of the community. For most people who get involved in political roles, it is becuase there is something in their community that they want to see changed. But you also have to be interested in whats best for the whole community, not just the things that are important to you. 

The things that matter the most to me in my role on the youth council, are waste management, mountain biking, and recreation spaces for kids. It’s the importance of those things in my life that made me want to get involved. But since getting involved, I’ve started to get really interested in all the different jobs our council does in our community. 

According to LGNZ, (Local Government New Zealand) a Council's role is “to enable democratic decision-making by and for communities and to promote their social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing. In practice, this means everything from footpaths and lighting and the supply of freshwater/wai to resource management and environmental health and safety.” 

According to the Whakatane District Council website, our council’s “vision is to be known as the place of choice for people to live, work and play.”

They also say:

“In achieving our vision:

• Our community will be safe and surrounded by people who are friendly and caring

• Businesses will be thriving

• There will be respect for and pride in our history

• We will be successful guardians of our natural environment

Our purpose is to lead the Whakatāne District to sustainable economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being.

As a District Council we will achieve this through:

• Good governance, leadership and advocacy

• Integrated, long-term planning

• Effective and reliable community infrastructure

• Outstanding service delivery”

The important thing to understand about a council’s role in the community and their aspirations, is that their vision has to be funded somehow, and no one is ever happy with how much they have to pay for things. Councils are funded by several different sources, the first and the one all adults seem to complain about the most is “rates”. Rates are paid by people who own land. The more land you own and the more the land is worth, the more you have to pay - that seems fair to me.

There are so many rates! General rates, targeted rates, differential rates, uniform annual general charges, and water rates. Mum says theres also another rate that we have to pay to the Regional Council. You can learn about how all the rates are caculated on the LGNZ website - it is very helpful.  As well as all the rates, there are development contributions, subsidies and grants, and fees and charges. 

A council has so many responsibilities, and quite a few different sources of income to pay for everything. But how do they choose what to pay for? Every three years, we have an election where we elect the people who represent what matters most to us at the table where all the decisions are made. They also set the future plans for the community, and figure out where they can get money from and how the money will be spent. When I read the letters to the editor of the Whakatane Beacon, it looks to me like people just vote so they have someone to complain about. But actually, I know some of our councillors very well, and I know how hard they work and how much they care about our community. I think we should complain less and have more conversations about whats important to us. 

At the moment, the Councils long term plan is being renewed. At our Youth Council meeting we learned that the council has to renew it’s long term plan every three years to make sure it’s still heading in the direction the community wants it to go. As members of the public, no matter if we’re a school kid, or retired, or anywhere in between, we’re allowed to make a submission on the long term plan, to make sure that our councillors understand whats important to our community. The council will read and hear all the submissions, set it’s long term plans, and then find the money that it needs to achieve it’s plans for the community. Last time we had a long term plan, I went with my mum to talk about mountain biking, but nothing really came of that. I felt a bit cynical, but mum reminds me that COVID happened, lots of weather events happened, and Whakaari happened. Those all happened unexpectedly, so the Council's plans and priorities had to change since the community's needs had changed. I’m going to have another go this year to talk about mountain biking, and how important our recreation spaces are in the community for us kids. But the thing thats most important to me right now, is what I learned from attending the EQC public meeting at the War Memorial hall last month. They taught us that we need to prepare for an earthquake that could be as high as a 9 on the Richter scale, and cause a really big tsunami. I think our council needs to make preparing for that its number one priority. It’s hard to prepare for, but it’s really important that we do. 

I hope that you take the time to have a look at the Council's long term plan, and make a submission. You can find the plan and the online submission page on the Council website. If you don’t like using a computer, then you can visit the Council and someone will help you.  If we can’t be bothered to let the Council know whats important to us, then we probably shouldn’t complain afterwards when we’re not happy with the decisions they make. 

