New Zealand’s next generation of sailing talent continues to make its mark on the world stage, with an outstanding result at the 2025 iQFOiL Under-23 World Championships in Portimão, Portugal.

Young Kiwi windfoiler Stella Bilger claimed the biggest title of her career, securing gold in a dramatic medal race series, while fellow New Zealander Aimee Bright completed an impressive Kiwi one-two by taking silver.

For Takutai Trust, the result reflects the continued evolution and strength of Olympic windsurfing in New Zealand — a sport we have proudly supported for many years.

Since windsurfing first appeared at the Olympic Games in 1984, the sport has transformed dramatically. Traditional sailboards have evolved into today’s high-speed foiling machines, with athletes now racing above the water at remarkable speeds using cutting-edge hydrofoil technology. While the equipment has changed, the athleticism, tactical skill and dedication required to compete at the highest level remain as demanding as ever.

As a major sponsor of Windfoil New Zealand, Takutai is proud to support the athletes, programmes and pathways helping develop world-class Kiwi talent in this rapidly advancing sport.

Bilger’s victory in Portugal showcased exactly why New Zealand continues to be a force internationally. In the deciding medal race, she made a bold tactical decision to separate from the fleet — a move that ultimately secured the world title. Her composure under pressure and willingness to back her instincts highlighted the confidence and capability emerging within the New Zealand squad.

The championship result also reflects the depth of talent currently coming through the local programme, supported by experienced athletes including Josh Armit and Veerle ten Have, along with coaches and support teams helping foster a highly competitive training environment.

For Takutai, supporting windfoiling is about more than results alone. It’s about backing innovation, performance, resilience and the next generation of New Zealand athletes competing on the world stage.
With the European Championships in Italy next on the horizon, Bilger’s world title is another exciting sign of what the future holds for New Zealand windfoiling.

In December 2022 as the result of a collaboration with some of our neighbours we installed a new sculpture by Te Rongo Kirkwood on Walkway Waiheke.

The striking ‘Pou Ihi’ was first seen by the public at the 2022 Sculpture On The Gulf, and along with many other people, we were captivated by it.

The artist Te Rongo Kirkwood is an internationally renowned mixed-media artist who specialises in kiln formed, cold worked glass. Her work is testament to her love of fine detail, technical mastery and creative experimentation. She explores stories, concepts and themes inspired by the celestial and metaphysical, while also being influenced by the traditions of her Maori, English, and Scottish heritage. And although each piece has a powerful story and underlying meaning, it is also a celebration of the pure, innate, seductive beauty of its natural materials

Te Rongo’s art has been showcased around the world including exhibitions in Vancouver, San Francisco, and Canberra, as well as here at home in Aotearoa New Zealand – and now at Waiheke.

Here are few words from Te Rongo about her work and Maori whakapapa.

“In my practice I am interested in exploring archetypal symbolism that signals sacred ritual, and marks significant events in moments of time, that then become immortalised in memory.

Tamaki Makaurau Tribal Affiliations: Te Wai o Hua, Ngai Tai ki Tamaki, Te Kauwerau A Maki.

“I am a descendant of the Tainui tribes that once occupied Rangitoto, Motutapu and Waiheke islands. There is a story of ours about a duel that took place on Rangitoto between Hoturua of Tainui and Tamatekapua of the Arawa canoe.

Both claimed to be the first to have set up a tuahu or sacred altar, laying claim to ownership of the island. In the duel Tamatekapua was struck by Hoturua drawing blood, which ended the dispute. This became known as “Te Rangi i totongia a Tamatekapua” (the day Tamatekapua shed blood) today the site is known as Rangitoto.”

You can learn more about the artist at her website www.terongo.com

Anyone who is lucky enough to have been there will tell you that Punakaiki is a very special place. And soon a spectacular new $26 million visitor centre at Dolomite Point will add to the experience.

The centrepiece will be a state of the art ‘exhibition experience’ created by The Gibson Group of Wellington.

Visitors will be treated to an extraordinary world of immersive sound and light displays, which tell the stories and history of Punakaiki from the tectonic forces that shaped the kaarst geology, to the manawhenua who discovered it; Pākehā explorers, early settlers, cavers, the creation of the Paparoa National Park, and the iconic Coast Road community.

