Mauri stone gifted to new village

AuthorSandy Myhre
Published date25 May 2023
Publication titleNorthland Age, The
The Mauri stone is laid at the foundation of a new building to respect, protect, support and connect the land and its people

The stone was provided from Te Awa O Ngā Rangatira and it gives the name of Te Puna Waiora to the clubhouse which means ‘the source of wellbeing’.

Ngāti Rēhia have been working with the Arvida retirement community, which is in Hall Rd, Kerikeri, since its inception. The partnership has also included a successful community landscaping plan of native plants and trees.

Once completed, the clubhouse will offer a variety of activities and social gatherings for the retirement village residents.

The Arvida retirement community is still growing, with new one, two and three-bedroom villas now available starting at $550,000 for the one-bedroom apartment. The body corporate fees are $150 per week.

Arvida Te Puna Waiora Village manager Monique Hawker says the cultural importance of the stone is very significant.

“The clubhouse will truly become the heart of our community and our residents will continue to drive our wellness approach called the Attitude of Living Well.”

Present for the laying of the Mauri stone was Kipa Munro (Ngāti Rēhia and Ngāpuhi), Arvida chief executive Jeremy Nicoll, and Kelly Stratford, FNDC deputy mayor, together with a community team and residents of the Arvida Village.

Hui to be held to

discuss caulerpa weed With the highly invasive seaweed caulerpa found at Rāwhiti in the Bay of Islands, locals are calling for a hui to be held at the end of the month to discuss the implications.

The find is the first time what’s known as the “foot and mouth” of marine seaweed pests has been found outside of its Great Barrier Island bastion.

Only a matter of days before the discovery, Northland authorities criticised the Government for being slow to deal with the marine seaweed pest. They called for an urgent meeting with Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor citing inaction on the major threat to New Zealand’s coastline.

The Northland Regional Council (NRC) biodiversity and biosecurity working party chairman Geoff Crawford said caulerpa was a considerable threat to Te Tai Tokerau given the nearly 1000km stretch of coastline.

Jane Hindle, from the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board, issued a Facebook alert to the community and a Russell Google Groups warning.

“If you are on the beaches, out snorkelling or diving, please keep alert and look out for caulerpa seaweed. This highly invasive pest, described as the ‘foot and mouth’ of...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT