Tūngia te ururua kia tupu whakaritorito te tupu o te harakeke…
Cutting back the harakeke at Puniho over the past two days reminded me of an internal detox, not just physical but an emotional and spiritual detox too…an emptying out and letting go of things that are no longer needed, making room for growth and change. The whakatauki above talks about this also; by cutting back the harakeke, nurturing it, paying attention to it and putting it to good use, you allow it to grow and bear fruit once again….

There were some challenging moments when cutting the harakeke; it had not been cut for a while and so the plant was thick and not able to breathe… so it was challenging physically and mentally – I remember saying to myself, one leaf at a time, one leaf at a time…it was a bit like when we are going through ‘stuff’ and you hit a block, you work through it and then you move forward, one step at a time…
And I love the pā harakeke as a representation of the whanau unit…it was wonderful to spend time with Jas, Rahera, Te Para and Hiona living on the whenua at home at Puniho, living as a whanau unit with the land where so many of the harakeke grow…and sharing some wonderful kōrero…
So the pā harakeke is being nurtured, the land is being nurtured, the whanau is being nurtured…
Arohanui,
Jo x