Ngā tohu o te wā

I've been driving all over the motu over the past few weeks, and region to region the Pōhutukawa are flowering more brilliantly than they have in years. It has me taking note, and being prepared for the possibility of something special or perhaps out of the ordinary happening in the environment this season.

Those who live close to the whenua, have always been watching what’s happening as the seasons pass, looking for little indicators, tohu, to help them see what’s ahead so that they can make themselves ready for what is coming. There are lots of tohu. The flowering of the trees have always been closely watched, as has the comings and goings of the birds. They seem to know much more than us when it comes to long range weather forecasting! The world we live in is intricately interconnected and the plants and animals are more attuned to this reality than us. They can sense what te taiao is saying, and give us tohu of things that we can’t see. Modern methods of understanding and predicting weather pattens and seasons are helpful, but they risk making us lazy and leaving the work to experts and computers. Part of learning to listen to the whenua means starting to see the tohu that she gives us to let us know what is happening, and then using that to guide us as we make our way forward into the future.

Many are winding down for the Summer break and for lots of people it is a time to remember, celebrate, rest and relax. And many people still like to make “New Year’s Resolutions” as the calendar flips into 2024. I would like to suggest making a Tīwaiwaka resolution: do something special, no matter how small, to help heal the whenua.

We are lucky to live in a very beautiful and relatively peaceful part of the world, but Papatūānuku needs us to keep her well. If you look around, there is plenty to be concerned about. Rather than buying gifts, think “What gifts can I give back to the whenua?” It might only be something little, picking up rubbish or digging out some invasive weeds, but lots of little efforts can soon add up to a very big change. Ka ora te whenua, ka ora to tangata.

Ngā mihi nui o te wā

Pā