Mai i te rangi ki te whenua.

E ai ki o tātou whakapapa, mai ra ano i te Kore, i te Po, mai i te rangi ki te whenua, ko tātou tenei e tu atu nei i to tātou ao Māori.

Na Tane ngā kete o te wānanga i tiki atu i te Rangi Tūhāhā, i tiritiri ki a Papatuanuku, kia puta te ira tangata ki te Whaiao, ki te Ao Mārama.

No te rangi te mātauranga, hei oranga mo te hinengaro.

No te whenua ngā mara kai, e ora ai o tātou tinana.

Na ngā taonga takirua nei tātou i tangata ai.

E te iwi kainga, tena koutou, karanga mai ki a mātou o te Kāwanatanga.

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This day has been a long day in the making.

Indeed, I believe one hundred and eleven years ago, the initial seeds were planted at a historic visit to Waipatu by His Excellency the Governor General, Lord Ranfurly, the Rt Hon Richard Seddon, and the Hon James Carroll.

On the 29^th March 1898 a presentation - much as we might see today - was hosted by Mr Henare Tomoana.

 In response to his greeting, Lord Ranfurly stood and addressed the crowd, and he said:

"It is most pleasing to know that the Maoris, especially in this district of Hawkes Bay, are taking an intelligent and active interest in the industrial pursuits of the country.

It is highly creditable to you that many of your chiefs have become sheep-farmers, and are managing their properties in a businesslike way".

Over a century later, while the representatives of the Crown are different we would no doubt find uri of some of those gathered at that hui in 1898 - the mokopuna of Mrs Airini Donnelly; Major Kemp; Te Ira; Wi Pere and others.

And that would be entirely fitting.

Tangata whenua - people of the land - are intimately connected to the land and the relationships that derive from that connection.  Our land connects us as whanau, hapu and iwi; it provides sustenance and it keeps us grounded.

We call this concept our turangawaewae - the place where we stand, where we feel firm in our foundations, our place, our home.

For us in Kahungunu we think literally to the footprints of Rongokako, that were left at Te Tapuwae-o-Rongokako, near Whangara.  That is our imprint on the land, always connected, our collective memory.

Today then, as Minister of Maori Affairs, it has a sense of coming home - in more ways than one.

I wanted to reflect on the history of this marae - and the role of people such as Henare Tomoana - because it reflects the spirit of fierce independence and pride that continues to characterise not just the people of Waipatu, but throughout the rohe of Ngati Kahungunu.

Tomoana's legacy, as a member of Te Kotahitanga, was to present a Federated Maori Assembly Empowering Bill to invest power and responsibility for Maori development to Te Kotahitanga - the movement of an independent Maori parliament.

Today we celebrate another expression of that same spirit of Maori independence and pride, in the establishment and promotion of maara kai as an expression of collective capability.

In some way, setting up a maara kai is an act of reclaiming our culture, our self-reliance, our rangātiratangā.

The Māra Kai programme aims to build community networks and resilience.

This is a way for whānau to join with other whānau in doing something creative and productive.  Maara Kai can contribute to whānau developing and building on skills that could lead to employment.

Maara kai is also a way in which we as parents can encourage our tamariki and mokopuna to engage in healthy, educational and cultural activities. 

It is about encouraging collective responsibility for our health and wellbeing, while at the same time preserving our respect for our whenua, our land - the ultimate expression of kaitiakitanga.

Maara kai enables the transference of traditional knowledge and practices from the experienced to the inexperienced and will again contribute to strengthening the foundation of our society as whānau.

This Maara Kai programme we are launching today is a practical mechanism to keep us grounded, keeping us connected to home.

I think what is most distinctive about the maara kai concept is that it manages to tick all the boxes - to achieve many outcomes - all at the same time.  On the most immediate level it will result in measurable benefits in terms of healthy produce to eat.

But there are other, less-tangible but just as significant benefits - healthy outdoor activity, learning skills of planting, growing, harvesting and storing fruit and vegetables.

And of course there are all the community and social benefits - a network of friends, people with knowledge passing it on to those who are keen to learn, crops to share amongst whānau and the satisfaction of cooking and eating food we have grown ourselves.

All the activities involved in setting up, tending and harvesting maara kai, bring us closer together and enable us to remember the teachings of our tipuna and the way they lived.

Our tipuna worked together, they shared what they had, and they ensured younger generations were equipped with survival skills. This made them strong enough to survive the challenges of their world.

Finally,  I couldn't possibly leave Waipatu without acknowledging the most recent achievements that demonstrate your unique strength - I'm talking of course about your victorious achievements as the grand winners of Touch and the Tug of War in the last Kahungunu Sports Day; the champion of champions.

And of course my Katorika friends tell me there is nothing quite like Te Roopu o Waipatu to see your talents to the fore.

All of these characteristics make the maara kai project at Waipatu a success before you've even begun.

But perhaps the most exciting thing of all, is the knowledge that what happens here, can take root anywhere. 

And I want to pay particular tribute to the Māori Economic Taskforce who have been so supportive of this project, recognising within it the seeds of great potential for every marae, for every whanau, for every community.

The Taskforce understands the impact of the recession on whānau and communities and wants to ensure that Māori have the skills, resources and ‘know-how' to endure the challenges of this period. 

So I commend all of you who have set up this maara kai, acknowledging the many volunteers who are getting involved to make it a success; and I thank you for your vision, your initiative, and your commitment in knowing that this project will enable your people to flourish in ways far beyond the milestones on the project brief.

As you nourish your bodies with the healthy kai that will be produced in these gardens I know for sure that your souls will also be replenished with the spirit of kotahitanga; of whanaungatanga; of manaakitanga.   This is a project I know Henare Tomoana would have been rightfully proud of - as would have Lord Ranfurly.

I wish you well in this exciting, indeed, this ground-breaking project to bring your people together in a way that just have to be good for everyone.