Turanga Barclay-Kerr
We’ve sort of grown up on the river, right from a real young age. We’ve been doing everything like waka ama, waka taua, kōpapa, everything, so the river sort of the lifeline, the life source for us. Not only us but even for all our friends and stuff from kura who have become affiliated with us, the same thing. Right from when we were little, right on the river, day in day out, making use of our awa.
The river’s been around for a while, for a long time, and it’s something that our tūpuna used in their daily lives. Coming up and down the awa doing all their things, and you know I guess that’s something that has transferred in today. Same river, different time, but you know, some of the things we see or have seen on the river, it’s stuff that our tūpuna could have seen or have seen.
Acknowledgement:
The Waikato Tainui College for Research and Development acknowledges the financial support given by the Waikato River Cleanup Trust Fund which is administered by the Waikato River Authority.
The Waikato River Cleanup Trust does not necessarily endorse or support the content of the publication in any way.