I would like to give a shout out to Andrew Isles and Toi Iti (BOPRC) for being amazing role models for me. They have shown me how being involved in something like Council gives you the chance to have your say. Please have your say by Friday 12th of April 2024. You can make your submission online,  send your submission in, or you can ask to speak at a meeting to the Councillors!

# 9 Mountainbiking with my team

Today I’m continuing from last month's story about mountain biking. 

As you may recall, last month I wrote about my role models and how important it is to have good role models who care about us and help us work out the hard things in life. I’ve been really lucky to have Richard Hamer, Jonny Evetts and Michaela Wellauer in my life, who support me in my mountain biking. 

When I was at Whakatane Intermediate, not long after I started riding, I heard in the notices about Aims Games. I looked into it some more, and I saw that there was a section for mountain biking. I was starting to get more confident with riding around then, so I decided to try out for the team. I talked to the teacher, Mr. Cochrane, and he told me some more about it - he said I needed to be much fitter. From that day I started to ride up the Mokorua hill every day. I wasn’t very fast when I started, but I got a lot faster as time went on. 

Before we could get to Aims Games, I was offered to compete in a relay race at Onepu MTB Park, on the Zephyr trail. I was familiar with Zephyr, so I was really excited. I started training on Zephyr a lot, and I was happy with my results. I had two coaches while I was training for racing: Hannah Thompson and Josh Barry. They both helped me with cornering and jumping, along with general fitness, and lots of encouragement. On the day of the Zephyr race, I was doing really well, having fun doing some jumps. Then, around 30 minutes before my race, I went really flat on the last jump on the easy jump line, and I went flying into a pit of mud. My entire body was covered, and I looked like I was straight out of a war movie scene in the trenches.  Sam Knapton picked me up out of the puddle, helped me check my bike, and made sure I was ok. I didn’t hurt myself too badly, so I could still race.

Soon after my crash, we lined up, ready to go. My first teammate went, and he was quite fast, so I knew I had to be ready to go quickly. He came flying around the corner and tapped me in. I quickly put my dropper post up, started sprinting up to the line, and at the line, quickly hopped onto my bike. I rode as fast as I could, all the way to the start of Zephyr. I kept a consistent pace all the way through, and as soon as I got to the end of Zephyr, I quickly did a skid into the corner and started pedalling as hard as I could. I sprinted hard, and I got to the end where I saw my next teammate ready for his turn, I then hopped off my bike and ran with it as fast as I could before tapping him in. I was exhausted! We ended up getting second in our relay race, and we were stoked. I have never really cared much for winning races, but I like it when I am on a team and the team does well.

I was really into racing from this point, and the Aims Games race was coming up fast, so I kept on training hard. I got really fit and had very strong legs. Then, when I finally got to the race, I was feeling so ready for it. I rode as hard and fast as I could - I did my absolute best. I was nowhere near winning the race, but I was happy that I even finished it! It was two laps around Summerhill, and they were difficult. Not to mention it was a crazy 28⁰C day, in September - it was so hot that riders were fainting, and many did not finish the race. From that point on, I have loved racing on my bike, and even more than racing, I just love being on my bike, training with my mates. 

This month my team has competed in the North Island Secondary Schools MTB Champs in Rotorua, as part of the international Crankworx events. Our team has 12 people: Arran Dominic, Liam Burgess, Logan Jephson, Noah Vullings, Walker Turner, Luca Goodman, Ollie Peat, Beren Pearce, Barclay Fort, Kalani Robinson,  Mason Philpott and me. Arran had an injury that prevented him from racing this time - but he is still on our team.

At the end of last year we started with me and my mate Logan. I had asked Mum if there were any enduro races coming up that we could compete in for school. We found some local races that we ended up competing in, and got excited about the North Islands. We asked our Head of Sport at Whakatane High School,  Mr Sexton,  if we could enter and he said we could. He offered Mum the use of the school bike trailer and a van. Mum didn’t expect us to have 12 people, but that is what happened, and Mum became a Team Manager for our team. 

