Rebecca- RJ- WHAU LOCAL BOARD Candidate 2025

20/12/2025

Enter to win - tell your favourite Kai story because Iconic Auckland Eats is back for 2026.
Get amongst it Whau Whānau
$500 dollar prize to enjoy at your fave eatery.

Meri kirihimete whānau.

Get ready to taste your way around Tāmaki Makaurau - Iconic Auckland Eats celebrates the best dishes Auckland has to offer, selected by Aucklanders.

19/12/2025

HOANI WĀITITI MARAE- HUI Ā- TAU

A huge thank you to Vikki Ham, Kaitūhono - Relationship Manager at Hoani Waititi Marae, for inviting representation from the
Whau Local Board at the AGM.
It was a privilege to stand in a space so deeply grounded in whakapapa, community leadership, and intergenerational vision.

The evening carried a profound sense of continuity, the strength of those who have laid the foundations, the dedication of those serving today, and the promise of those preparing to lead tomorrow.
It was a privilege to hear skilled orators weaving the past, present, and future together, reminding us that the marae is not only a place of gathering, but a living heartbeat of identity, and collective aspiration.

Hearing from the six nominees standing for three seats on the Hoani Wāititi Marae Board was a testament to the depth of talent, commitment, and aroha within the community.

Congratulations to all who put their names forward, and especially to Tuini Glenda Hakaria-Tino, Shantelle Kershaw, and
Novi Peter Marekina.

Your willingness to serve, to uplift, and to steward the kaupapa forward reflects the highest expression of mana and responsibility. May your experience, skills, knowledge, and gifts continue to strengthen the marae in this new season of governance.

He kākano - "A seed."
A reminder that within every person, every whānau, and every kaupapa lies the potential for growth, renewal, and transformation.
The seed carries the memory of those who came before and the promise of those yet to come - a beautiful reflection of the kōrero shared throughout the hui.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the richness of the discussions, the generosity of insight, and the unity that filled the room.

We wish you all the very best as you move forward into 2026, continuing to build, strengthen, and envision a future grounded in tikanga, innovation, and collective wellbeing.

Ngā manaakitanga ki a koutou katoa,
RJ Thomson
Whau Local Board

07/12/2025

Guys make sure you have your say - your voice matters in the Whau Local Board area.

Every three years, we work with our community to shape our Local Board Plans. These plans set priorities for parks, facilities, transport, climate action and more. 🛝🏞️

Now’s your chance to have a say early and help shape what matters most in our community.

💡 Share your ideas today: https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/local-board-plans-2026

29/11/2025

Papa Alf Memorial Sprint Regatta & Kai West Collective 🌿

Today at Archibald Park, Kelston, the
Papa Alf Memorial Sprint Regatta brought together our Tamariki & Rangatahi, intermediates, and J16 waka ama paddlers for a day of sun,connection, and preparation ahead of the Nationals.

Hosted by the Waitakere Outrigger Canoe Club, this annual event is all about participation, fun, and whanaungatanga - with spot prizes adding to the spirit of celebration.

It was amazing to see Waka Ama embraced, - the strengthening of skills but also seeing the bonds formed through working together and through time on the Awa.

🌿 It was a fantastic opportunity to join in with
the Kai West Collective Food Conversation at
Te Toi Uku, where Wahine Toa shared powerful kōrero on growing and seed sharing,
business and entrepreneurship,
visioning, and caring for our community and whenua.
Thank you to Louise and the team for hosting.
Their wisdom reminded us that kai is more than sustenance, it is a pathway to resilience, enterprise, and collective wellbeing.

A huge mihi to Michele Eickstaedt and
Lynette Van Eys — it was an honour to attend as the Whau Local Board representative and to witness the aroha and vision that continues to uplift our people.

✨ “Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi.”
(With your food basket and mine, the people will thrive.)

Ngā mihi nui to everyone who paddled, shared, and dreamed together today- strengthening our Whau, our whenua, and our future. 💛

27/11/2025

🌿 Celebrating Eco Matters

It was a privilege to attend the Eco Matters end‑of‑year celebration alongside Fasitua Amosa, our Whau Local Board Deputy Chair. What an incredible evening - catching up with new and familiar faces while acknowledging the outstanding mahi of Eco Matters.

Eco Matters is more than an organisation, it’s a movement restoring our Whenua and Awa, reducing waste, growing kai security, and protecting native biodiversity across the Whau and wider Motu.

Their mahi strengthens the ecosystem by planting natives, reviving streams, diverting waste, supporting kai gardens, and encouraging sustainable transport and homes. Every project restores balance while empowering us as kaitiaki of our place.

💚 Huge thanks to Carla Gee, CEO, the team leads, and the Eco Matters Board of Trustees for your vision and dedication.
🤝 Grateful to the Whau Local Board and Waitākere Local Board for the continued support and commitment to this Kaupapa.

▪️Thank you to the Eco Matters team, the
Kai West Collective crew, Everybody Eats for the delicious kai, the musicians, and the servers - your mahi made the night flow beautifully.
A heartfelt thank you to Nat Rose
( Nature Team Lead) for opening with a beautiful karakia, grounding us in connection and purpose.
Looking forward to working with you through 2026.