Inside the exhibition they will be greeted by virtual wahine toa (woman warrior) with a wero (spear). This feature reflects the fact that Ngāti Waewae is one of the few iwi that allows women to perform the wero.

Project manager Phil Rossiter says the project has involved an immense amount of research, aided by Ngāti Waewae and local experts including caver Neil Silverwood and the late Punakaiki historian Les Wright.

Once completed, the building will be gifted to Ngāti Waewae by the Government.

Ngāi Tahu board member Kara Edwards said she took her grandchildren to Punakaiki recently and “there is nothing there to reflect the history of manawhenua or their presence there. But when this centre is built we will come back and my grandchildren will for the first time see themselves reflected in this place. The importance of that for Ngāti Waewae rangatahi cannot be measured.”

Manawhenua blessed the project last weekend at a ceremony to turn the first sod at the site and building is set to begin later this year. This ambitious project includes a Department of Conservation (DOC) information centre, community meeting room, and offices for Ngāti Waewae. It will also make Punakaiki safer and more accessible for all visitors, with a new car park and highway crossing, and walking and cycling paths.

Images courtesy of Sheppard & Rout Ltd – Dolomite Point Redevelopment Project

It’s very good news for adventurous hikers and mountain bikers, because the 55km Paparoa Track, New Zealand’s newest Great Walk, is now fully open after a slip triggered by heavy rain caused its partial closure.

Modestly understating the tremendous work undertaken by his team to open the track again, Department of Conservation Greymouth operations manager Shane Hall said fixing the track had been “problematic” due to adverse weather and unstable ground conditions.

But now it’s all go, and the result is truly spectacular.

Billed as a two day bike ride or three-day hike the Paparoa Track takes visitors through some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most breathtaking scenery. It winds its way through thriving rainforests, dramatic kaarst limestone landforms, and over soaring rocky alpine tops.

Favorite sections of the Track include a “goblin forest” of wind-shaped silver beech, stunning vistas along the sandstone escarpment, and a magical waterfall on the descent to the Pororari River.

For hikers it’s graded as an Intermediate Great Walk/Easier tramping track, and for mountain bikers it levels up and earns an Advanced/Grade 4 rating.

The Pike 29 Memorial Track, which will branch off the Paparoa Track between Moonlight Tops Hut and Pororari Hut and head to the former mine site, will open once the Pike River Recovery Agency completes its work to re-enter the mine, and DOC finishes its memorial and interpretation centre.

Image and video courtesy of DOC

The Tuwhare Charitable Trust is proud to announce Wairere Tame Iti, Tracey Tawhiao and Ati Teepa as recipients of the inaugural Tuwhare Creative Residency at Rakitāmau, Kākā Point.

The opening of Hone’s crib at Rakitāmau, Kākā Point on October 21, 2022, marks the 100th Birthday of Hone Tuwhare. It also marks the beginning of an exciting future for the Tuwhare Trust as we embark on the next chapter of our journey to celebrate the Hone Tuwhare legacy through the Tuwhare Creative Residency programme.

The Tuwhare Creative Residency is the first residency to be developed in Aotearoa in the home and name of a Māori artist.

Takutai has had a long association with Windsurfing and its development in New Zealand.

Inspired by the Olympic dream, Takutai has lent its support to talented kiwis competing both on the world stage and at grass roots level, notably at the Wakatere Sailing Club where the next generation of superstar windsurfers are developing.

With Windsurfing being replaced by Wind Foiling at the Paris Olympics in 2024, Takutai has donated four sets of Wind Foiling equipment for use in training. We hope it’s the start of another golden age in wind powered board riding for New Zealand.

Four brilliant young women took on the world – becoming the first kiwis to compete at Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival

Watch their story on 7 Sharp here.

Rob Tuwhare’s Granddaughter, Manaia, started writing at school and was part of four friends at Western Springs College that cleaned up NZ and Australia Spoken Word, then Los Vegas at the 2019 Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival. (We donated towards their trip.)

Manaia now works in schools via Action Education (Youth line) talking to students about writing / spoken word.

