Whakamārama

About us

Pūniu Inc is making Aotearoa more environmentally resilient - not just for our generation, but generations to come. Read & learn more about us here.
Who are we?

Who are we? Pūniu Inc is making Aotearoa more environmentally resilient - not just for our generation, but generations to come.  

In our journey, guided by Te Ao Māori, we dream of a future where our Taiao thrives. Where clear, life-giving waters flow through our lands and our whenua is safe and nurtures us. We see our communities connected by the principles of kaitiakitanga, actively caring for our awa, moana, and all living things. In this vision, the waters of places like the Pūniu River are a source of pride and a testament to our collective efforts to respect and nurture Papatūānuku.

Our vision is to create and nurture safe, thriving environments where healthy waters sustain vibrant communities across Aotearoa. We are guided by the principle of Kaitiakitanga, committed to restoring and protecting our land, water, and people, ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future for generations to come.

Our role in this collective journey extends from Te Wai Pounamu to Te Ika a Maui. That’s nationwide, e te whānau! We're committed to planting native trees, acknowledging their vital role in climate change mitigation and water resource management. These trees are critical in rural areas for flood control and water quality preservation and in urban settings for improving air quality, providing cooling shade, and lifting biodiversity. 

We focus on the well-being and development of our whānau too. We gauge our contribution through various metrics, including team growth and individual learning and development. 

And we’re not alone. Pūniu Inc. are aligned with a network of groups, including Native Plant Propagators, Cultural Advisors, and Environmental Scientists. We strive for a harmonious and sustainable future for Aotearoa's natural resources and communities. Together, we recognise that our collective efforts are essential in shaping an environmentally resilient Aotearoa.

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The Pūniu River flows from within the Pureora Forest, past four Marae: Mangatoatoa, Rāwhitiroa, Aotearoa and Whakamārama through to Pirongia where it flows into the Waipā River, and then on to the Waikato River. At 83kms long, this makes the Pūniu River one of the longest secondary tributaries in Aotearoa.
The Pūniu River

The Pūniu River flows from within the Pureora Forest, past four Marae: Mangatoatoa, Rāwhitiroa, Aotearoa and Whakamārama through to Pirongia where it flows into the Waipā River, and then on to the Waikato River. At 83kms long, this makes the Pūniu River one of the longest secondary tributaries in Aotearoa.

The Pūniu river holds a cultural significance to local marae, hapū and iwi. The river gets its name from the Patupaiarehe (Māori mythical being of human form) that travelled down the river from the Pureora Forest seeking knowledge of the future by supernatural means.

“Pūniu River, once a clear river with a gravelly bottom is now brown with a muddy silt bed”

Pūniu River was once a rich source of freshwater kai and provided many picnic and swimming spots for the local people. Currently the river is not classified as being of a swimmable standard. The tuna stocks have depleted in some areas, the banks of the rivers are eroding and over 10,000 tonnes of sediment discharges into the Waipā river from the Pūniu River every year.

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Shannon Te Huia
Pou Tāhūhū / Founder
Ngāti Maniapoto
021 027 24179

Ko Mangatoatoa te pā, ko Te Aroha O Ihoa te whare kōrero o ngā tūpuna, te whare tuakana hoki ki te whare hōu ko Te Maru O Ihoa ka tu ai ki reira.

Tu kaha , tu maia, tu manawanui te maunga Kakepuku, ka whakawhiti atu ki Pirongia, ka anga mai ki te hiwi o te kāinga ko Pukekawakawa tērā.

Ko te koawa o Wharekorino e rere atu rā ki roto o te awa o Puniu, ko te awa kaukaunga.

Ko Kahuwera te maunga, ko Mookau te awa, Napinapi Te Marae Ko Parekahuki te tupuna whare, Ko Paretekawa Te Hapū.

Ko Tainui te waka, Ko Hoturoa te tangata

Ko Ngāti Maniapoto te iwi, He uri anō o Ngāti Paretekawa te hapū

Ki te taha o toku Pāpā, ko Reuben Te Huia rāua kō Phyllis Wehewehe Muraahi oku kuia koroua ingaro atu ki te pō. Ko Greg Te Huia rāua ko Suzette Poole oku mātua.

Ko Shannon Te Huia tēnei, te Pou Tāhūhū o PRC. E mihi atu ki a koutou katoa.

"Mōkau ki runga, Tāmaki ki raro, Mangatoatoa Ki Waenganui, Pare Hauraki, Pare Waikato, Te Kaokaoroa O Pātetere”

Quinton Tunoho
Pou Tiaki / Cultural Advisor & Outreach
Raukawa ki Wharepūhunga
021 139 9472

Tū mai rā Wharepūhunga taku maunga rangatira. E rere kau ana ki Pūniu taku awa aroha.

E tū rangatira a Takihiku taku tupuna whare. Ko Rāwhitiroa te marae taku tūrangawaewae.

