He pēpi hou
Congratulations to Kirsten (Karaitiana whānau) and Dan Parkinson on the birth of Mihiata! A little sister for Joe and Jacob, and granddaughter for Paul and Anna Kemp.
Rā whānau
He mihi nunui to Aunt Te Koara Harbourne (née Bragg) who recently celebrated her 90th birthday on 26 January in Nelson! From all accounts, Aunt Te Koara had a lovely afternoon with her whānau with a lot of laughter and waiata!
Aunt Te Koara and her whānau.
Aunt Te Koara cutting her cake.
Aunt Te Koara and her moko’s.
Wharekai construction – Hakuiao
Where did the time go? At the April Rūnanga meeting last year, a small handful of whānau turned over the first dirt for the construction of our new wharekai. On 3 March, we will be blessing our new building! We will be doing a grand opening a little way down the track, so keep your ears open for more details as they become available. Best way to do this is to join our epanui email list, and receive weekly pānui from the office. Email [email protected] if you would like to receive news, photos, and pānui from Ōtākou.
The rūnanga would like to mihi to the Riki Te Mairaki Ellison Taiaroa Whānau Trust for their extremely generous koha to our building fund – He mihi nunui ki a koutou!
If you or your whānau would like to contribute a koha to the building fund, our account details are as follows:
Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou
01 0902 00069111 046 (ANZ)
Please reference your koha with your name, so we can personally acknowledge your contribution!
Or if you prefer, cheques can be sent to:
Attn: Glenys Russell
Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou
Tamatea Road
Ōtākou
R D 2
Dunedin 9077.
Rūnanga business wins award
Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou is extremely pleased and proud to congratulate A3 Kaitiaki (A3K) on their outstanding achievement in winning the Māori Business award; in the 2012 Westpac Otago Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards.
A3K are a subsidiary of Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou Ltd, established in 2006, who deliver programmes within a kaupapa Māori environment to those who are seeking to make positive changes within their whānau lives. A3K also deliver cultural supervision and programmes to professionals working with Māori clients.
We’re also very proud of two other finalists who have close connections to Ōtākou, Katrina Bryant and her physiotherapy practice The Biomechanic, and the Kōkiri Centre.
Ka mau te wehi!!
Left to right; Katrina Bryant (finalist The Biomechanic) Lynette Collins (finalist Kōkiri Centre) Anne Robertson (pukenga atawhai, A3 Kaitiaki) Michelle Taiaroa-McDonald (kaihautū operations manager A3Kaitiaki Ltd) Joy Smith (director A3Kaitiaki Ltd) Claire Porima (finalist Te Ara Pathways).
Methodist Pūtea Grants
It’s that time of the year again when the Methodist Pūtea Komiti is considering and granting applications for pūtea for various projects being undertaken by rūnanga and Kāi Tahu whānau.
They have been able to assist with some very exciting projects including the Māori Rock Art Landscaping Project at Moeraki, archiving projects at Puketeraki, cataloguing project at Ōtākou and help towards a DVD designed to capture the essence of “Purakanui” to preserve the heritage and historical knowledge of the Purakanui Block for future generations of whānau.
The pūtea available is substantial and we welcome and encourage applications. The Methodist Pūtea Grant is available for rūnaka south of the Waitaki and all whānau that affiliate to those Rūnaka. This year the categories under which applications can be made are as follows:
Provide financial assistance for Kāi Tahu members engaged in theology and/or wairua related studies.
Provide financial assistance to support the cultural needs of iwi. The nature and extent of those needs to be identified through research and the funding applied to specific initiatives.
An application form and further information can be obtained from the Ōtākou Marae office. Applications close 31 March.
Hapū registrations
While updating our hapū member database, we’ve noticed there are an awful lot of gone no address. If you or a member of your whānau has moved, please contact the office so we can update your details.
Te Rūnanga ō Ōtākou will be running another election later this year for the Appointment Komiti to select our representative and alternate to Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. We invite all potential members to register with the rūnanga to exercise their right to participate in this process. Please contact the office for further information on eligibility and registration forms.
If you have any stories, pānui, news, or photos you wish to share with our wider whānau, email Rachel, [email protected]