Kāi Tahu ki Tāmaki Makaurau
Kāi Tahu whānau ki Tāmaki Makaurau Hui-ā-Tau 2011
Another successful Hui-ā-Tau was held the weekend of 26-28 October. A big thank you from the committee to all those who had a part in making it a success. Thank you to our whānau from Te Waipounamu for coming and sharing with us; Andrew from Whai Rawa, Kirsty with matua Terry from the Whakapapa Unit. Our thoughts were with Kirsty as she travelled back after receiving some very sad news. Not forgetting Puamiria and Whetu’s practice of Manu Tiria. We are slowly getting there. Maha shared his artwork with us all and Jonny provided outdoor activities for everyone, especially the children. Again I had the opportunity to work with the young ones making putiputi. Gabriel came along to do diabetes and gout screening, a programme that is being run for the Otago University.
Jonny with ngā tamariki.
Whakawhanaunga time Friday evening.
Maha did painting with the tamariki and resin taonga making with the adults and rangatahi.
Jonny with the artwork created by ngā tamariki.
Maha talking about his artwork on Saturday evening.
Brian How spoke about the process of becoming an incorporated society, and where we are at. We needed to have whānau support to adopt the constitution in its draft form and send off to the incorporated societies. A historical moment for Kāi Tahu ki Tāmaki Makaurau. To the ringawera and helpers, they deserve a great big thank you for the wonderful healthy meals they provided throughout the weekend. Without them a hui is never complete as feeding the manuhiri and whānau is the most important part of any hui.
There were many new faces and many of the regulars missing. This gave everyone time to catch up with each other and get to know the new people who attended this year.
I had the privilege to drive Tā Tipene O’Regan, Mark Solomon, and Whaea Ranui to a farewell function at Paeroa, at Te Pae o Hauraki Marae, on Saturday 3 November.
A group of country music folk who came to share with us, singing waiaita tawhito, accompanied with ukulele.
What an awesome day, hearing so much history and whakapapa from these knowledgeable people. Some of us are looking forward to going to Ōtautahi for Hui-ā-Iwi.
Nā Sue Nicoll.
Ngāi Tahu ki Whakatāne
The Whakatāne sun shone its usual fashion on our first Whakapapa hui at Ngāti Pukeko Marae in Poroporo on 6 and 7 October. We were welcomed and made to feel very much home by Bunty and Jo Mason.
A big thank you to the expertise of Terry Ryan on whakapapa and stories of tūpuna and Joseph Hullen’s historical input on hapū and tūpuna. They also stayed up till the early hours of Sunday morning and identified participants’ whānau and hapū links. It was exciting to discover the close whānau, hapū links that we did not know existed before the hui. Also it enabled us to fill in our individual pepeha, our mauka, awa, hapū and tūpuna.
“We could have stayed and listened for a whole week, what a wealth of knowledge Terry has which he shares so willingly.”
The whole weekend was about whanaungatanga, in the whare, the kitchen, learning waiata and mōteatea with Robyn Ciaociao-Parkinson, kanikani zumba style with Kathrine and raranga made by Alice Otimi, with some of our wahine modelling the headwear.
A group photo taken at the completion of the hui.
Tītī is a delicacy seldom enjoyed by our rōpu so that was a special treat to finish the weekend with.
Sandra Maaka-Ham in foreground and Annelise Cottrell in the backgound modelling Alice’s creations.
A group photo of our models left to right: Tui Tau, Sandra Maaka-Ham, Paige Walker-Watson, Annelise Cottrell, Oriwia Rehu-Murchie and Roseanne Jones.
Ngāi Tahu ki Tauranga Moana
Ngāi Tahu ki Tauranga Moana Hīkoi to Tāmaki Makaurau
By Cherie Semeri
In August, our chairperson Huey Rurehe, and committee member Cherie Semeri had the privilege of traveling to Auckland to meet up with our kaumātua, Uncle Jo Briggs and Auntie Janice Kawe and her husband Ngāti Ranginui chair Brian Kawe. Brian’s contribution to the whaikōrero at Ōrakei was appreciated. It was significant for us to represent Ngāi Tahu ki Tauranga Moana as Uncle Joe’s daughter Awhina’s husband, Jack Thatcher was one of the waka captains. Along with whānau from Ōtautahi, taurahere groups from Waikato and Tāmaki Makaurau, we joined the group in support of the waka tapu (sacred canoe) launch held on Ōrakei Marae.
Throught this experience we learned protocol regarding the gifting of the pounamu that was being presented on behalf of Ngāi Tahu. Ensuring they had been blessed (which Uncle Brian Kawe did at our bi-montlhy hui) but also naming each pounamu before it was presented to the crew. Thank you to Ranui Ngarimu and Puamiria Parata-Goodall for ensuring that these things were not missed.