Ko Tainui te waka, ko Hoturoa te tangata.

Hei nōhanga mō Ngāti Takihiku te hapū.

He uri au nō Ngāti Raukawa ki Wharepūhunga.

Ko Quinton Tunoho tēnei, e mihi nei.

Ko au te Pou Tiaki o Ngā Kaitiaki o te Awa o Pūniu

Tihei mauri awa!!!

Raymond Spooner
Pou Whakahaere / Senior Project Manager
Ngāti Maniapoto
021 027 24179

Ko Takitimu te waka

Nō Hauiti ahau

Ko Raymond Spooner tōku ingoa

Ko au te Pou Whakahaere  o Ngā Kaitiaki o te Awa o Pūniu arā Te Kāhui a Hiwa

Nō reira, tēnā tātou katoa

Sarah-Lee Makaea
Pou Awhina / Admin
Raukawa ki Wharepūhunga
027 500 1665
Charity Tunoho
Education and Pathways
Ngāti Whakaue
022 064 1754
Tilly Poole
Media Co-ordinator
Ngāti Maniapoto
022 169 1628
Ngaire Heke
Pou Whakahaere Kōhanga / Nursery Manager
Ngāti Porou ki Harataunga
021 029 46166

Pūniu Inc. board members

WHATUNGARONGARO HE TANGATA TOITŪ TE WHENUAThe land and plants will remain when the people are gone

THOMAS MANIAPOTO
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER

Ko Pirongia Te Maunga

Ko Puniu Te Awa

Ko Pare Te Kawa Te Hapu

Ko Maniapoto Te Iwi

Ko Peehi Tukorehu Te Tupuna

Tena Koutou

I was lucky enough to have spent much of my growing up at Mangatoatoa Pa with my grandparents which gave me a solid grounding in life.  My education and work took me many places in the world only to return to New Zealand and pursue a senior management career in the Health industry and then eventually returning home to raise our children.

After establishing the first total emersion Kura, Nga Purapura O Te Aroha Kura Kaupapa Maori in te Awamutu my wife and I owned and operated a number of business’s.  This gave us great insight into what it means to be self-sufficient and taking control of our own destiny.

I joined Pūniu River Care as a Board Member with a full commitment to pursuing the vision of Mana Motuhake for Mangatoatoa Pā and our whaanau.  To achieve a self-sustainable Marae, through Kaitiaki Whenua, Kaitiaki Awa principles.

GLENDA TAITUHA
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER

Waikato-Maniapoto (Ngaati Kinohaku), Ngaati Raahiri, Ngaati Kuiaa

DR. DANIEL HIKUROA
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER

Senior Lecturer at Te Wānanga o Waipapa, University of Auckland, Dan specialises in Earth Systems Science; Integrating mātauranga and science; Governance & Advisory Boards & Panels and Kaitiakitanga – revitalising Mauri

CRAIG BARRETT
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER — CHAIR

E noho ai ki runga i te mahau o Te Aroha o Ihoa me Te Maru o Ihoa, ki runga i te pā o Mangatoatoa.

Ko Tainui te waka, Ko Hoturoa te tangata.

Ko Ngāti Maniapoto te iwi, He uri anō o Ngāti Paretekawa te hapū

Ki te taha o toku Pāpā,ko Brown Barrett rāua kō Tarita Muraahi oku kuia koroua ingaro atu ki te pō. Ko Mathew Barrett rāua ko Marilyn Barrett oku mātua.

Ko Craig Barrett tōku ingoa. Ko au te hoa rangatira o Cate Barrett. Te pāpā o aku tamariki, aku ngākau aroha e whā.

Craig is a Partner at Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Waikato Chartered Accountants in Hamilton. He works with commercial entities and Māori organisatons and provides strategic and commercial advice on all aspects of their business. He is passionate about innovation and value add to improve economic performance.  Craig has a Bachelor of Management Studies from the University of Waikato, majoring in Accounting and Finance, and is a chartered accountant. He is also a member of the Institute of Directors. Craig also holds a number of trustee and directorships.

KELLY JOHNSON
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER
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Join us in our mission to create and nurture safe, thriving environments where healthy waters sustain vibrant communities across Aotearoa.
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 Make a Donation!
By donating a tree you can help us continue to make an impact.

Every $10 that is donated is 1 more native tree in the ground!
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Come to an Event!
We understand the importance of community engagement and creating spaces that enable our community to connect and interact with the awa and like-minded whānau.
Check out our next Event!

Our core values ground us in our journey to create safe, thriving environments where healthy waters sustain vibrant communities across Aotearoa.

Guided by these principles, we are committed to restoring and protecting our land, water, and people, ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future for generations to come.

Mauri

Kaitiakitanga

Whanaungatanga

Māramatanga

Rangatiratanga

Koha

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