In his words, it was “divinely guided and manipulated by my whaanau.” He laughs as he explains how it all began.
“My aunty (a TPNM trustee) flicked my details through and hyped me up. I didn't know much about the kaupapa, but once I was in, I was hooked. I thought I’d be in the office, but really I’m out on the whenua.”
His arrival may have been unplanned, but it was clearly meant to be. Hohepa’s first day on the job set the tone.
“On day one, they said ‘you’re writing a book.’”
Thrown in the deep end, this idea came from a waananga led by respected tohunga Donna Kerridge and Ricky Solomon, learning about native raakau.
“We each studied two native raakau - what they look like, where they grow, how they’re used in roongoa. It became a tool I still use in workshops when I blank out.”
Alongside colleague Zara, Hohepa created a book about raakau. And what a beautiful book it is. It is now the centrepiece in the workshops Hohepa helps facilitate, like those at the Puhinui Giveback Days, supported by the Sustainable Business Network.
For Hohepa, maatauranga Maaori isn’t something you weave into the job description. It’s the foundation of everything.
“I use maramataka to guide when to push and when to rest. Tikanga keeps me intentional. I’ve learned the taiao doesn’t move fast, neither should we. Rest is part of growth too.”
His approach is relational and intuitive, rooted in an understanding of the taiao as whakapapa. The connection to the atua is something he speaks about often with volunteers.
“The taiao is whakapapa. We descend from our atua, so I treat the whenua like it’s a version of heaven. I move through it with tikanga. It’s also how I read people… how someone treats the taiao tells me everything I need to know. Friend or foe.”
While many see environmental work as conservation, Hohepa sees it as something deeper, something sacred. For him, regeneration is holistic. It’s also about the revitalisation of people, language, wellbeing and whaanau connection.
“There’s one particular moment that stood out for me. We were barefoot in the ngahere, karakia in the air, tamariki running wild. No pressure. Just presence. That’s when it hit me… this mahi isn’t just conservation, it’s healing.”
The kaupapa created by TPNM makes space for learning, for curiosity and for getting things wrong without judgement.
“One of the best things about this mahi is we’re encouraged to try, even if it flops. There’s space to learn, to fail, to figure it out. That’s what makes it real.”
Among the many parts of the role, from planting and monitoring to educating and learning, beekeeping has become a personal favourite.
“It humbles you, makes you slow down and become gentler. The bees mirror your energy. It’s been so grounding.”
This observation runs through much of Hohepa’s approach of tuning in, reading the tohu and trusting the process.
Hohepa is a natural leader. It’s no surprise as he’s the eldest of nine siblings. But this mahi has helped him find his voice in a different way.
“Every workshop feels like I’m talking to my siblings. But being in this kaupapa gave me the confidence to actually share what I know without feeling like a know-it-all. It’s about uplift, not ego.”
Leadership here is about holding space, sharing knowledge and bringing others along for the journey. And for that journey to continue, it needs to stay in the voice of rangatahi.
Rangatahi have always led the TPNM movement and Hohepa wants to see more of them stepping into roles like his. But he knows from experience that the way we invite them matters.
“Be real with them. Don’t make it sound too elite or academic. Let them see they already carry this whakapapa. You don’t need to know all the names or have all the answers, just show up, stay curious, and learn as you go. The taiao will guide you.”
Looking ahead, Hohepa is dreaming big. He sees a future where kaupapa like TPNM aren’t niche, they’re normal.
“I want to see branches of TPNM all over the motu. Every rohe, every marae, every hapū. We’re not just planting trees, we’re planting foundations for identity, wellbeing and tino rangatiratanga. This should be the norm, not the exception.”
It’s an ambitious vision - but it doesn’t feel out of reach. Not when you meet a leader like Hohepa. He brings aroha, kaitiakitanga, connection, hope and a lot of fun to everything he does.
Hohepa is proof that when rangatahi are trusted to lead, things start to shift in powerful ways.
It’s time the rest of us, businesses included, stepped up. To find out how you or your organisation can support the Puhinui Regeneration Project and Te Pu-a-Nga Maara, reach out to at [email protected]
This article uses double vowels, rather than pōtae (macrons), in te reo to represent long vowel sounds. This reflects the dialect used by SBN's partners at TPNM.