Huaki

“To bring to Light”

Edition 31

Building Hauora, Building People: The Movement Collective Story

Matt Pryor

In Whangārei, The Movement Collective is doing things diﬀerently. Founded by Journee

Houston and JP Ogden, it’s more than a gym, it’s a whānau. Built on hauora, unity and backing each other, it shows what’s possible when our people move together.

In Whangārei, a kaupapa is taking shape that goes far beyond ﬁtness.

The Movement Collective is a Māori-owned gym founded by Journee Houston and John Paul (JP) Ogden, built on a simple but powerful whakaaro: when we strengthen hauora, we strengthen our people

What started as an idea is quickly becoming a strong, safe community people want to be part of, built in the middle of real life, with JP in his third year of nursing and Journee running a forestry business

At its core, The Movement Collective is about unity It is a space where people encourage one another, push together, and move as a collective toward better health

This isn’t your typical gym, it’s a space where people feel supported, connected, and motivated to keep showing up

A range of classes for all levels, whether you’re just starting out or already training consistently

For Journee, hauora is not something that should feel like a chore.

“Hauora is critical to our existence, but its easily neglected, especially for our people At TMC, we make it part of who you are.”

Like many pakihi Māori journeys, the path has not been without challenges Journee speaks openly about overcoming self-doubt, particularly as someone without formal qualiﬁcations in the ﬁtness industry Financial constraints have also been a reality

But rather than waiting for perfect conditions, they chose to build anyway

This has been built around work, study, and everything else life throws at you, not instead of it

What they have created is more than a gym It is a community

What started as an idea is quickly becoming a strong, safe community people want to be part of

“The thing Im most proud of is the strong community that has come together to make TMC possible Everyone wants the best for each other ”

That sense of collective ownership is what sets The Movement Collective apart It reﬂects a deeper truth about Māori entrepreneurship: success is not just individual, it is shared

For those starting their own pakihi, Journee oﬀers grounded advice:

“Don’t be scared to fail It’s only temporary Learn from it, ﬁx it, and keep going Its ruthless some days, but stay consistent and true to you ”

The Movement Collective is a reminder of what is possible when kaupapa, community and courage come together

4-10 May 2026

Anyone can be a Road Safety Hero, so join us on our walk/run around the Hātea Loop to show your commitment to road safety. The walk/run will be followed by refreshments and prizes at Putahi Park. Dress up in your most creative hero costume and be in to win great prizes!

Friday 8 May at 1pm Canopy Bridge, Town Basin

TŪKOTAHI: Standing Together at Waitangi

Last week, members of the Whāriki Māori Business Network team had the privilege of attending the TRMA 2026 Regional Māori Health & Safety Conference at Waitangi Treaty Grounds.

From the pōwhiri through to the closing reﬂections, it was clear this was far more than a conference It created space for meaningful kōrero about how we can better protect and support our people across our workplaces, businesses and communities

A key takeaway for our team was the reminder that health and safety is ultimately about people It is about relationships, responsibility and leadership. While these conversations are often framed through policies and processes, the day reinforced the importance of taking a more people-centred approach

Through a te Ao Māori lens, values such as manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and kaitiakitanga help shift health and safety from being transactional to relational It encourages us to think beyond compliance and ask deeper questions about how we create environments where people feel safe physically, culturally and emotionally

As an organisation that exists to supp business growth and connection acro Tokerau, these conversations strong with our kaupapa Strong businesses on strong people, and creating safe, environments is an important part o

There was something especially pow about having these discussions at Wa It served as a reminder that partners protection and participation remain j relevant today and should continue t how we lead within our organisation communities

Ngā mihi to the organisers, speakers everyone who contributed to such an day of learning and connection

Growing local capability within Taitokerau

As Northland faces increasing environmental pressures – from climate change and biodiversity loss to ﬂood and natural hazard risks – growing local capability has never been more important

Northland Regional Council’s Tū i te ora Scholarships are one way to help build strong foundations and empower future environmental leaders

Now open for applications, the scholarships are designed to support Northlanders studying in environmental ﬁelds while creating potential pathways into work here at home

Council Chair Pita Tipene says the scholarships provide meaningful beneﬁts for both students and council

“Being able to empower our future environmental leaders by providing some ﬁnancial relief and oﬀering summer paid work experience is a good thing in the current climate.”

