Patrick Salmon

Kia ora Relations,

I done a personality and skill test and I want share over the next few days what mine were. This is the Clifton Strengths test. Here is 1/5 that I will share:

Relator
SHARED THEME DESCRIPTION
People who are especially talented in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
YOUR PERSONALIZED STRENGTHS INSIGHTS
What makes you stand out?
Driven by your talents, you are someone to whom others turn for an honest perspective about a project, person, event, or idea. They trust you will share your viewpoints. Instinctively, you bond with and work well with people who tell you what they want to accomplish in life. It’s very likely that you are regarded as a hard worker and a doer. You derive a lot of satisfaction from tackling projects without anyone interfering with your plans or second-guessing how you do things. Because of your strengths, you often find that individuals ask you for your ideas and views on a variety of issues. People probably feel comfortable interrupting you with their questions. They likely want to know what you think and feel about sensitive topics, like interpersonal conflicts or someone’s behavior. By nature, you embody the adage: “If you want to get something done, ask a busy person.” You deliver peak performances when you can tackle a task. You experience tremendous satisfaction each time you accomplish something. You probably like being held accountable for your actions and words.

Try the test online, it’s insightful and relatable xoxo Have a great day xoxo

I am off to Samoa this year Relations and it’s all about KAIRUA and our new direction.

This October, the Commonwealth will turn towards Samoa. International official representatives from 56 countries within the Commonwealth will gather to discuss some of the world’s most pressing issues.

There are many challenges that we share - the ongoing impacts of climate disasters, conflict, lingering COVID-19 effects, economic downturn, high and growing indebtedness, rising inflation, and inequalities – these require a collective and united response, and as
the Commonwealth, it is up to us to seize this opportunity. The potential as a Commonwealth collective - joined by values, interests, and practical advantages - needs to be realised.

Trade is one of the most important things we share. As the Commonwealth, we are in a unique position to unleash the benefits of trade and investment for over one third of the world's population.

Our other challenge is to assess if we are all benefiting equally from this Commonwealth Advantage. The varying degree of economic development and challenges within our Commonwealth family requires tailored solutions, strategic financing, and strengthened collaboration between the public and private sector.

I am honoured to be invited to this esteemed gathering of international leaders from within the Commonwealth Business Forum, this will provide a platform for collaboration, and to discuss how we can better seize our shared advantage.

Guess what Relations,

It’s official, we are moving home to Ngati Awa. This is the place where I was born, raised, taught, loved and served. We are so excited to be returning back on a fulltime basis and rejoining our busy local circuit. So many kaupapa on, the potential to develop and advance is uncapped and just being present alongside our own people.

It feels so flipping amazing to have a vision, set goals and then achieve them. I can’t wait to wake up home and actually be home and not visiting 🥰🥰🥰 we have been here in Kirikiriroa for a decade and so much has happened. We are not the people we were when we left Ngati Awa last, we return home with our Kete bursting at the seems, ready to empty and pour into our whānau.

Watch the space Relations, beach living here we come!

Came across this pic of me with my whānau in Rotorua from 2007. How times have changed, my life is more than I had dreamt for myself at that time.

It’s funny how you can have a dream for yourself, but the multiverse has bigger and better plans for you.

It has been 20 years since I have physically been with this wonderful and talented Relation, Ms Ngati Ahipene. Years ago we attended Māori performing arts in Rotorua at the Taiwere campus. Ngati came and joined us in Rotorua from her tūrangawaewae of Tairāwhiti. We had so much fun back then on the road as part of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa’s very first Māori performing arts touring group.

Ngati was a proud kaihaka back then and continues to hold that same passion today, now working, sharing and teaching our culture alongside her husband to their whānau, their community and others over in Ozzy.

We connected as if we just caught up yesterday, looking forward to catching up again at a wine-anga to plan some wānanga over the ditch.

My cup is full xoxox

Don’t know who needs to hear this today but this is for you 😌

I am a social person by nature, I meet a lot of people weekly due to the nature of work, business, school and my genuine interest in learning about others.

I don’t have many friends, close people that are in my inner most sacred circle, these 2 here though are definitely part of my inner circle. I swear our souls are very old friends. A natural fit, shared interests, common goals and a passion to serve others to make tomorrow better.

This is Maria and Di Di, they are so flipping cool, love them to pieces, fierce wāhine toa who are on a mission to build the confidence of our wāhine and the whānau unit up.

