When Bodhi Andrew and his classmates knitted a blanket for the Prime Minister two years ago, the now 11-year-old had no idea he would be personally thanked by Jacinda Ardern for their efforts.
Bodhi, a student at Tauranga Waldorf Steiner School pupil, joined Ardern in visiting a papakainga development in Welcome Bay today.
Ardern was visiting the Māori housing development as part of Labour's campaign ahead of this year's general election.
The Māori housing project is being built by ABC Homes and run by the Ranginui 12 Trust. The trust has previously received $2.7 million in funding to build nine new dwellings as part of the papakainga. The housing, once complete, will be available to rent to whanau who have links to the land.
Trust chairwoman Paula Weohia said the nine homes were made possible through the funding, arranged by Te Puna Kokiri, and having the Prime Minister visit acknowledged the importance of housing in the area.
Ardern's visit was also "pretty awesome", she said.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visiting a papakainga development site in Welcome Bay this morning. Photo / George Novak
Ardern told people gathered at the site she was impressed at the speed the development has grown since Minister Nanaia Mahuta turned the sod at the site a year ago.
"This will be, I hope, the beginning of further housing development in which we see whanau being able to connect with their whenua and have a house on their whenua."
Local tradesman Kevin Haua told the Prime Minister that he was one of first people in New Zealand to take part in the then Maori apprenticeship scheme in the 1960s and he loved it. He said he would like to see the Government do more to bring it back, to which Ardern said: "It has been".
Due to tikanga protocol, the Prime Minister did not go into any undeveloped site as Māori custom dictates women could not enter an unfinished building until it was blessed.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern greets local iwi with an elbow pump at a Welcome Bay papakainga development. Waiariki MP Tāmati Coffey is also pictured. Photo / George Novak
As Ardern exited a tour of a completed, and newly blessed, build Bodhi was waiting for her outside where he introduced himself and asked after the blanket.
His classmates each knitted a square each to form a blanket and sent it to Ardern when her daughter Neve was born. Ardern told Bodhi she remembered the blanket and thanked him.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on site at a Welcome Bay papakainga development. Photo / George Novak
The blanket was used in one of the first public photos of Neve which went global.
Bodhi said he was excited to meet Ardern.
Image 1 of 15: PM Jacinda Ardern at Tauranga Historic Village.
He also said he agreed with yesterday's announcement about plans to make Matariki a national public holiday.
"I think it is really good, really great because there aren't very many Māori holidays.
"Every Matariki our school does a play."
The play is done in te reo and celebrates the Māori new year.
Mum Trudy Kendall said she was pleased Ardern remembered the blanket and acknowledged Bodhi's, and the other children's, efforts.
"She used that blanket for the first photos that went all around the world. She said just then that she thought the blanket was fantastic," Kendall said.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern meets Bodhi Andrew, 11, who told her he helped create a blanket for daughter Neve. Waiariki MP Tāmati Coffey is pictured in the middle. Photo / Kiri Gillespie
It was Labour's second election policy pitch – the first was at the party's campaign launch on August 8.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visiting a papakainga development site in Welcome Bay this morning. Photo / George Novak
Due to the re-emergence of Covid-19 in the community, Ardern was forced to push the election – and by extension the election campaign – back.
During the launch of the re-election campaign, Ardern announced a $300 million package to protect struggling workers and businesses from the worst impacts of Covid-19.