Every weekend for 13 weeks, often twice a week, Mum would drive a van full of us over to the Redwoods, so we could practise on the actual competition enduro and cross-country tracks. All the members of our team competed in the Enduro. Enduro is the one everyone wants to ride in, so it is very limited. Only 500 riders can compete and there are always a lot who apply, but don’t get in. Amazingly, our whole team made the start list. For our Enduro race, we rode Box of Birds, Gunna Gotta, Te Huinga, and Old Exit. All of us completed the course within time and all of us were happy with our results. Kalani Robinson even got a top 20 finish. My actual race was really amazing, but I did have a quite bad crash on my first stage on Box of Birds. Because of that crash, I ended up not being at a level of competition with others, so I was quite disappointed, but also just so happy that I was there. I know that next year I will be stronger, faster and will do better. 

Whakatane High School also put in a relay team (Mason, Logan and I) and  two XC (cross country) riders (Noah and Ollie). We all did well. 

Mum said that she's committed to our racing team for the next three years until I finish high school. My Mum really is the best person to have in the world when you have something you want to do. She is always there to make our lives better, gives us advice, and cooks sausages for us after our training and our races - every time. 

On behalf of our team I want to thank all the people who helped us in our races, not only on the race days but also in the leadup to the race. First I want to thank Whakatane High School and Mr Sexton for saying “yes”. Thank you to our teacher in charge,  Ms. Rachelle Owen-Cooper (OC) for taking us to the WAIBOP race when Mum had to work, and supporting the team at the North Islands. Thank you Brenda from Cafe Coco for providing fresh muffins and baked goods for the team on multiple occasions, and for giving our team and the Whakatane Intermediate team fresh muffins on XC day for breakfast. Thank you Renske, our school sports coordinator, for doing all the background work to get our entries in on time - Mum says Renske could be a cat juggler. Thank you to all the families who provided kai for us and helped Mum with getting things organised. And thanks to BlueLight Whakatane for the use of the van when the school did not have a spare van. 

Now we are back to training, for the Nationals in Christchurch in October. I’ll tell you about that then. Good luck to the Intermediate riders who will soon race at Aims Games.

#8 Role models

Kia ora my name is Jack Karetai-Barrett and I’m a year ten student at Whakatane High School. This months article is going to be about Youth Councils throughout Aotearoa and using your voice to be part of making change. 

Last month, I was elected as the co-deputy chair of the Whakatane District Youth Council. The other co-deputy chair is Jasper House, and our chair is Charlotte Billings.

In Aotearoa, Youth Councils give young people a chance to share their ideas with local leaders and decision-makers. They help young people get involved in their communities, learn leadership skills, and make sure their voices count in decision-making for the future of the community. For most people who get involved in political roles, it is becuase there is something in their community that they want to see changed. But you also have to be interested in whats best for the whole community, not just the things that are important to you. 

The things that matter the most to me in my role on the youth council, are waste management, mountain biking, and recreation spaces for kids. It’s the importance of those things in my life that made me want to get involved. But since getting involved, I’ve started to get really interested in all the different jobs our council does in our community. 

According to LGNZ, (Local Government New Zealand) a Council's role is “to enable democratic decision-making by and for communities and to promote their social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing. In practice, this means everything from footpaths and lighting and the supply of freshwater/wai to resource management and environmental health and safety.” 

According to the Whakatane District Council website, our council’s “vision is to be known as the place of choice for people to live, work and play.”

They also say:

“In achieving our vision:

• Our community will be safe and surrounded by people who are friendly and caring

• Businesses will be thriving

• There will be respect for and pride in our history

• We will be successful guardians of our natural environment

Our purpose is to lead the Whakatāne District to sustainable economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being.