Big Thank You from Ngāhine Pūkōrero
Kia ora Whānau Tomorrow Ngāhine Pūkōrero will depart from Aotearoa and embark on the journey to compete on the world stage of Brave New Voices 2019

We just want to offer a huge thank you and send out a big mihi to you all of you who gave so generously and enabled this to happen. We appreciate you so much.

Thank you so much for your belief in these incredible young women and what they have to say. It takes team work to make the dream work and we would not be here without you, we cannot thank you enough.

So we depart for LA tomorrow afternoon when we arrive we will spend some time sightseeing, rehearsing and acclimatising then on the night of the 16th Ngāhine Pūkōrero will feature at Da Poetry Lounge which we are very excited about. Da Poetry Lounge is the largest and longest running weekly venue in Hollywood’s history, and the largest weekly venue in the country. This is an amazing opportunity and will mean the team will be able to test their new material on an American audience.

Then on the morning of the 17th we drive up to Las Vegas to Brave New Voices for the opening night. The team will take part in workshops on the 18th then the quarter finals begin on the 19th. We will do our best to live stream our performances and keep everyone up to date on our Facebook page so please follow us on Action Education Inc.

We have a small thank you from the girls here, PASSWORD: Lets Go!

This summer Takutai has been involved with the Orewa Longboard Club. Recently they hosted a luncheon to pass on their appreciation of our efforts.

They use the Orewa Surf Lifesaving building as their base. If you are looking for a visit down memory lane then we would recommend a meal at the restaurant.

In the 60’s and 70’s many local NZ surf clubs had such facilities- it certainly makes for a lovely environment.

A stately new carving now presides over part of the Te Ara Hura walkway.

The intricately carved Pouwhenua, located at the top of a section of grape vines off Korora Road, took approximately 400 hours to complete and was unveiled at daybreak on Saturday 18 August 2018.
Around 45 people gathered for the karakia and waiata. and as the sun’s light started to emerge from the east, the pou was revealed and named Horowhenua after a man who rescued his aged father, chief Paoa and returned him home. To conclude the unveiling, a hymn was sung, and the blessing ended with a karakia followed by mihi and waiata.

After the blessing, Peter and Mary Wells of Takutai Trust spoke about their inspiration behind commissioning the carving and of the artist, Tristan Marler, who worked on the piece.

“We moved to the property, which had not been permanently lived in for a couple of years, in 2015. “The garden was ready for some TLC to return it to Its former glory;” says Peter.

During the next 18 months, much of which was spent in the garden, Peter and Mary worked out how popular the walkway (situated on an easement in their property) was – especially with tourists.

During the next 18 months, much of which was spent in the garden, Peter and Mary worked out how popular the walkway (situated on an easement in their property) was –  especially with tourists.
They wanted to create something. unique for passers-by, so they commissioned Component, a renowned street artist to paint a shipping container on the property to add a bit of extra colour and attraction to the walk.

“We’d worked with iwi before, and we thought it would be a great idea to have a pou on the highpoint of the walkway. We discussed it with carver Tristan Marler and spoke with the local iwi Ngati Paoa who were on board with the idea and were happy to be part of it”.

Typically, there is a story around Pouwhenua, especially such intricately carved ones, and Morehu Wilson of Ngati Paoa says that the pou depicts Horowhenua carrying his father on his back safely home.

The Wells are pleased people from all over the world will be able to encounter the carving and to learn about Horowhenua.
I would say more than 50 percent of people walking the track aren’t from New Zealand, so the opportunity to come across Māori culture and art is great,” says Peter.

Finding the right piece of totara was extremely difficult for artist Tristan Marler who studied whakairo rākau (Māori wood carving) in Rotorua and worked on the pou for two years. During which time he and his partner had their daughter.

“l am humbled to have been a part of this Kaupapa with the support of my family, Ngati Paoa, and Peter and Mary Wells who commissioned the pou; says Tristan

Like everyone who gathered to watch the morning light illuminate the new Pouwhenua, Peter says he’s enthralled by the result. How someone can start with just a lump of wood and a chisel and produce something so striking is amazing.”

Sophie Boladeras – Gulf News 23^rd August 2018