This is my shout out for the moment, surround yourself with people who discuss ideas and concepts, not other people’s dramas. Surround yourself with people who genuinely want to see you succeed, their words lift you up to others when you’re not around. Surround yourself with people whose advice is trustworthy because they walk their talk, integrity holds mana.

Who are in your inner circle, give them a shout out today just because 🥰🥰🥰

Have a wonderful day Relations and wonderful weekend xoxo

Thinking if you today Whaea xoxo kiss you hundy xoxo

🎊🎉🎊🎉WOOOOOW YOU GO GIRLS🎊🎉🎊🎉

My big girl and our whānau today after performing and slaying that stage. They have made it into the finals tomorrow at Nationals along with 8 other outstanding teams that have made it in out of the 42 teams that participated. I am beyond beyond beyooooond proud and excited for them all.

These are my Texas whānau from left to right, introducing you to My cuzzy Philly, niece Rhiana, Aunty Lolo, my girl Ondre, my darling and our son Munroe aka Tiaki

To you my girl I share how proud I am of you. You have worked super hard at school and committing yourself to manage your school life, home life, social life and haka life. Juggling all this properly at your age is nothing short of amazing. We are all cheering for you and the team from home, for tomorrow yous take the stage and all your hard work is focussed into that moment. No matter what the result is, I want say we are beyond proud, we are blessed my darling xoxo go hard and give it your all Te Maurea Whiritoi xoxo your sisters send their love and so do I xoxo dad ❤️❤️❤️

Vaccine being developed for cattle in NZ, this might be a sign to shift our interests out of farming and into a new line of business. An extra cost to that industry that already pollutes, exploits and damages the environment. No shade to my Relations who are farmers, I think farming is great but we have too much of it and the produce goes over seas so it’s not like we benefit from it directly.

There are so many options we could look at and consider to bring our economy up and take care of our environment.

Just thinking out loud xoxo

An honour to spend time and space last night with the well respected and loved Pā Tepaeru Te Ariki Upokotini Marie Ariki who is the monarch and chief of Te Vaka Takitumu, she is the 47th chief to lead her people and is currently serving in her 34th year as Pa Ariki. Our conversations naturally went towards the aspirations, development and advancement of our people in the 21st century and in this current climate. I can share that I am definitely heading over to Rarotonga with my whānau with the invitation from Pa Ariki to learn and share more with our Relations in the islands and to share with her people who have made Aotearoa their home. The potential for innovation, design and strong vision is exciting, most importantly the opportunity to build meaningful relationships has untold outcomes for everyone. Very humbled and appreciative

Go out and live your life to the fullest, while you’re out there though, fill your Kete with the gifts that have been shared with you from others and bring all that home to your people. Be that person that returns ………

To say I’m proud is an understatement my big girl, watching you and your roopu perform tonight not only blew us all away but that the future is looking bright seeing and hearing you all stand as strong leaders in your own spaces. I love you my darling and yous all make us proud xoxoxo also a MEGA MIHI ki ngā Kaiako, Matua Toti, Whāea Franky and the team, well done ē hoa mā, we thank you for pouring so much into our tamariki by creating channels for our kids to unleash their potential and showcase their love and passion of being Māori.

I LOVE THIS ANALOGY RELATIONS:

You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere.
Why did you spill the coffee?
"Because someone bumped into me!!!"
Wrong answer.
You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup.
Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea.
Whatever is inside the cup is what will spill out.
Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you (which WILL happen), whatever is inside you will come out. It's easy to fake it, until you get rattled.
So we have to ask ourselves... “what's in my cup?"
When life gets tough, what spills over?
Joy, gratitude, peace and humility?
Anger, bitterness, victim mentality and quitting tendencies?
Life provides the cup, YOU choose how to fill it.
Today let's work towards filling our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation, resilience, positivity; and kindness, gentleness and love for other.

Happy 4th birthday to you our first born son, you are an absolute rocket ship my boy. Crazy funny, energetically unmatched, loving and caring. You are growing up to be an awesome human being son. Love you always and forever Donovan xoxo

What a week it’s been, I’ve been in the road since Monday and now it’s time for some deep rest. I need to sleep and rejuvenate before carrying on. I’m guilty of not resting enough and often tell myself that “I’ll rest when I die” lol I know that I need to rest because I’ve had this cough, sore arm and I havnt quite got back to normal after having Covid around 2 months ago. Sleeping is a good rongoā for the body, it can heal uninterrupted.

Keeping ourselves well means we can help keep our whānau well, don’t put your oranga on the back burner, push it to the front so you can show up for your whānau at your best every time.

