Fusion hip hop and kapa haka wānanga
The first school holidays for the year saw us staging our fusion hip hop and kapa haka wānanga. The crew was made up of 21 Ngāti Waewae tamariki aged four to 17. This time the tamariki learnt new Waewae waiata, haka, and how to make poi. The wānanga ran for five days and each day they had three different classes – waiata, haka and hip hop. On the third day of the wānanga, we had some very sad news that Aunty Babe had passed away, so we prepared ourselves for the tangi.
A big mihi to kaiako Chantal Tumahai, Miriama White and Caleb Robinson for their dedication and commitment to the wānanga. Also to kaimahi Nelly Mason for the meke kai and finally a special mihi to our tamariki. It was a tough week for all, but we are so incredibly proud of our tamariki for the waiata ātaahua they sang for Aunty Babe.
Fusion tamariki enjoying a Turbo Action fitness class.
Te Waipounamu – Kura Reo ā Kōhanga at Rāpaki Marae
Kaiako, kaimahi and whānau from kōhanga reo throughout Te Waipounamu gathered at Rāpaki Marae for a Kura Reo hui from Sunday 14 – Wednesday 17 April.
The Kura Reo started with a pōwhiri; kaumātua, whānau, including Labour MP Rino Tirikatene welcomed everyone from Te Tau Ihu, Te Ika a Māui and Waitaha into our whare Wheke.
Workshops were led by Dr Wharehuia Milroy (Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board member), Titoki Black (CEO), Te Whe Phillips and Nanny Parekura Newman. The marae, whare tupuna, gallery and the school house were used for workshops and other areas around the pā – the church, urupā and beach – were used as learning places.
Our learning was focused on Ngāi Tahutanga, te reo me ngā tikanga, natural resources and traditional games, all with a emphasis on mokopuna learning within a te ao Māori environment.
Learning that took place coincided with Te Ara Tuapae, our district strategic plan and our rehu (vision),‘ko te reo kia tika, ko te reo kia rere, ko te reo kia Māori,’ offering extension of te reo through active play such as painting, making poi, gathering anga (shells) from the beach and creating kōrero with shapes, colours, sizes and numbers.
One evening we relaxed and listened to the whakapapa of the whare tupuna. Rewi Couch shared stories about the carvings and Reihana Parata gave her beautiful kōrero on the tukutuku panels. It made us realise again what amazing people we have at Rāpaki.
We were privileged to soak up the history of Whangaraupō, as we sailed the shores on the Black Cat, an amazing and fabulous haerenga. Our final night, which our chief executive participated in, concluded with a pō whakangahau, where each rōpū presented their mahi starting with a debate, waiata, and items made from natural rauemi (resources), including a skipping rope. It was so much fun. The manaakitanga of the hau kāinga is what made our kura reo a success. A huge mihi to all those who looked after us during our stay at Rāpaki. All those who attended thoroughly enjoyed the experience, the environment and the learning.
Nā Catherine Stuart.
Rāpaki whānau gathered at the marae for our Kura Reo day.
Preparing for Kura Reo at Rāpaki.
Manawa Hou
Our Manawa Hou journey started on Saturday 27 April at the bus depot on Bealey Ave. Our group of 18 high school students, from all over New Zealand with one from Australia, travelled by bus to Takahanga Marae in Kaikōura, then through to Waikawa Marae in Picton on our last night.
Every morning we woke up at 5:50am to get ready for the day. In Kaikōura we went to various pā sites, heard many stories and visited baby seals at Ōhau stream. In Picton, we went on a boat ride around the Marlborough Sounds while Tā Tipene O’Regan told us stories about the islands.
The highlights of our trip were meeting more of our Ngāi Tahu whānau, learning about our history and finding our Ngāi Tahu identity. It would be nice to see new faces, and the old ones, on the next Manawa Hou trip. If you know a whānau member who would be interested in going on the next Manawa Hou hīkoi please contact Merekara on 0800 524 8248 or [email protected]
Nā Hera Putiputi Takurua and Waiariki Paraone.
Waiariki Paraone and Henare Te Aika.
Rangatahi ready for Manawa Hou adventures.
Double success
Josh and Kieran Gibbons, aged 21, twin sons of Kevin and Carolyn Gibbons and the youngest mokopuna of the late Marama Gibbons (née Ruru) from Port Levy, are following their passion for rugby.
Josh and Kieran, who live in Christchurch, have always been passionate about the game and they have played for Burnside Rugby Club since they were five – this year playing for the Premier Colts Division. They were fortunate enough this year to have an opportunity to play with the Canterbury Māori Colts (under 21) in the South Island tournament in Timaru in February. From here they were both picked to play for the South Island Māori squad and went up to Palmerston North to play in the South versus North Tournament. They had an amazing time and were happy that the South Colts defeated the North. It was a wonderful opportunity and they made some new friends along the way.
Twins, Josh and Kieran Gibbons ready for action.
Tamariki day
Te Taumutu Rūnanga, Ngāti Moki,held their school holiday tamariki day on 2 May and more than 50 people came along. The tamariki were greeted with karakia and waiata before facilitator, Liz Brown (helped by Rachel Robilliard), explained the activities for the day.
