After three years under the leadership and management of North Harbour Hockey Association (NHHA), Te Hōnonga a Iwi is becoming a separate entity that can better support regenerative socio-ecological action across Albany’s Ō te Ha Basin.
NHHA has been the driving force behind the project since it was first conceived in early 2022, bringing together stakeholders including iwi, Auckland Council, local schools and educational institutions, community groups and local residents.
“North Harbour Hockey is proud Te Hōnonga a Iwi is thriving and in the process of shifting from a distinct project within Rosedale Park to positioning the restoration to offer landscape scale regenerative socio-ecological action across Albany Basin,” says project co-ordinator Nicky Shave.
As the project grows, NHHA’s Board and senior leadership have looked at how they can ensure good succession planning is in place to support sustainable development.
“North Harbour Hockey remains committed to this project but we are a small business enterprise and we recognise enabling Te Hōnonga a Iwi to scale beyond the walls of Harbour Hockey will generate opportunities to increase organisational resilience. It will also help secure contractors with the skills and knowledge we need to thrive and develop a committee that offers more diverse representation and skills that will allow us to innovate, diversify and include all stakeholders more effectively and sustainably.”
Key stakeholders, including iwi, the Upper Waitemata Environmental Network and Auckland Council all support the plan to transition Te Hōnonga a Iwi to an incorporated society.
The NHHA Board is working to set up the new entity, with operational support from UWEN.
The three officer holders will be Sheryl Blythen, Chair, Jody Gilfillan, Finance Officer and Matthew Wardle, Secretary. All officers have a connection to North Harbour Hockey and offer vast experience and expertise in managing transformational change.
Committee members will include Kaumatua Richard Nahi, Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, a regenerative agricultural specialist, a tertiary academic, an ecology expert, two youth leaders, and Nicky Shave, strategic activator and working bee coordinator.
We are looking for two more committee members. Please contact hello@restoringrosedalepark.org.nz if you are interested in taking up this voluntary position to support our future growth.
North Harbour Hockey will continue to support the project by offering a facility to meet, land for the new community garden, a fresh water supply, diverted biomass for composting, and the suite of bioreactors that provide compost for the garden. It will also encourage its staff, clubs and players to work at the restoration.
“Each year four of our elite hockey teams spend two hours working at the restoration to help in any way they can and offer sports leadership. NHHA staff commit to an annual working bee at the site too. Our Te Hōnonga a Iwi coordinator, journalist, graphic designer, and working bee leader are all hockey people and remain committed to Te Hōnonga a Iwi through its transition and beyond,” Nicky says.
Since the project’s inception, hockey youth have held lead roles in the restoration and that will continue with the new entity. NHHA also recognises outstanding contributions to Te Hōnonga a Iwi. The sports organisation holds a licence to occupy the land the new community garden is housed on and has agreed to continue sharing that space with Te Hōnonga a Iwi to support supplying local people with fresh vegetables.
NHHA Board member and HR Specialist Shauna Feeney will offer guidance as required, which will be important as the restoration has secured funding for a part-time paid working bee co-ordinator.
UWEN helped Te Hōnonga a Iwi obtain Auckland Council funding for this role, which will enable the current co-ordinator to focus on building momentum within the North Harbour business network and attract more investment in this climate action project. It will also ensure that there is more than one person able to deliver working bees across the year.
It will be another busy year for the team at the restoration, with a long list of workstreams including:
· Youth leadership
· Animal and plant pest management
· Composting waste biomass sourced from local business
· Inground composting with chickens
· Soil health testing
· Bird and bat counts
· Water quality testing and bio-aquatic species analysis
· Planting 1000 infill plants
· Clearing another 1500m2 and planting cover crops and natives
· Completion of the development of the new community food garden
· Producing ongoing supply of fresh vegetables
· Producing ongoing supply of native plants
· Extending new trap lines across the restoration and supporting UWEN to develop new business connections to strengthen the pest management halo underway in Albany Basin
· New research outputs
· Bringing 20 new business investors onboard
· Presentation at conferences and events
· New community and residential activation
· New business activation for vertical greening in the Ō te Ha Basin
· Being part of the annual coastal clean-up regional event
· Development of a fish doorbell concept
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