Have a good weekend Relations xoxo

Kia ora Relations,

Busy day today in Rotorua and then the beautiful Tūwharetoa. Connection and strengthening partnerships is so important and leads to magic that results in improving everyone that is involved.

Thank you for the ride to the hui today, my little waka was too slow, nothing beats the speed and agility of the chopper.

Love doing the mahi

Kia ora Relations,

I wanted to share a bit more about myself and some of the work I’m involved with. I am currently an executive council board member of the Public Health Association New Zealand (PHANZ),

My expertise in governance, leadership and equity delivery, policy and strategy is valued in this space beyond measure. I share this space with the other credible and committed council members.

Since 1988, PHANZ has stood as a beacon of advocacy, innovation and collaboration across the public health sector; both nationally and internationally. PHANZ is a passionate community of professionals, researchers, policymakers and advocates united by a common vision – creating a healthier, more equitable and sustainable New Zealand.

Our association has been at the forefront of shaping public health policy and practice in our culturally rich country. It plays a critical role in advocating for health equity, disease prevention, health promotion, and the overall well-being of the population.

The PHANZ's mission is to promote and strengthen the health and well-being of all who make Aotearoa New Zealand their forever home. To achieve this mission, the association engages in a variety of activities and initiatives including:
ADVOCACY

PHANZ advocates for evidence-based public health policies and practices at local, regional, and national levels. The association works to influence government policies and decisions to improve public health outcomes.

NETWORKING

PHANZ provides a platform for public health professionals to connect, collaborate, and share knowledge and expertise. It fosters a sense of community among its members.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

The association offers educational resources, workshops, and training opportunities to enhance the skills and knowledge of public health practitioners and researchers.

RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS

PHANZ works to support public health research and publishes reports, articles, and resources related to public health issues in New Zealand.
EVENTS AND CONFERENCES

The PHANZ organises events, conferences and seminars. These bring together public health experts, policymakers and stakeholders to discuss critical health topics as well as share best practices.

POLICY DEVELOPMENT

The association contributes to the development of public health policies and strategies aimed at improving the health and well-being of the New Zealand population.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

PHANZ is exploring opportunities to work with communities and grassroots organisations to address specific public health challenges and promote health equity.

PHANZ collaborates with government agencies, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to advance public health goals.

Check out our website for more info and to become a member https://www.pha.org.nz/who-we-are

Blue is a colour I don’t tend to wear very often. Maybe part of that comes from growing up in predominantly “red” preference community.

The color blue represents both the sky and the sea and is associated with open spaces, freedom, intuition, imagination, inspiration, and sensitivity. Blue also represents meanings of depth, trust, loyalty, sincerity, wisdom, confidence, stability, faith, and intelligence.

The concept of blue energy – otherwise known as osmotic power – was developed upon the realisation that through electrochemistry, researchers can create a concentration cell with salt water on one side and fresh water on the other, which results in a novel way to power devices.

Due to blue's rarity in nature, it has a shorter history than other colors. Blue is not present in cave paintings from 20,000 years ago, and the Ancient Greeks did not have a term for blue. Ancient Egyptians valued the blue semiprecious stone Lapis lazuli, so blue became common in their language and clothing.

Kia ora Relations,

I am looking for someone who is confident enough to make history and art with me. I am looking for a photographer that is private, super skilled, crazy creative and open minded. I have a project that I am doing and I’d love your support. Cost is not an issue and I hope your level of delivery isn’t either 😇🥹 would be amazing if you have an inside studio or place to set up and shoot. Availability is for July.

Message me if you are interested,

We are celebrating the collective efforts of Māori leaders and their role in creating a future where whānau are thriving, self-determined, and well.

Today, let's recognise Patrick Salmon, an advocate and public voice for the well-being of Māori in modern-day society.

Patrick uses his creative skills and innovative thinking to develop solutions that support the oranga aspirations of a person's life journey, demonstrating his dedication to enhancing the well-being and success of Māori communities.

Let's honour Patrick for his commitment to supporting the oranga aspirations of Māori and his contributions to their well-being.

https://100maorileaders.com/leaders/patrick-salmon

Mōrena Relations,

Up early this morning and hitting the ground running. Off to Wellington for the night. Lots of great mahi to do, hands to shake and a better future to make.

Have a wonderful day 🤍❤️🖤

We have the blue tick Relations so you can now tell the fakes from the real deal. It will now save you time not having to message in and for me time to not have to read and reply to you all when a hacker is trying to hustle.

