The semester has properly settled into its pace now. Calendars are filling, deadlines are approaching, and the whare is rarely quiet. Before things tighten up even more, we are back in the pātaka, clearing the shelves and checking what has been happening and what is coming up.
Right now, there is a bit of a contrast in the air. While the whare has been feeling particularly cool, settled, and full in the best way, the political climate outside of it is heating up.
Something Spicy
Across Aotearoa, the conversation is circling back to Te Tiriti in a way that feels both familiar and consequential.
The current New Zealand National Party-led government has signalled an intention to revisit and potentially narrow the obligations of the Treaty of Waitangi, reframing how its principles are understood and applied. While this is being presented as clarification, it raises real questions about whose interpretations are being centred and how those interpretations will shape the direction of decision-making moving forward.
Shifts like this rarely stay at the level of language. They tend to carry through into how institutions define responsibility, how commitments are upheld, and how consistently those commitments are reflected in practice. Over time, what is reframed at the top becomes embedded across the systems people interact with every day.
The temperature is rising, and the direction being set now will shape what follows.
Something Sweet
And at the same time, the whare has been doing what it does best.
The Hangover Hākari delivered exactly what was needed. Post-Hyde Street, people arrived a little fragile and a bit dusty, but the whare was full and the kai rejuvenated. There was a full spread on offer, from brunch-style kai to the whare favourite raw fish, and it did the job of bringing everyone back to life. More than anything, it was the atmosphere that stood out, with people sitting together, debriefing, laughing, and easing back into themselves.
A huge thank you to Samuel Mokomoko for organising the day, and to everyone who supported it. Gold coin donations were collected for breast cancer support, so it was also a chance to give back.
Still Cookin’
That same feeling has not gone anywhere. It is carrying straight through everything that is coming up next.
The Post-it note wall is up in the whare, opening a space for whakaaro, pātai, and ideas about where Te Rito is heading. Strategic planning does not always feel immediate, but this is one of those moments where it is, where what gets said now has somewhere to land.
This week also marks the start of Te Huinga Tauira season, with the first muster on 1 May, followed closely by Relay for Life on 2 May. Sitting back-to-back, they bring people together again in different ways, whether that is to connect, to reflect, or to show up for something bigger.
On the same day as this issue, ngā rōpū will also be on the court for the volleyball shield, another piece in what is already a full run of things.
Safe to say the kitchen’s busy.
That’s what we’ve pulled from the pātaka this week. Kia pai te kai.
