Kaitiakitanga

Kaitiakitanga Program and Network
Te Whaiti Nui-a-Toi children
guard and share Whirinaki,
their culture, language and values

5.7.2 "Whirinaki Interactive" a Website / Multimedia Enterprise based on nature - Project Details:

Description: See Project roadmap

We are working towards establishing "Whirinaki Interactive" an organisation specialising in Website, Multimedia and Video design and production that will develop learning programmes and resources that can be shared with the world via the web.

Our vision is for this to be an enterprise project by senior students at our Kura, young school leavers and others in our community. This will initially provide support for the Kaitiakitanga program activities (website, videos etc) and will help build connections with our international network of friends and supporters, some of whom we expect to volunteer their skills to help grow it. It will allow our children to share the richness of Whirinaki with others via the web, thus buffering our fragile and unique ecosystem from the pressures of tourism and providing "access" for those unable to travel here in person. We want our people to grow skills that will later attract long term commercial work of this type to the valley.

Students and adults on courses at our Kura actively are actively encouraged to use technology and new media to express themselves and communicate in more effective ways. As part of the Kaitiakitanga program many of the students have been involved in video filming and interviewing to build the confidence to take on this work. Our Whanau Support Group obtained video equipment to allow the junior children to film their September 2004 school holiday programme.

Over the 2006/7summer holiday programme we intend to film the tramping trip that our youth are planning. Our concept is to " Share our adventures and experience with children sick in Starship Hospital"

Our Kura has been given two Apple computers by an American visitor who was impressed by what we are doing and wanted to help.

This project will probaqbly involve tertiary students from AUT and others volunteers visiting Te Whaiti to mentor us over vacation periods. We also hope to produce a series of five minute filler documentaries for Maori Television and / or Enviroschools, that will show our place, culture and activities.

Senior students and our young people will later assume responsibility for maintaining and enhancing all the Whirinaki websites, being mentored in this task by external volunteers and tertiary student teams.

As well as developing technical skills, this project will require that we learn how to establish, advertise and operate a commercial enterprise. Such a enterprise needs to be self sustaining, so we will need to work out how to fund it, and cover this cost by securing contracts. We already have some space earmarked for this or similar enterprise activities at the new Whirinaki Enterprise Centre which we are currently refurbishing.

Outcomes expected:

• Obtain technical and enterprise skills that will enhance further education and career possibilities
• Be able to use technology to record and share the stories that have historically been passed down orally.
• Resources will be available for sale / distribution via the web to start generating a cash flow.
• Our children will be sharing Whirinaki with the world.
• A technology based business will be established that will provide local learning, income and career possibilities.
• We will be able to exploit the Wide Band Internet connection currently being installed in the valley for our Kura.

Start Date: Already informally underway at the Kura
Expected Completion: By end January 2007 all Whirinaki websites will be maintained in the valley

Budget: ECSD funds budgeted to cover learning to get people up to speed. The main cost will be student accommodation and Koha for mentoring work. We will require a dedicated computer for website development. We already have Digital video camera and computer video editing facilities loaned for us to use.

We will be looking to the Govermnent Digital Strategy Connecting Communities fund or similar for the second phase of establishment phase.

Nominal Project Leader: Peter Goldsbury until sites move to Te Whaiti, but someone local will be invited to assume this role asap.

Project Team: Since mentoring and filming is planned as a vacation activity this is involving Whanau Support who create the holiday programme.

Issues Register:

Progress Log

NOTICES:

What Andree a sustainability writer discovered about Kaitiakitanga
Take a photo tour through our valley see restoration work needed.
Our network at Youth Voice Digital Earth Summit on Sustainbility
Hunter Lovins retreat 7-9 July 06, on NZ tour, VIDEO view forums
Thanks Waikato University for help with broadband 05 VIDEO view
Thanks Housing Corp, house painting and marae restoration teams
Go Tramping in Whirinaki. See Kaka, Kiwi, Weka, Robin, Blueduck
Report on Living Organisation workshops. Tipu Ake presented in London, Finland, Paris, Wales, San Fransisco Aug 05
Report on Hikoi to Indigenous Knowledges Conf , Well, NZ. June 05
Thanks to UNITEC Architecture Students for help with town plans 04
Report on Sustainable Resources Conf, Colorado 04
Report on PMI Global Forum, Los Angeles Tipu Ake paper 04
Report on Sharing Indigenous Wisdom Conf, Wisconsin, June 04
Int and local visitors attend Tipu Ake Retreat March 04 See report
MPs Horomia and Mallard open our new merged area school Jan 04
Trip to Whaingaroa Env Gp Raglan, Jan04 learnings, VIDEO view