Each scholarship provides $5,000 to help with study costs, as well as paid, full-time summer work experience with NRC from mid November 2026 to mid February 2027

Recipients will have the opportunity to intern with Climate Action, Biodiversity & Science, Rivers and Natural Hazards & Civil Defence or Te Tiriti Partnerships & Engagement teams

The scholarship provides opportunities to apply learning in real-world settings and build skills that directly support the region

“These scholarships celebrate the council vision of Tiakina te taiao, tuia te here tangata - Nurture the environment, bring together the people This is an incredible opportunity for students who whakapapa to Taitokerau ”

Two scholarships set aside speciﬁcally for Māori, reﬂecting NRC’s commitment to building enduring relationships with tangata whenua and supporting Northland youth into tertiary study

The programme also helps students to “get a foot in the door”, strengthening the pipeline from study into future employment.

For more information and to apply, visit www nrc govt nz/scholarship

Applications close Monday 11 May

Pictured:FormerTūiteoraScholarshiprecipientHuiaClarke gainedworkexperiencewiththeNRCHydrologyteam.

Feeling the pinch? Don’t panic

Time for steady, calm, and sensible leadership

Ruth Wong

Across the motu, whānau are beginning to feel the ripple eﬀects of global tensions that have reached all the way to Aotearoa

Although Australia remains one of the world’s major exporters of coal and gas, its oil reserves are now extremely limited, and New Zealand is in much the same position As nations positioned at the end of a long and fragile supply chain, we are vulnerable to disruptions occurring far beyond our shores

One of the most signiﬁcant pressure points is the Strait of Hormuz - a narrow but vital passage through which around 20% of the world’s oil supply travels

Recent conﬂict in the region has slowed shipping, increased risks to vessels, and tightened global trade

These international shifts are now being felt locally: rising fuel prices, increased costs for farmers and transport operators, and growing strain on whānau already navigating the high cost of living

For many these impacts are real and immediate Households already under pressure with health, housing, and ﬁnancial challenges are now facing the added burden of rapidly increasing petrol and diesel costs

For some, the weekly budget is stretched

beyond breaking point

Despite this, it is not a time for panic It is a time for steady, calm, and sensible leadership

Most global oil supply continues to move, governments are releasing reserves to stabilise markets, and some of the price spikes we are seeing are driven more by speculation than genuine shortage While we cannot control global events, we can control how we respond

Practical steps can help us stay grounded:

• Stay informed through reliable sources

• Avoid panic buying

• Strengthen local networks and check in on kaumātua and neighbours

• Plan essential travel carefully

• Support local growers and producers, or grow your own produce

• Keep vehicles above half a tank and maintain basic supplies

• Uphold manaakitanga, kotahitanga, and whanaungatanga

These principles are not new

They are the same values our tīpuna used to navigate uncertainty and change Our strength has always come from our ability to awhi one another, stay informed, and move forward together

“Biscuits! Army Biscuits! Consider the hardness of them Remember the cracking of your dental plate, the breaking of this tooth, the splintering of that ”

(From “Army biscuits” by Ormond Burton in “The ANZAC book”)

Does this bring to mind images of our troops at Gallipoli eating the Anzac biscuits we know and love today? Contrary to popular belief there were no Anzac biscuits at Gallipoli The standard Army biscuit at this time was a rock-hard tooth breaker, also called a ship’s biscuit

Although its a myth that Anzac biscuits were sent and eaten by troops in Gallipoli, some evidence suggests a rolled oats-based biscuit was sent to troops on the Western Front, although this is not widespread

The majority of rolled oats biscuits were in fact sold and consumed at fetes, galas, parades and other public events at home, to raise funds for the war eﬀort This connection to the troops serving overseas led to them being referred to as “soldiers’ biscuits” Fundraising was coordinated by local Patriotic Funds, raising 6 5 million pounds for the New Zealand war eﬀort

The basic ingredients for a rolled oat biscuit were rolled oats, sugar, ﬂour, butter with golden syrup, not eggs, used as a binding agent This made them not only nutritious and full of energy but also long-lasting

After WWI, the most popular rolled oat biscuit had the name and association of Anzac applied to it, and thus the legend of the Anzac biscuit began

Source: National Army Museum