Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Local Focus: Lockdown brings out the TV host in Kiritahi Firmin

Georgie Ormond
By Georgie Ormond
NZ Herald·
30 Apr, 2020 01:41 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Less time traveling means more time to be creative. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Kiritahi Firmin says being in lockdown has taught her a lot about building resilience and how to use technology to her advantage.

"As a consultant I can be working anywhere," Firmin said. "We've got to be safe and this is what most Government departments and NGOs are insisting, that we work from home."

Firmin has found apps like Zoom work well, while locked down at home on their block of land in Makirikiri Valley. She and her whānau are often in the māra or garden, and they have taken to sharing their knowledge and skills in a series of YouTube videos called Kōrero Maara with Kiritahi.

With extensive plantings of fruit trees and edibles on their land, the family harvests a range of crops and the videos cover al that, plus using a camp oven, gathering seeds and making apple cider vinegar.

Firmin's daughter Pikiteora shoots the videos and Firmin presents with guest appearances from her husband, Brian and son Panatahi who took to appearing on camera like a duck to water. He already has his own Facebook page with videos called Being Panatahi.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Whanganui family are now pitching the programmes to Māori Television, and hope to make 10 half -hour programmes.

"Why did we do this in lockdown? It was specifically because I wanted to make sure now more than ever, our communities around the country need to know these basic skills and when we are in these situations it brings out the best in us," Firmin said.

Firmin has a number of other roles already. Currently she is working with Bernardos and also sits on the board of the Mental Health Foundation. She is also a strong advocate for organic farming.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We only have one planet and we must look after our environment. It's a whole circular economy. We've got to look after our soil, that helps the biodiversity in the ecosystem. If we are putting crap on our whenua and our kai it ruins us and that is what I want to impress upon our families wherever they are around the world, to all the countries, you can do it."

Made with funding from

Discover more

Property

Local Focus: Community comes together for the homeless in lockdown

16 Apr 09:05 AM
New Zealand

Local Focus: Could be worse, Whanganui tourism pivots to domestic market

21 Apr 03:29 AM
New Zealand

Local Focus: Whanganui to host Coastal Restoration Trust conference

25 Apr 05:00 PM

Let's Talk Law - Tenants rights during lockdown, what landlords can and can not do

29 Apr 05:00 PM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Pilot academy boss resigns amid safety investigation

18 Jun 05:10 PM
Sport

Athletics: Rising stars shine at cross country champs

18 Jun 05:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Taihape Area School set for transformative rebuild

18 Jun 05:00 PM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Pilot academy boss resigns amid safety investigation

Pilot academy boss resigns amid safety investigation

18 Jun 05:10 PM

Students remain 'in the dark' about what comes next.

Athletics: Rising stars shine at cross country champs

Athletics: Rising stars shine at cross country champs

18 Jun 05:00 PM
Taihape Area School set for transformative rebuild

Taihape Area School set for transformative rebuild

18 Jun 05:00 PM
Kaierau A2 and Waimarino draw in thrilling Premier 2 netball clash

Kaierau A2 and Waimarino draw in thrilling Premier 2 netball clash

18 Jun 04:00 PM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP