Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust Fund

The Ātea a Rangi star compass at Waitangi Basin and Te Matau a Māui, the waka Hourua in Ahuriri, are living taonga — classrooms without walls, where stories, skills, and identities are kept alive.

The Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust, open these taonga to the community. Schools bring their students to learn about traditional celestial navigation, the maramataka (lunar calendar), and the environment. Rangatahi step aboard the waka hourua for their experience of the moana, building confidence, teamwork, learning environment stewardship, leadership and resilience. Whānau and manuhiri gather to reconnect with the old knowledge and to find inspiration in how it continues to shape our future.

The wharewaka project which is an education facility where the waka hourua will be moored outside this building on a floating pontoon is also in the progress of being built and there is more funding needed to finish this project. This facility will be the gateway into Ahuriri, Hawkes Bay.

All donations made to the Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust Fund will be prudently invested, distributing the investment returns earned to ensuring that the wisdom of the stars, the stories of our tūpuna, and the skills of the sea are not lost, but are instead carried forward with pride by the next generation of navigators.