▪️Wonderful to connect with Mark Allen, Jessica Rose, Michelle Lucke, Shaz, Kim and all the amazing whānau who support in these spaces

▪️Ngā mihi nui to everyone who came, supported, volunteered, or helped make this celebration so special.
Together we’re the weavers, restoring ecosystems,
uplifting and empowering communities, and growing a healthier, more connected place to live. 🌱

26/11/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/14QuDr15vPf/

🌟 We’re thrilled to celebrate our chair, Kay Thomas, who has been honoured by the Auckland Pilipino Trust!

At the Trust’s second Outstanding Pilipino Awards on Sunday, community leaders, artists, educators, surgeons and many other high-achieving Filipinos were recognised for their incredible contributions to Aotearoa. 💐

Kay received the Honorary Pilipino Award—“in deep appreciation for your unwavering support, kindness and dedication to uplifting and empowering the Filipino community.”

This award is a wonderful testament to Kay’s mahi and our board’s commitment to supporting and empowering our ethnic communities.

👏 Ka rawe, Kay — and go Whau!

22/11/2025

I Love Avondale -Canal Road Playground Opening 🌟

What a day! The Canal Road Playground opening was full of energy, connection,
and community pride.

Big thanks to Jess Beattie – the mahi you put in behind the scenes and on the day makes all the difference Kare.

The sausage sizzle crew kept everyone smiling , absolute legends.

💬 Loved catching up with Sue Thirkettle,
Cath Bathe Taylor, Katie Galo, Sera Schwalger, and Ina Sauni.
I'm always encouraged by the creative, solution-seeking, elevated kōrero about life and community.
It's a privilege to share the love language for our whānau across the Whau.

🌺 Hearing personal journeys and seeing wahine Pasifika and Māori stepping into elevated spaces, onto school boards, or changing vocations and seeking new experiences- seeing themselves as valuable in their own life stories is incredibly inspiring – always a privilege.

Great to catch up with Madam Chair, Kay Thomas of the Whau Local Board.
It's good to know our Deputy Faiumu Fasitua Amosa, Chair and Whau Ward Councillor
Sarah Paterson-Hamlin and Board Member Warren Piper back projects and community activities in real and tangible ways.
( I arrived late, and stayed even later chit chatting in the sunshine 🌺)

Special thanks to Sera Schwalger from
Pacific Vision Aotearoa for sharing her knowledge on kai dehydrating, canning, and preparation – practical insights that strengthen whānau resilience.

Grateful for the kōrero, connections, and collective energy that make Avondale and the Whau such vibrant places to belong. 💛

I Love Avondale
Whau Local Board

21/11/2025

Come on down to the Canal Reserve Playground Opening today - soak up the atmosphere, enjoy some of the performances, delicious Kai and activities for the whānau.
Support our Whau Communities and weave our places, spaces and people together.

18/11/2025

Ever wondered about what goes on in the Whau local board offices ?
Check out our agenda and workshop items on the Auckland Resolve Portal.
Come and join us and take part.

17/11/2025

Citizenship Ceremony Reflections 🌿🌏

What a privilege and a pleasure to take part in today’s citizenship ceremony alongside Kaumātua Papa Fred, Whau Local Board Chair Kay Thomas, Henderson-Massey Chairman Chris Carter, and Waitākere local board
Jessica Rose.

Together, we welcomed new citizens from
47 countries- from Afghanistan to the GDR, the United States, Scotland, Egypt, Tonga, Samoa, Brazil, Myanmar, all the way to Wales and Zimbabwe.
Each pūrākau, each journey, each whānau-
a taonga.

We opened with these words:

E ngā iwi i huihui nei
Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou katoa
Nau mai, haere mai, whakatau mai ki tēnei wā
Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou,
kia ora mai rā tātou katoa.
Greetings and welcome to everyone gathered here today.

We acknowledged Ngā Wai Hono I te Pō -
the Māori Queen and Te Tiriti o Waitangi,
the founding document of Aotearoa,
New Zealand.

Te Tiriti guides the relationship between Māori and the Crown, built on partnership and mutual respect.
It calls us, Māori and new settlers alike to work toward a shared future.
By valuing the Treaty, we deepen our understanding of Te Ao Māori and strengthens our collective identity as New Zealanders.

We do not want anyone to forget the country of your birth, nor that your children lose their heritage and cultural roots, but instead, add to the rich, woven fabric of Aotearoa NZ.
You are home. Your presence enriches us all.

A huge thank you to Rangeview Intermediate for their stunning performance- ataahua.

We also acknowledge Te Kawerau ā Maki, kaitiaki of this rohe, for maintaining our ancestral and customary connections to Whenua, Moana, and Taonga.
Your stewardship grounds us in whakapapa and reminds us of our shared responsibility to protect and honour this place.

Nau mai, haere mai. Welcome home.
( Chair) Thomas Kay and RJ Thomson,
- Whau Local Board.