Popoia te kākano Atawhai kia puāwai | A nurtured Mercy seed will blossom
Nāumai Haere Mai, Welcome.
Kākano Atawhai is a new initiative by Whānau Mercy Ministries to nurture the seeds of Mercy planted during your time at college and build community around taking action on social justice and environmental issues that are important to you. As Mercy women, you carry the legacy of compassion, justice, and service into the world. We invite you to be part of this movement where there will be the opportunity to meet with other Mercy woman in shaping a future grounded in aroha, whanaungatanga, and kaitiakitanga.
When so much feels like it is broken in the world, the scale of change needed can seem overwhelming. Groups working together with a common purpose have a way of sparking hope, shifting our sense of what is possible, and revealing the next courageous step. Mercy women know that collective action, grounded in compassion and justice, can transform our communities.
Who is Kākano Atawhai for?
It is open to Mercy women aged 18-25 who embody the spirit of Mercy and are passionate about social and environmental justice. Participants will have opportunities to advocate for others, deepen their understanding and knowledge, and connect with a community through volunteer service inspired by our Mercy charism.
All year 13 students currently at one of our Mercy colleges will be receiving a packet of kōwhai seeds with a link to this post. The kōwhai seeds were chosen intentionally because they represent new beginnings, renewal, and personal growth with qualities of strength, courage and resilience, all qualities of Mercy women. The growing instructions for how to grow your seeds are down below.
We have a link to a registration form if you are interested in being involved and we will look to hold our first gatherings in the main centres in April 2026. Centres will be finalised based on student registrations.
Kākano Atawhai offers a space to belong, be inspired, and grow alongside fellow Mercy women who share your commitment to making a difference.
In addition to in-person gatherings, there will be online opportunities to connect across Aotearoa, hear from engaging speakers, and connect with Mercy peers in Australia. Together, we’ll continue to shine a lamp on compassion, justice, and leadership.
The ideas, passions, and interests of the group will shape what actions and activities each group undertakes. A dedicated facilitator will support and guide the journey, helping to bring your collective vision to life through meaningful conversations, projects, and social justice actions, and we will also look to bring on mentors during the year. How this may look will depend on each group but here are some ideas:
- Embrace the challenge of regular volunteer mahi within Aotearoa New Zealand communities. Spend meaningful time with individuals and whānau who experience economic hardship or social marginalisation, take action to make a difference. This may be beach clean ups, replanting projects, fundraising for a particular purpose or cause, for example care packages for refugees or another passion of the group.
- Gather together to kōrero about current social justice issues or environmental issues.
Engage in open, respectful dialogue about injustices both here in Aotearoa and around the world and explore what it means to live out values of compassion, manaakitanga, and justice. Who do you want hear from whether that be from MPs, or other people working in these spaces for example Caritas. - Support and uplift one another in the shared journey of making a positive impact.
Encourage each other to take action, however small, that contributes to a more just and inclusive society. This is about coming together as a community to take action and stay involved in Mercy in Aotearoa. - Create space for reflection and hope.
Live with purpose by reflecting regularly, serving your community, and treating everyone with dignity. This may be advocacy, writing for WMM publications, collaborating with other like-minded groups, being there for each other as you take on new opportunities as a safe place to land for friendship and support.
Care Instructions for the Kōwhai seeds:
If you are a year 13 student for care instructions for your seeds please follow these steps:
- In the envelope was a small square of sandpaper, lightly drag each seed lightly across the sandpaper about 6–7 times (hold the seed so the small dark depression is away from the sandpaper). This will scratch the surface enabling water to penetrate the seed and start the germination process. Take care not to scratch too deeply. (Spring and summer are the best times to do this, so now is perfect)
- Get a suitable punnet or reuse small yogurt pottles or ice cream containers. Put some holes at the bottom for drainage and fill with soil or potting mix.
- Water the soil before making a small hole 1cm deep, pop your seed in the hole and cover.
- Put seeds in warm place out of direct sunlight.
- Water occasionally to ensure the potting mix does not dry out.
- Germination should be evident 2–4 weeks after sowing, depending on soil temperature.
- Once seedlings appear keep them in full sun. Do not over-water.
- Your new seedlings can stay in their punnet until they are about 8 cm tall.
- At this point it’s time to move them on to a larger pot on their own. Extract your seedling from their container taking care to avoid damage to the roots. Try and ensure soil remains attached to the root.
- Partially fill the new larger pot with potting mix, place the seedling centrally in the pot and fill the remaining space with potting mix until level with the base of the seedling. Water the pot.
- By three years the tree will be big enough to plant outside in the environment.