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Kia Ora!

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It’s been a while since we last updat­ed you all on the work of the Tuwhare Trust, so here’s a quick update from us.

In Octo­ber 2022, on Hone’s 100th Birth­day, we cel­e­brat­ed com­plet­ing the restora­tion of the Tuwhare Crib at Kaka Point. We also launched the inau­gur­al Tuwhare Cre­ative Res­i­den­cy in 2023 and announced the first Tuwhare Fel­lows — Tame Iti (Ngai Tuhoe, Te Arawa, Waika­to) Tracey Tawhiao (Ngai te Ran­gi, Whaka­to­hea, Ngati Tuwhare­toa) and Ati Teepa (Tuhoe, Kai Tahu).  We have been so excit­ed to sup­port our inau­gur­al Tuwhare Fel­lows in their cre­ative and lit­er­ary practice.

More reg­u­lar updates to come as we con­tin­ue to devel­op our Tuwhare Res­i­den­cy Programme.

Nga mihi mahana
Hone Tuwhare Trust

Contacting us…

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If you want to get in touch with the Hone Tuwhare Trust, please email tuwharetrust@gmail.com

All copy­right and pub­lish­ing rights for Hone Tuwhare poems are held by Rob Tuwhare on behalf of the Estate of Hone Tuwhare. For per­mis­sion to reprint, per­form, or dis­play Hone’s work please email HoneTuwharePoetry@gmail.com

Nga mihi!

Friend

Do you remember
that wild stretch of land
with the lone tree guard­ing the point
from the sharp-tongued sea?

The fort we built out of branches
wrenched from the tree
is dead wood now.
The air that was thick with the whirr of 
toe­toe spear suc­cumbs at last to the grey gul­l’s wheel.

Oys­ter-stud­ded roots 
of the man­grove yield no fin­er feast
of sil­ver-bel­lied eels, and sea-snails
cooked in a rusty can.

Allow me to mend the bro­ken ends
of shared days: 
but I want­ed to say
that the tree we climbed
that gave food and drink 
to youth­ful dreams, is no more.
Pursed to the lips her fine-edged
leaves made whis­tle — now stamp
no silken trac­ery on the cracked
clay floor.

Friend,
in this drear
dream­less time I clasp
your hand if only to reassure
that all our jew­elled fan­tasies were
real and wore splen­did rags.

Per­haps the tree 
will strike fresh roots again:
give sooth­ing shade to a hurt and 
trou­bled world.