There were loud cheers when the scavenger and treasure hunts were announced. Even the rain that followed couldn’t dampen the spirits of our tamariki. They were ready to get out there and explore our rohe and find the clues they needed.
After a very healthy lunch, tamariki went through what they had found on the treasure hunt. Before clean up, they all enjoyed waiata and karakia before heading home. Everyone had a very enjoyable day and a big thank you to our rangatahi and kaumātua for their help and input on the day. Our pēpi are growing so fast and seeing them excel in what they do is pleasing. Next tamariki day will be held in the July holidays. Watch this space.
Tamariki learning in the outdoors.
Tamariki gather for story-telling.
Tamariki kai time.
Tamariki take in the sea air.
Tamariki enjoy games and waiata.
Tamariki programme 1-3 May
Even though summer and winter both made a showing, it didn’t stop 67 tamariki and their parents and caregivers making the most of the opportunity to get together for three days during the Tamariki School Holiday Programme.
Everybody worked really hard to make it all work. We were especially privileged to have a crew of tamariki and whānau from the Te Taitimu Trust, all the way from Hastings; and we were under pressure to make sure they had a really special time. To that end, we put on waka ama and stand-up paddle boarding sessions in our beautiful estuary, along with a trip to Toitū: Otago Early Settlers Museum, the Chinese Gardens and Moana Pool. To top it off, we had a pounamu carving session with Russell Beck and wood carving with Waitati kaiwhakairo, Alex Whitaker. There were also fitness sessions and a quiz.
Thanks to Tūmai Ora Whānau Services for putting on a great lunch on the last day. Big thanks also to Aroha Ellison, tamariki co-ordinator, for her tireless efforts.
Te Taitimu crew and locals getting ready for a day on the water at Puketeraki.
Tamariki and whānau outside the wharenui, Puketeraki Marae.
Students gather for Rangatahi Tumeke
On the second week of the school holidays 29 April – 2 May – a group of whānau and seven Murihiku rangatahi gathered at Te Rau Aroha Marae in Bluff to kick start a program called Rangatahi Tumeke. The day started with a pōwhiri to welcome the rangatahi and their whānau onto the marae.
This initiative was developed to encourage our Ngāi Tahu rangatahi to get active and outdoors, to learn about our traditional mahinga kai practices and develop an awareness and understanding of who they are and their capabilities in the outdoors.
We travelled out to Tautuku in the Catlins (Te Akau Tai Toka), where the Otago Youth Adventure Trust has a lodge that sleeps up to 100 people. We based ourselves there for four days and three nights, and rangatahi took part in a number of activities including bush tramping, camp fire cooking, flounder spearing at night, kai moana gathering, catching kōura wai, abseiling, archery, kayaking, orienteering, trout fishing and catching tuna in a hīnaki. We also planted some native trees at a local nohoanga site. At the end of the camp, we travelled back to the whānau at Te Rau Aroha and had a brief presentation for the rangatahi, who were slightly jaded from their full-on activities.
Many people have given their time, energy and aroha to awhi this kaupapa and the camp was extra busy with many whānau coming in to make this vision possible. I would especially like to mihi to Ngā mema o te poari ki Ngāi Tahu Fund for their support. He mihi aroha ki a koutou. And to all the Awarua whānau who helped out with the organisation and were on board during the camps – tēnei te mihi nunui ki a koutou mō tō koutou manaaki me te tautoko i tēnei kaupapa. Last but not least, a huge mihi to the rangatahi who took up the challenge – ka mau te wehi rangatahi mā!
The camp was a great success and we look forward to our next hīkoi in the July holidays. Tīhei mauri ora ki a koutou katoa. Nā Steph Blair on behalf of the whānau.
Te Wharekura o Arowhenua students arrive for their adventures.
Bluff Community school students lining up for fun.
Delayne Ryan climbs high.
Mahi toi – raranga
The first of our mahi toi wānanga was held on 14 April. We were lucky enough to have Matene Climie (Bluff whānau) come and share some of his knowledge of raranga. We spent the first part of the morning getting used to the techniques and then we got into our mahi, making Waikawa baskets.
It was a team effort as we needed four people on each corner of these big baskets – kotahitanga in the whare. By the end of the hui we had two lovely Waikawa baskets, which are now being looked after by the tamariki and whānau at Tū Roa kōhanga. Our budding weavers were kept well fed throughout the day by Tāua Amiria and Tāua Mary in the kitchen – Te inati o Tahu.
The tamariki busied themselves making an awesome Ngāi Tahu ki Ōtaki sign – tau kē ngā mahi. E kore e mutu ngā mihi ki a Matene i ōu mātauranga nō Hineteiwaiwa i tākoha ki a mātou. Looking forward to our kōwhaiwhai hui on 9 June. Nau mai, hara mai whanauka mā!
Left to right: Pitiera Carkeek, Anita Carkeek, Waitaiki Mei-Climie, Kotuku Climie.
Left to right: Carmen Carkeek, Gael Paki, Matene Climie, Ariana Summers, Amiria Carkeek, Emma Whiterod, Donna Bridgeman.
Left to right: Carmen Carkeek, Ngapera Climie (background), Mariana Williams, Amiria Carkeek, Ropine Cook.
Left to right: Matene Climie and Carmen Carkeek.