You’re welcome

PS: These next few weeks are about yous, I’ve been MIA and slack in the socials for a while, so I want to make it up to you all by letting yous lead the content here over the next few weeks. Something creative, health, strategic, personal, adventure, skits, business, work, family, cultural, design, fashion, story telling etc

Drop your ideas in the comments below and let’s get it going

Just sharing a bit of my whānau history that acknowledges the wonderful skill of my tīpuna who is
Eramiha Neke Kapua.

Ngāti Tarāwhai carver, tohunga, farmer.

1867–1875?–1955.

Eramiha Neke Kapua was one of the most eminent Māori carvers of the twentieth century. His father was the well-known Ngāti Tarāwhai carver Neke Kapua, and his mother was Mereana Waitere, the elder sister of Tene Waitere, another famous Ngāti Tarāwhai carver. Eramiha, sometimes called Eramihia or Eramihi Neke, was born probably at Ruatō, Okataina, east of Rotorua, sometime between 1867 and 1875.
Eramiha Kapua belonged to Ngāti Rangitakaroro, a hapū of Ngāti Tarawhai, which had specialised in the art of carving. Their ancestry reached back to Ngātoro-i-rangi, the tohunga of Te Arawa canoe, whose powers were deemed to be passed down to his descendants through the whare wānanga known as Maninihau at Te Koutu, Okataina. Eramiha's ancestors included Te Amo-ā-Tai and his kinsman Te Iwimōkai, Eramiha's great-grandfather. Their power as tohunga was feared and their carved work eagerly sought after. In the later nineteenth century, as the demand for canoes waned and the introduction of steel tools encouraged diversification, the `Okataina school', a group of carvers mostly of Ngāti Rangitakaroro, turned to carving meeting houses. Eramiha was trained from boyhood by his father in the skills and rituals of carving.
In 1905 Eramiha assisted his father in carving a house in Rotorua for T. E. Donne, the general manager of the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts. The following year Donne reported to Augustus Hamilton, director of the Colonial Museum, that Eramiha was quite equal in ability to his father. The first major project in which Eramiha was employed as a carver was the model pā Āraiteuru, designed by Hamilton for the New Zealand International Exhibition in Christchurch in 1906. Eramiha and his kin group worked on it in the Colonial Museum, carving the waharoa (gateway) and pātaka (storehouse), and also the paepae (threshold) for the rūnanga house. The group later lived in the pā itself for a time with more than 50 Māori from different tribal areas. For the entertainment of visitors, they were required to wear Māori costume (complaints were heard when they were found to be wearing patent leather boots), to store their food in the pātaka and cook it in earth ovens, and to take part in ceremonies of welcome, haka and other dances. Their health was cared for by Dr Peter Buck; nevertheless, many of them sickened with influenza.
Both before and after the Christchurch exhibition Eramiha, his father and kin were intermittently employed, until 1910, on carvings for the government's model village at Te Whakarewarewa. Eramiha and Tene Waitere painted the pavilion there in traditional patterns. Between 1908 and 1910 he carved the house Ruaihona at Te Teko. From about 1910 the work for tourists and the government dried up, and the Okataina school disbanded as the Kapua family and their kin moved away to different locations. About 1905 Eramiha had married Wairata Ngāheu and moved to Te Teko, near Whakatāne; they may have had one daughter and adopted a son. For almost 15 years Eramiha lived an obscure and unrecorded life earning his living as a farmer. He served on the Te Teko school committee from 1921 to 1925 and 1930 to 1931.
Like his father, Eramiha was a member of the Ringatū church and a registered minister or tohunga. In 1925 he directed a team of carvers in decorating the Tikitiki Māori Church, built as a Māori soldiers' memorial for the East Coast. The difficulty in obtaining carvers for this project drew Apirana Ngata's attention to the decline of Māori carving and other arts. Following the establishment of the School of Māori Arts at Rotorua in 1927, Ngata found that the tutors were all chisel carvers. Their work lacked the flowing lines and rounded beauty of former times because they were not using the toki kapukapu (steel adze). In 1929 he sent Pine Taiapa to the East Coast to find any remaining experts in adze carving.
For weeks Taiapa searched without success. At last, Te Whare Moana of Raukōkore told him that Eramiha Kapua was an expert in adzing. Ngata knew Eramiha and his work, and advised Taiapa to recruit him. Taiapa visited Eramiha on 10 January 1930; he found him on his Te Teko farm milking the cows and feeding the pigs. After the Ringatū prayer session when Eramiha's relatives were assembled, Pine gave an account of his search. One by one Eramiha's relatives spoke, urging him and his wife to accept the responsibility imposed by Ngata's dream of a carved meeting house on every marae. Even though they were both past their youth, they were encouraged to share their skills, not just in carving but also in waiata, haka, oratory and the women's arts of weaving and tukutuku. Eramiha, reluctant to agree to such a burden, gave the choice to Te Wairata. She agreed that they would go 'to feed the young men of the country’, who were ‘crying for the food' she and her husband could give.