As a District Council we will achieve this through:

• Good governance, leadership and advocacy

• Integrated, long-term planning

• Effective and reliable community infrastructure

• Outstanding service delivery”

The important thing to understand about a council’s role in the community and their aspirations, is that their vision has to be funded somehow, and no one is ever happy with how much they have to pay for things. Councils are funded by several different sources, the first and the one all adults seem to complain about the most is “rates”. Rates are paid by people who own land. The more land you own and the more the land is worth, the more you have to pay - that seems fair to me.

There are so many rates! General rates, targeted rates, differential rates, uniform annual general charges, and water rates. Mum says theres also another rate that we have to pay to the Regional Council. You can learn about how all the rates are caculated on the LGNZ website - it is very helpful.  As well as all the rates, there are development contributions, subsidies and grants, and fees and charges. 

A council has so many responsibilities, and quite a few different sources of income to pay for everything. But how do they choose what to pay for? Every three years, we have an election where we elect the people who represent what matters most to us at the table where all the decisions are made. They also set the future plans for the community, and figure out where they can get money from and how the money will be spent. When I read the letters to the editor of the Whakatane Beacon, it looks to me like people just vote so they have someone to complain about. But actually, I know some of our councillors very well, and I know how hard they work and how much they care about our community. I think we should complain less and have more conversations about whats important to us. 

At the moment, the Councils long term plan is being renewed. At our Youth Council meeting we learned that the council has to renew it’s long term plan every three years to make sure it’s still heading in the direction the community wants it to go. As members of the public, no matter if we’re a school kid, or retired, or anywhere in between, we’re allowed to make a submission on the long term plan, to make sure that our councillors understand whats important to our community. The council will read and hear all the submissions, set it’s long term plans, and then find the money that it needs to achieve it’s plans for the community. Last time we had a long term plan, I went with my mum to talk about mountain biking, but nothing really came of that. I felt a bit cynical, but mum reminds me that COVID happened, lots of weather events happened, and Whakaari happened. Those all happened unexpectedly, so the Council's plans and priorities had to change since the community's needs had changed. I’m going to have another go this year to talk about mountain biking, and how important our recreation spaces are in the community for us kids. But the thing thats most important to me right now, is what I learned from attending the EQC public meeting at the War Memorial hall last month. They taught us that we need to prepare for an earthquake that could be as high as a 9 on the Richter scale, and cause a really big tsunami. I think our council needs to make preparing for that its number one priority. It’s hard to prepare for, but it’s really important that we do. 

I hope that you take the time to have a look at the Council's long term plan, and make a submission. You can find the plan and the online submission page on the Council website. If you don’t like using a computer, then you can visit the Council and someone will help you.  If we can’t be bothered to let the Council know whats important to us, then we probably shouldn’t complain afterwards when we’re not happy with the decisions they make. 

I would like to give a shout out to Andrew Isles and Toi Iti (BOPRC) for being amazing role models for me. They have shown me how being involved in something like Council gives you the chance to have your say. Please have your say by Friday 12th of April 2024. You can make your submission online,  send your submission in, or you can ask to speak at a meeting to the Councillors!

Kia ora, my name is Jack Karetai-Barrett, and this is my article on my role models.

In January, I was awarded the Youth Environmentalist of the Year award from Forest and Bird.

I invited some of the people who have  helped me in my life; those people were Richard Hamer, Graham Henton, Becs Mackay, and, of course, Mum. I want to tell you a little bit about them.

