Our Story
Welcome to Whenua Whispers, where we believe in the power of authentic, place-based storytelling. We're dedicated to preserving and sharing the unique narratives of Aotearoa, strengthening understanding, belonging, and intergenerational knowledge. Learn more about our kaupapa and the values that drive our work.
Our Passion: Stories Rooted in Place
Whenua Whispers operates within the kaupapa of Dream Makers Trust, focusing on people, wellbeing, identity, and community connection. We gather stories slowly and respectfully, recognising the deep connections between memory, land, and lived experience. Our distinctive approach emphasizes depth and trust, ensuring that every voice is heard with dignity and care.
Stories that Matter
We are passionate about projects that centre real people, local knowledge, and lived experience. Whenua Whispers focuses on stories at the intersection of land, memory, and wellbeing – quiet stories shaped by work, resilience, and everyday life. We aim to create space for these voices to be heard and valued, contributing to cultural understanding and respect.
Why Aotearoa Matters
In Aotearoa, land, people, and experience are inseparable. Connecting stories to whenua and lived experience ensures they remain truthful and accountable to the communities they come from. Our work honours the people who share their stories and ensures those stories continue to hold relevance for future generations, as a living record of place and experience.
"Whenua Whispers captures the heart of Aotearoa, weaving together stories of land, people, and memory with such care and respect. It's a true gift to our community."
Neville Thistlebark, Kakatahi
A Dream Makers Trust Project
Whenua Whispers is delivered as part of Dream Makers Trust’s commitment to supporting people, place-based knowledge, and community-led storytelling. The project reflects DMT’s focus on listening first, working alongside communities, and creating long-term value through care, context, and lived experience.
What Whenua Whispers Does
Whenua Whispers records, preserves, and shares local stories rooted in place, memory, and lived experience. Through oral histories, writing, visual storytelling, and community-led projects, we work alongside people to ensure their voices are heard, respected, and carried forward.
Our focus is on authenticity, trust, and long-term cultural value rather than fast content or surface-level storytelling.
Voices from the Land
Voices from the Land is the flagship Whenua Whispers project, focused on recording and preserving the lived stories of people connected to the whenua of the Waimarino and surrounding districts.
Through long-form interviews, careful listening, and respectful collaboration, the project captures memories, histories, and perspectives that are often overlooked or at risk of being lost. These stories are shared through print, digital, and community formats to ensure they remain accessible for future generations.
This work prioritises authenticity, trust, and long-term cultural value over fast or surface-level storytelling.
Who this work is For
Whenua Whispers is created alongside community members, whānau, and individuals whose stories are deeply connected to place and lived experience. The work centres people who may not otherwise see their histories recorded, valued, or carried forward.
Participation is guided by trust, consent, and care. Stories are shared only in ways that honour the people who tell them, respecting both personal boundaries and cultural context.
This project is for communities who want their voices treated with dignity, patience, and long-term respect rather than urgency or extraction.
Looking Ahead
Whenua Whispers is an evolving project. Its direction is shaped by the people involved, the stories that are shared, and the pace at which trust is built. Rather than setting fixed outcomes or timelines, the work remains responsive to community needs and circumstances.
As the project continues, Whenua Whispers aims to deepen its archive of local voices, explore new ways of sharing stories, and support intergenerational connection without losing sight of care, consent, and context. What comes next will be guided by listening, not pressure, and by relationships, not reach.