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Orakei has become the first marae to form its own cub scout group.
It’s the initiative of newly-elected Ngati Whatua o Orakei Trust Board member Wayne Pihema, who recently returned to the papakainga after studying in Wellington, where he helped to revive the scout troupe in Paekakariki.
He says it’s a great way to get tamariki involved with the outdoors in a systematic and organised way.
"We’ve become very urbanised and a lot of our kids spend a lot of time doing electronic things on the screens, so for me it was an opportunity to take my three boys, to get them outside and to reconnect because when I grew up I spent a lot of time on a farm. They didn’t have that experience of just connecting with nature, of lighting fires, of being able to go camping. And the fathers and mothers can be involved, so I see scouring as a model that Maori can use to enhance our whanau," Mr Pihema says.
He says says the scout ethic of service to the community also fits well with Maori values.
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