Wellington green thumb Robert Bruce Te Whare (Tainui) has sadly passed away.
Te Whare founded the Mokai Kāinga Māori Centre Charitable Trust in Wellington, a community garden initiative to assist the homeless in regaining their footing. His team also worked hard to restore the Ōwhiro stream’s longfin eel population after severe weather and pollution rendered it uninhabitable in 2017.
He served on the Wellington City Council as Māori Liaison and is well-known in the community for his work assisting urban Māori.
Te Whare established the Te Roopu Matariki Cultural Group in the 1980s, which met on a regular basis for fellowship through kapa haka and concerts. The organisation relocated and began offering marae-based social services. They became known as the ‘Marae in the Sky’, and they established strong networks with many governments and community organisations.
Today, Mokai Kāinga remains active and provides community gardens, emergency accommodation, advocacy, and community work schemes. A review is under way to assist Mokai Kāinga to plan for the future. Te Whare continued his community gardens, emergency accommodation, advocacy, and community work schemes until his passing.