In February 1930 Eramiha and Te Wairata took up their new duties at the carving school of Ōhinemutu. Eramiha at once began instructing the students in the use of the adze, a practice he continued for 10 years. His pupils came from throughout the country and from Rarotonga. He taught them how to work in a smooth rhythm, often to the accompaniment of a chant or waiata; how to use the adze in a natural standing position, how to care for their tools and prepare the wood for carving; and how to use the grain of different timbers. He also told them the ancient names for different adzing techniques. His methods reduced the time needed for carving; using paring chisels could take up to 10 times longer than using an adze. Eramiha himself could visualise a finished carving in a slab or log before he began work, and could carve a figure with a minimum of initial sketching. He drew designs on the wood for his pupils, but as they became more expert he encouraged them to follow his freer style.
Eramiha had been a carver of the old tradition, strict in observance of tapu and ritual: he did not blow the chips away but gathered and burnt them; he did not allow women near his work; nor did he eat or smoke while carving. At the carving school, however, he told his pupils not to bother with tapu. He considered that since they did not know the full ritual they might offend against it inadvertently; it was spiritually safer for them to abandon tapu altogether.
As well as teaching, Eramiha began carving houses around the country. In 1932 he led a team working on carvings for the Ngāti Raukawa meeting house in Ōtaki. The most important work was the Centennial House built in preparation for the 1940 centenary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. A small team studied regional carving styles at the Auckland Institute and Museum for a period before moving to Waitangi in 1934 to begin the work. The house was carved in various regional styles, with Eramiha providing most of the carvings and incorporating Arawa styles. Eramiha was already feeling his age and accepted more help than usual from his students. Eventually he could not continue and another team completed the building. He also worked on Ngā Pūmanawa-e-Waru-o-Te Arawa, carved in stages between 1936 and 1940 at Te Rotoiti. About 1940 Eramiha left the carving school and returned to Te Teko, where he trained his relative Te Kākā Niao Ngāheu (also known as Kākā Ahirau Niao) as his successor.
Eramiha's mana as the pre-eminent carver of his time remained high. In 1944 he was invited to Panguru by Whina Cooper of Te Rarawa to plan and carve her house. He brought two nephews with him and trained other carvers on the spot. In spite of the custom which prohibited women carvers, Whina herself took a hand in the carving. Following her disputes with a neighbouring marae, and criticisms from the local Catholic priest who objected to the portrayal of genitalia in carvings of the ancestors, the 105 carvings were stored unused for 30 years. For many years it was believed in Panguru that Eramiha had cursed the carvings because of the disputes associated with them, and had sworn that they would not be erected in Whina's lifetime.
In spite of his advancing age Eramiha continued to carve. Other houses he worked on included Tia at Te Puke (about 1945); Te Poho-o-Tūhoe Pōtiki at Waimako, Waikaremoana; Tūwharetoa at Matatā; and in Northland, Tūmatauenga at Ngāti Hine's marae, Ōtīria, and Ngāpuhi Moana Ariki at Mangamuka, both completed about 1947. Eramiha Kapua died at Te Teko on 7 July 1955; he was buried at Hēhērangi with Ringatū rites on 10 July.
Almost single-handedly, Eramiha Kapua passed on the skills of the old world to a new generation of carvers. In so doing he ensured that Ngāti Tarāwhai carving styles would dominate in the resurgence of house building that resulted from Ngata's dream that a carved house on every marae would express the continuing strength of Māoritanga.

By Angela Ballara. 'Kapua, Eramiha Neke', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography.
https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/4k3/kapua-eramiha-neke

Neke Kapua (centre) and sons Tene Kapua (left) and Eramiha Neke Kapua.

What an amazing time catching up with the Producer Piripi Curtis and we can’t wait to see the film.
Set in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1864, Ka Whawhai Tonu tells the story of a pivotal battle in the first New Zealand land wars in the Waikato region. A battle fought with impossible odds between Māori and the Colonial forces. This heroic conflict is told through the eyes of two young teenagers forced to take control of their own destiny amidst the chaos of the battle and their escape.