The hand-over of one of the pounamu was undertaken by Aurere Thatcher, Uncle Joe’s moko, who was named after the waka ‘Te Aurere’. It was an honour to have Uncle Kukupa Tirikatene speak on behalf of Ngāi Tahu and always an honour and privilege to sit with Uncle Terry Ryan and hear history and stories of those that have gone before us.
For our representatives of the local Tauranga Moana rōpū, being a part of these significant events encourages us to continue our journey in learning about being Ngāi Tahu.
One of the pounamu presented to the waka crew.
Uncle Kukupa Tirikatene and Uncle Terry Ryan.
Whetu Moataane, Uncle Joe, Frankie Te Kani, Uncle Brian and Auntie Jan Kawe.
Kāi Tahu ki Waikato
Taiaroa’s will power overcomes medical setback.
Taiaroa Witako Te Reimana Tuatini-Love is our little chief who is now seven. He is a boy who lives a medically, challenging and complex life. Early in his life he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and global development delay. During those early years Taiaroa was manageable for us as his parents and whānau.
But numerous medical dilemmas with unknown causes and then many new procedures arose for us. These medical interventions came with a new language, system, hospital protocols and the like. This was the beginning of educating ourselves and setting up our lives for our son’s medical needs.
We are Taiaroa’s full time caregivers, this is our world. Taiaroa has had numerous hospital admissions, outpatient appointments, surgeries, medical tests, and equipment assigned to him. Also we have met many doctors, specialists, nurses and other community services through this journey.
The familiar hospital procedures have become normal routine (his papa knows the best hospital car parks and cafes).
In 2009 we left Christchurch and moved to Hamilton for Taiaroa’s medical dilemmas. Waikato has been a blessing in disguise. We have a good setup for Taiaroa. He started school at Hamilton North Primary in 2010. This was a major milestone for us, his parents, to let our boy go and grow.
Our lives were running quite smoothly. Taiaroa was healthy and well. Just minor setbacks with on going chest infections which was manageable. Taiaroa was meeting small milestones at school. Life was grand.
However, in November 2011, Taiaroa experienced a major medical setback. All medical personal were very concerned for our son’s life. Uncertainty and heartbreak overwhelmed the whānau. He was rushed to Starship Hospital, where he spent three months. Since then he has been in hospital every month for short and long admissions in Waikato and Starship.
Proud parents Maaki Tuatini and Tipi Love with Taiaroa.
The neurology team at Starship told us that Taiaroa has been misdiagnosed and doesn’t have cerebral palsy as previously stated. Taiaroa is a medical mystery and under medical investigation regarding his diagnosis and today we still wait for an outcome.
Our lives have changed and Taiaroa’s day to day care is intense and a challenge at times. But life carries on and we just get on with it. Our boy continues to amazes us every day. We love you son.
Ko Taiaroa Tuatini-Love ahau
Nō Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki
Nō Ngāti Moki
Nō Ngāti Uenuku
Nō Ngāti Hauiti ki rata
Nō Ngāti Wai ki Whananaki
Nō Te Ati Awa
Tūturu whakamaua kia tina, tina
Hui e ! Taiki e!
Maaki Tuatini.
Ngāi Tahu ki Horowhenua
Ko tēnei te whānau o Ngāi Tahu ki Horowhenua e mihi ake nei ki a koutou.
He pēpi
Charlie and Jorjia are happy to announce the arrival of baby Jax Huia Wilson, a little brother to Khana. Jax was born on 3 November and is mokopuna number eleven for Taua Mariana (Bluff whānau).
Tāua Mariana with baby Jax Huia Wilson.
Te Wheariki Willow May is the first child of Kim (Anglem whānau) and Kirsty, born on 6 October at Wellington Hospital. She made an early entry into the world and was a precious little bundle at just 1.63kg. E ngā kuru pounamu, nau mai ki te whānau o Ngai Tahu ki Ōtaki!
Kim and Kirsty with baby Te Wheariki Willow.
Hari huri tau!
At our November hui we celebrated the birthdays of two of our special Tāua – Ropine and Amiria have the same birth date and it just happened to be the day of our hui. He mihi āroha ki a kōrua.
If you’re not already friends with us on Facebook – Ngāi Tahu ki Horowhenua Ōtaki – check out our page and add us. It’s another way we can keep in touch with our whanauka in the rohe. Facebook, along with Te Pānui Rūnaka and emailing will ensure we stay in touch with everyone.
If you want to update your contact details, email: [email protected].