Te Arawa Whanau Ora hosting Wai Warriors information evenings

Te Arawa Wai Warriors design and delivery team Marcus Ridge (left), Shona Charteris and Jenny Kaka-Scott will be presenting at next week's information evenings. Photo/Supplied

Te Arawa Whanau Ora is hosting two information evenings this week to share its exciting new "Wai Warriors" project with local rangatahi and their families.

Seventy-five young people living in the Te Arawa rohe, aged 13 to 15, will have the opportunity to learn what it means to be a kaitiaki (guardian) of Rotorua lakes and waterways in the initiative which kicks-off in the New Year.

The information sessions are at Taharangi Marae this Wednesday and Thursday, involving presentations from the project's design and delivery teams.

Te Arawa Whanau Ora collective impact manager, Jenny Kaka-Scott, said the information evening would give young people and their parents or guardians an idea of what they can expect from the programme over the next 18 months, and what being a Wai Warrior was all about.

"The Wai Warriors project enhances rangatahi potential," she said.

"They'll learn how to preserve, protect, monitor and improve the health and well-being of our waterways, while celebrating our Te Arawa identity on the water. They'll participate in a series of programmes, on and off the water, to enhance their confidence and develop their personal and collective leadership skills.

"Activities include learning to swim, surf, gather kai, mahi toi [art and crafts], waiata and haka, taonga puoro [music and instruments], waka, and te reo Maori."

She said while the programme was about having fun and developing a lifelong connection with the water, it's also about providing rangatahi with knowledge and skills for careers in the matauranga Maori space and the environmental sector and recognising the value of having healthy waterways.

The Te Arawa Wai Warriors programme will kick-off with a fun waka day at Lake Okareka in January.

For more information on the information evening, contact Jenny Kaka-Scott at Te Arawa Whanau Ora on (07) 213 1995.