Kāika Reo ki Te Tihi o Maru are a rōpū of whānau who are committed to revitalising the intergenerational reo of our tūpuna for our tamariki and mokopuna. We meet each Sunday afternoon between 2pm and 4pm, taking turns to host the whānau rōpū in our homes.
On the weekend of 2-3 November, our rōpū visited Waihao Marae. This was a special noho for many of our whānau, who have ancestral connections to Waihao. Two of our tāua, Libya Foote and Rosina Hix shared many memories of their earlier years.
We had a superb welcome from Wendy Heath and Ūpoko Rūnaka, Te Wera King. They made us feel so welcome and shared their stories of the history of the marae and their whānau.
We also wish to thank marae managers, Steve and Graeme Lane for their tautoko in ensuring our stay was a memorable one. Our whānau enjoyed a weekend of waiata, kōrero, haka and whakawhanaungatanga. Our tamariki have outstanding role models in our rōpū and I thank each and every family for their commitment and dedication to our kaupapa, he taonga te reo mō ngā uri ā muri ake nei.
Our noho would not have been complete without a visit to Te Ana Rock Art Centre. We cannot thank our hosts Amanda Symon, Karl Russell and Wetere Home enough. Their valuable knowledge and passion for the kaupapa ignited a flame within our tamariki to find out more about their tūpuna. For all of us to be able to go out to the Taniwha site at Ōpihi with Wetere was just superb. It is incredible to think all of this is right on our doorstep.
For any enquiries about our rōpū, contact Aaron Donaldson on 6861547 ([email protected]) or Quentin Hix 6861736.
Whānau at Waihao Marae.
Whānau visiting the Ōpihi Taniwha rock art site.