‍“Ko te oranga o te wai, ko te oranga o te tangata – the health of the water reflects the health of the people.”

This whakataukī didn’t just resonate with Michelle and Tamati, the founders of Te Hokinga Tuna, it awakened something deep within. What began as rangahau into whakapapa became a kaupapa grounded in environmental restoration, mātauranga Māori, and intergenerational healing.

Te Hokinga Tuna is more than a business. It’s a movement. A return to te ūkaipō; to source, to identity, and to purpose. Born out of the shared vision of a couple carrying the stories of their tīpuna and whenua, this kaupapa is breathing new life into the waters of Hokianga and the hearts of its people.

From Whakapapa to Kaupapa

Carrying whakapapa means carrying the land, the water, and the stories that flow between them. You cannot separate the people from the whenua, or the whenua from the wai - they are all one story. It was during a deep dive into family history that a whakataukī about Lake Ōmāpere stopped the founders in their tracks. The health of the water is the health of the people.

This realisation sparked the birth of Te Hokinga Tuna: a business not just about eels, but about restoration, of balance, of mātauranga, and of the sacred bonds between people and place. Through tuna aquaculture, education, and whānau-led wānanga, the kaupapa began to take form, reclaiming a taonga long silenced by colonisation and disconnection.

Restoring the Bridge Between Tamariki and Awa

At the heart of this mahi is reconnection. Tamariki are introduced to the life cycle of tuna through kura-based learning, early childhood kaiako support, and hands-on experiences. They raise tuna from elvers in classroom tanks, care for them, and then return them to the awa, completing a cycle that mirrors their own journey back to identity.

Through stories of taniwha, the practice of rāhui, and spiritual traditions tied to the tuna, whānau are reminded that te ūkaipō is not just a place, it’s a remembering. A way of being. This is kaitiakitanga in action: lived, learned, and passed on.

Against the Current: Like Tuna, We Rise

The journey hasn’t been without challenge. Restoring belief has perhaps been the hardest part; belief that the awa can heal, that mātauranga Māori belongs in modern education, and that our whānau deserve to dream big.

But, like the tuna, Te Hokinga Tuna swims upstream. Against the current. Because the return is worth it.

From spiritual fatigue to systemic barriers, the founders have met each challenge with resilience, leaning into collective strength, building their own courses rooted in mātauranga Māori and aquaculture, and crowdfunded support from those who believe in the vision.

Weaving Mātauranga and Environmental Practice

In this kaupapa, mātauranga Māori isn’t an add-on, it is the foundation.

Maramataka guides timing. Pūrākau shapes curriculum. Tikanga determines design. From riparian planting to waste-to-feed models and pou marking return sites, every decision is made in harmony with both science and spirit.

This isn’t Western science versus indigenous knowledge, it’s the weaving of both, like a finely made hinaki. Each strand strengthens the whole.

A Vision for Generations to Come

Te Hokinga Tuna envisions a future where kura across Aotearoa raise tuna, where hapori lead hatcheries, and where tamariki see themselves reflected in the awa that sustains them.

The goal isn’t just ecological restoration, it’s cultural resurgence. It’s whānau returning barefoot to the rivers of their tīpuna, rangatahi earning qualifications that blend Te Reo, science, and sustainability, and communities thriving because the whenua, wai, and wairua have been cared for.

This is legacy work. And it’s working.

The Final Current

“From the depths of silence, we will be able to say that we wove a current strong enough to carry us home.”

Te Hokinga Tuna is restoring more than just eel populations, it’s restoring the sacred threads that connect us to our tīpuna, to our taiao, and to each other. Every returning tuna carries not only the breath of our ancestors, but the promise of our future.

For Māori business owners and professionals, Te Hokinga Tuna stands as a powerful reminder: when we lead with whakapapa, with purpose, and with unwavering love for our whenua and wai, we don’t just build businesses, we build movements.