Taking life lessons from our awa, on our awa

Whanganui's Ash Patea - educator, river guide and entrepreneur, with more to come.

Whanganui River Tours, with Ashley Patea at both figurative and literal helm, provides more than just a canoe trip on the awa.

According to one satisfied customer; Professor Peter Blair of Earlham College, Indiana, it offers a "transformative educational experience". And he should know - his students have been undertaking these transformative journeys for the past 10 years.

Ash Patea, 29, is an educator, a river guide, an entrepreneur, a businessman, a producer and a family man.

His company, BA Productions, draws inspiration from the Whanganui tribal landscape to educate youth in tikanga and te reo Maori across all levels of schooling. Ki Tai is a subsidiary company of BA Productions, and offers river trips and marae experiences, steeped in local lore, history and culture.

At the old Fern Lodge, near the i-Site on Taupo Quay, renovations are in full swing. Ki Tai is planning to make the iconic Whanganui building their base for the foreseeable future, with accommodation for tour groups and guests opening next year.

It is an exciting move for Mr Patea, who has operated out of his house from the day of his business' conception. He has four children - two of them aged under two - and it is time for the growing business to move out of home to give him more time with his kids.
The young entrepreneur's vision is simple but ambitious.

Through inclusive educational programmes, both on and off the river, he hopes to make Maori culture and language part of the collective consciousness through all stages of schooling.

Mr Patea wants to help bridge the gap between Maori and pakeha, and is hoping to see a different Whanganui in a couple of generations. "This is a silent revolution," he laughs. "No conflict, just integration."

BA Production's educational programmes focus first on what Maori and pakeha culture have in common then delve further into what makes Maoritanga, and especially Whanganuitanga (the Whanganui way), unique.

The strategy works. Schools keep inviting BA Productions back, and they have added an early childhood service to their portfolio.

The Ki Tai teams work with marae visits and river tours to weave local culture into unforgettable experiences that open people's minds.

Ash Patea uses the river to provide a "transformative educational experience"

"Everything is education," he says. "What we do is transformation. Wairua (spirit) and Mauri (essence, magic) must be lived, not taught. Nobody can come off our river tours and marae experiences with a closed mind.

"When we take educators on these trips, they then take that transformation and enthusiasm to the classroom."

While BA Productions and Ki Tai are already huge undertakings, there is a lot more on Ash Patea's plate.

Partner Vicki Makutu has years of experience working in television, and the production company the two have formed was contracted by Careers NZ to make short, inspirational videos about Maori in business.

The series followed young Maori businesspeople and entrepreneurs - and it was only natural that they also featured in them.

The couple's partnership also lent itself to creating video resources to tie in with the classroom-based programmes, and they have been approved for funding to make 45 three-minute episodes for kids to explore and follow up what they learn at school.
Neither BA Productions nor Ki Tai usually apply for funding - they don't want the red tape, or to be beholden to anyone else's agenda.

Mr Patea adds: "It's easy to spend other people's money; when you're spending your own money, you value it a lot more."

Plans for the future include "koha coaching", a concept he has developed to help those who want to start something of their own. People would offer what they can in terms of koha in return for his time, expertise and advice.

"It's not all about the money," he says. "Money blinds the experience."

Waituna West School, 45 minutes from Hunterville, once paid for a programme to prepare their students for a Maori camp in meat - providing sustenance for a full season of river trips.

Mr Patea's enthusiasm, open demeanour, ready laugh, and obvious passion for his culture are good indicators that he loves what he is doing and is doing what he loves. For him, it begins and ends with the river.

"The river is the perfect analogy", he says. "It connects everything between mountains and sea. It connects all the marae, all the people, all our history, our hopes for the future."