He Iwi Kotahi Tatou Trust

Vision Statement
We desire a community where we are all
responsible for shaping a strong and sustainable
future, with the richness of our history and
differences working for the good of all

Our Values
We value people’s physical, mental & spiritual well being.
We value the individual and collective passion of people
We value truth, integrity & unity
We value relationships
We value being Maori
We value cultural diversity
We value people

Background of the Trust

He Iwi Kotahi Tatou Trust was started in the early 1980s. Initially in response to the growing unemployment problems that had built up to the riot in 1979. Youth issues were a focus in the early years, which led us into developing training programs. In 1995 we decided to change direction as we felt that the training focus had taken over the Trust and we were having increasing difficulty reaching the employment outcomes required of a Tops Funded Training Provider.

We had for a number of years concentrated primarily on the business of training but had struggled to develop sustainable employment initiatives. The big question for us was, – What were we training people for?

Our focus since, has been Community Development, how do we develop programs that meet the needs of the community, and start growing initiatives from the ground up. We initially worked in the social services sector, offering counseling, whanau support, drug and alcohol programs and school programs.

We felt that the first work that had to be done was in the minds of our people, that is the way we think and feel about Moerewa. We held a festival in 1998 and called it Moerewa Majic, it was a 3-day festival, which involved:Celebrating the past, acknowledging our kaumatua & kuia and the achievements of the past. Acknowledging the present, what we are now. Building a future what we can be, and if we are to be that, who is responsible for making that happen? Us.

Our focus in 1998 was asking what people wanted the town to look like: Public toilets, a rest area, the shopping area tidied up. As a community we had stopped fighting between ourselves, taken a good look at what we wanted for our tamariki and started working together to build our community.

Xmas 1998 was memorable…… as we opened our park area with new public toilets, the town celebrated its achievements and there has been no turning back.

In 1999 we held another public meeting and asked the community what now? The community came back with 3 major areas of development.

1. The development of a recreation area for the youth
2. The development of arts and crafts in the area
3. Beautification of the township area, and development of services

December the 16th 2000 we celebrated again the accomplishments of our community, as we opened the kids skateboard park, The new art Gallery and the weaving workshop, all based in the main township, plus the opening of a community owned computer training room, and the new Tuna Café. We have come to a place where we know what economic development means, not because we have been trained or have any great learning about the principles of Community Economic Development but because we have come to a natural place where the community has developed to the point where it can translate its efforts into tangible opportunities to create income and employment.

Contact Us
He Iwi Kotahi Tatou Trust
PO Box 154
Moerewa
ph/fax 09 4041299