Naho Muru

I was born and raised at Pōhara Marae and went to Horahora Primary and Hato Tipene. I live at Te Pāute papakainga with my partner and two young kids. As a child growing up and now as an adult, I have always gathered kai- tuna, watercress and pūhā from around our rohe for kaupapa such as Koroneihana, tangihanga, regattas and other occasions important to our people. Currently I am working as a Civil Construction worker for Brian Perry Civil. I have been working for them for 17+ years and for the last 5 years I have been the Drainage Foreman on the Waikato Expressway’s on the Hamilton section. I also worked on the Arapuni dam restoration, Rangiriri, Ngāruawaahia sections around Aotearoa and also in Christchurch after the earthquakes. I have noticed over the years that a lot of the kai that used to be plentiful is starting to deplete. The mahi that the whānau are doing to restore our whenua and kai for our future generations has inspired me, and also has made me jealous, because they get to do what they love which is to work on our whenua and is also for the people. It’s setting up future developments, employment and kaitiaki for the next generations and I would love to be a part of it. What I bring is my years of experience in the civil construction industry, different methodologies, teamwork, willingness to learn and to teach.

Naho