Kia ora whānau,
We hope you are all keeping warm and wintering well. If you have celebrated a birthday recently we trust that you had a great day and celebrated in style.
This month we have the principals’ hui and the Marine Mammal Stranding Hui scheduled to take place at Takutai o Te Tītī Marae.
The trip to Rarotoka that was cancelled in May was rescheduled and took place on 21 – 23 June.
Finally we would like to congratulate the waka ama group, who recently competed in the Icebreaker 2013 competition in Dunedin. Well done to all those participants and supporters who made the journey.
Te Kāhui Rongoā – Trustee report
Te Kāhui Rongoā Trust is the recognised national governance body charged with protecting, nurturing and promoting rongoā me ōna tikanga.
Formed by the merging of Ngā Ringa Whakahaere o Te Iwi Māori and Paepae Matua mō Rongoā, the trust has representatives from ten rohe across the country. In August 2012 your two southern representatives were voted on for the greater part of Te Waipounamu (i.e. the rohe of Ngāi Tahu). We are Muriel Johnstone nō Murihiku and Ramari Oliphant-Stewart nō Te Tai Poutini.
The Trust has huge tasks ahead. Even simply considering strategic directions has led to in-depth discussions around the knowledge and information about comprehensive rongoā matters. There has also been input and member involvement in related mahi such as N.Z. Rongoā Standards, qualifications, integrated rongoā Māori and tikanga, with Manatū Hauora, Ministry of Health, Māori and others.
Trustees meet in Auckland every two months. In comparison to the other nine rohe, we have a huge area to cover. For us, there has been some difficulty involved in getting out and meeting with rongoā whānau further afield, and there is no budget to assist this mahi. However, we are trying to work out how to overcome this.
It is very exciting to read and see that interest and practice in rongoā Māori in the south is growing among us all – ka nui te mahi. For those rongoā whānau who have already registered, we do hope you are continuing to enjoy your practice in your home, your whare, rūnaka or marae. Remember to visit the website for regular updates and the latest news:
http:rongoamaori.org.nz
Ramari can be contacted at [email protected]
Muriel can be contacted at [email protected]
Ngā mihi ki a koutou katoa,
Muriel māua ko Ramari.
Marine health
Senior environmental advisor, (mahinga kai monitoring and enhancement), (Kaitohutohu Pūtaiao – Mahinga Kai), from Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, Joe Wakefield, is part of a team taking tuaki and sediment samples from the Riverton-Aparima estuary. The sampling is to gauge the level of metal and pollutants present in order to evaluate the overall impact this has on the health of the tuaki and other marine life.
Joe Wakefield.
Cockles.