Kuaka migration to inspire positive whānau journeys

The kuaka, bar-tailed godwit, undertakes an 11,000 km non-stop migration from the Arctic to New Zealand in September every year. The kuaka stay for the summer before returning to the Arctic to breed in March and April, one of the longest known migrations. The bird has become the emblem of the Kuaka Project, a national Ministry of Social Development E Tu Whānau programme.  E Tu Whānau works on strengths-based initiatives in Māori communities to support and build strong families that are free from violence.

The project uses metaphor around the bird's extraordinary migration to inspire whānau in their own journeys. For example, the kuaka travel flock is made up of smaller 'family units' which designate a 'kahukura' a leading bird. When that bird grows tired, another will take its place to provide the lift for others. E Tu Whānau spokesperson Ann Dysart says, "We just want to say to people, you don't have to save the whole hapū - just work on yourself and the people around you". Project coordinator Hannah Bodger Kearns says "Although bringing up a family is a longhaul proposition, even an ordinary-looking creature can perform extraordinary feats." Ms Bodger Kearns also said the annual arrival of the kuaka had been celebrated by iwi in the past, and one of the project's aims was to rekindle these celebrations.

The Kuaka Project is planning public events nationally around the different stages of the kuaka migration to promote positive family support and stopping violence messages.

More information is available on the project's Facebook page.

Media:

Small bird provides big inspiration, The Press, 16.01.2014

Little voyager has a giant message, The Southland Times, 08.01.2014

Image: Bar-Tailed Godwits by Ben. Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)