If it wasn’t for Richard, I might still be a couch potato. Back in 2020, I was around 65kg. I ate, went to school, did minimal exercise, went home, ate, and went to bed, then repeated that same process the day after. We had a lot of changes in our lives through that time with moving to a new home, and the deaths of my poua and koro. I was not very happy. Around that time, Richard Hamer reached out to me and Mum and told us about the holiday programmes he was doing through BlueLight Whakatane. He talked about mountain biking, and I thought that sounded stupid and would be a waste of time. I tried to convince Mum I didn’t want to go, but she knew it would be good for me, so she made me go anyway. I started with a really bad attitude, and I didn’t like it at all. The climb up was just terrible for me; I couldn’t even ride up the loop uphill. I walked for a while; it felt like forever, and then, all of a sudden, we’re at the top! Finally! Richard let me go ahead and lead everyone down, and he told us how to ride different parts of the tracks, and I loved it! I was riding so fast, and it was just the best. Once we got to the bottom, I finally understood why we did the uphill. From that point on, I loved mountain biking, and it’s how I’ve become the best version of myself. Richard Hamer does so much in our community and he does not make a noise for attention for himself. Most people in our community will have had something made better by his work, without even knowing it was because of him. In two weeks time my and my mates are racing in the North Island Mountain Bike Champs - thank you Richard! 

Mr.Graham Henton was my environmental teacher at Whakatane Intermediate School a few years ago, and if it wasn’t for him, I would have probably never even cared about the local urban environment. Just another kid throwing their rubbish around, not caring about what happens to it or what happens to the environment. Mr. Henton taught us about our local environment, our town-based native species, and how to be a kaitiaki for our communities. In the class, we got to go on walks to the lagoon, clean up the spaces around our school, test water quality and think about our impact. We got to look at the native birds and other species around the lagoon, and it was amazing. It was by far the best class I ever had in intermediate. In my first year, I was given top year seven in enviro, and then in year eight, I got the syndicate award from Whaea Helen. Together Mr Henton and whaea Helen have given me a feeling of duty to care for our urban area They helped me to understand the whakatauki: Toitū te marae a Tāne, Toitū te marae a Tangaroa, Toitū te tangata. If the land is well and the sea is well, the people will thrive. I can see that I will spend my whole life thinking about how to help people thrive, just like Mr Henton and Whaea Helen taught us. 

I first met Mrs. Becs Mackay through Waste Zero, and at the Mountain Bike Club. I was in intermediate and was still quite introverted, so I didn’t know her very well. I would see her at Onepu during the MTB club nights, and she would always make sure to say hello. She was always very encouraging and sometimes rode with me, even though I was a lot slower than her then. In year nine, Mrs Mackay turned out to be my social studies teacher, and I had to stop calling her Becs. If you know my mum then you know I have grown up thinking a lot about the world and why things are the way they are. Mrs Mackay gave me the opportunity to write about all that thinking and that is what made me start this column in the first place. In Social Studies we got to learn about everything we wanted, and it was my favourite core class. She would always make the learning fun. My favourite task we had was that we had to make a business plan and factor in every single thing we would need if we started one today. I never knew how many different insurances there are! Me and my mate Mason decided that we could make a mountain bike park since Whakatane could definitely use one (hint hint) I really liked Social Studies and all the things we learned. The thing I will always remember is that Mrs Mackay, even though she is not Maori, has worked really hard to understand our history, and taught it properly to our class. If we learn and our kids learn, maybe we can make the world a better place than it is right now. 

My Mum is also in the photo that Troy Baker from the Beacon took. My Mum is Dr. Mawera Karetai. Mum says she is an academic doctor, not a useful one. But she is very useful. Mum does so much amazing work that not many people know about. As well as all that work, she works hard to give me a happy and good life. She works hard to give lots of people a happy and good life. I learned duty from my Mum, and the people who are my role models have given me the opportunity to do my duty. My mum is the best, she stops the wheels from falling off my bike and my life.

Lastly, I want to thank Linda Conning and the Forest and Bird volunteers who give time to our natural environment. I was thinking about the Lorax - “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better, it's not”. Thank you for caring and wanting things to get better. Linda, thank you for the award and making me think about the people who have encouraged me to be my best self. 

There are lots of other people who have cared about me and helped me to be my best. Today I just wrote about the people in the photo. Maybe I will write about more of them another day. I would like to write about Kyle MacFarlane and Jonny Evetts, who make everything seem like it is going to be fine. It is really important to have role models.

Jack