Kāi Tahu whānau, tēnā koutou.
Nei rā te whakamiha o Kāti Māhaki ki Makaawhio ki a koutou.
Nei rā hoki kā roimata takiwai o te hapū nei mō rātou kua hika mai, kua hika atu. E auē! Haere atu rā koutou. Haere ki te taha o kā mātua tīpuna e tātari ana ki tua o te ārai. Moe mai koutou i waekanui i a rātou, moe mai i te rakimārie. Haere, haere, haere atu rā.
Rātou ki a ratou, tātou anō ki a tātou. Tēnā anō tātou katoa!
We continue to experience a dry and very long raumati (summer) here on Te Tai o Poutini, with some areas experiencing the lowest rainfall for more than 66 years. We have water restrictions here in Hokitika and whānau on tank water have reported paying for refills. The lush greens you’d expect on this side of the motu are being interspersed with dry and brown patches.
Already three months into 2013 and the pace does not seem to be slowing down.
Cultural mapping
The actual mapping component of the Ngāi Tahu Cultural Mapping Project, which is being carried out with Poutini Kāi Tahu rūnaka started in earnest last month. It started with a hīkoi into our rohe to visit and GPS some of our oldest and most important sites.
Upoko rūnanga, Richard Wallace, kaumātua Mata Holliday, Maia Mahuika and Kara Edwards gathered around the rusting hulk of the old Bruce Bay Mill Locomotive.
Relay for Life
Makaawhio again entered a team to tautoko the very worthwhile Cancer Society annual fundraiser, Relay for Life. Held in Māwhera (Greymouth) on 16-17 February, a team of 19 volunteers participated. We sold hot food as part of the fundraising effort and scheduled walkers to ensure someone was continuously on the track. Our fundraising efforts fell a little short, compared to last year, but we were still able to make a very good contribution to the Cancer Society. Ka mau te wehi koutou.
Makaawhio whānau at the Relay for Life finishing line!
Kai anyone? Jordyn Houia-McLaren and Karera Wallace-Jones take a break after a rush of customers.
Makaawhio sports day
On 2 March we awoke to cloud and the threat of rain. However, the very light drizzle that followed was not even enough to wet the ground and fortunately did not derail our picnic and sports day at Woodstock Domain.
Always fun, the day encourages everyone to participate. We had bouncy castles for the kids, face painting and for the competitors, a line up of races and events. The sack race is always a crowd favourite, as are the three-legged, egg and spoon, wheelbarrow and 50m races. The nail drive is a particular crowd pleaser, especially when the competitor misses the nail more often than hitting.
Laughter, good kai, competition and the lolly scramble all made for an excellent Saturday on sunny Tai o Poutini. Our thanks to everyone who contributed to make the day a successful one. Tēnā rawa atu koutou!
Upoko rūnanga, Richard Wallace leads in karakia mō te kai before lunch.
Makaawhio whānau at Picnic and Sports Day.
Kids Day – 3 March
A small group of volunteers supported the annual Kids’ Day event held at Cass Square in Hokitika. Each year there are more and more organisations and groups volunteering on the day and this was no exception. I heard one of our whānau members remark, “there were so many activities we didn’t even get around them all.”
With lots of things to do, all aimed at tamariki and all free, no one left empty-handed. The Makaawhio team are one of a group of organisations that look after the carnival events. Our thanks to the small team who represented the rūnanga, in support of this very worthwhile community event. Kia ora koutou.
Communication
In addition to our quarterly newsletter, there are now a few ways you can keep in touch, catch up on news or keep abreast of what’s happening. Try our website: www.makaawhio.maori.nz, “friend”our Facebook page, read our blog: makaawhio.blogspot.co.nz or catch us on twitter: @makaawhio.
We welcome contributions from whānau, so please send any news and photos to [email protected] or post a hard copy to PO Box 225, Hokitika 7842.
Membership database
We have a growing list of returned mail and encourage members to contact us on 0800 955 007 to ensure your address and contact details are up to date.
If you prefer to email, send through your name, the name of any other members in your household, along with your address and contact phone number to [email protected]
Contact can be made by email: [email protected] or phone 03 755 7885 or 0800 955 007. We also have whānau email groups; so if you want to be added or need to update your email address, contact the office.
Mā te Atua koutou e manaaki, e tiaki hoki.
Mauri ora!