Kāi Tahu whānui, tēnā koutou katoa.
Nei rā te mihi o Kāti Māhaki ki Makaawhio ki a koutou katoa.

Nei rā hoki kā roimata takiwai o te hapū nei mō kā tini mate kua hika mai, kua hika atu. Ki a koutou kua hīkoi atu ki te taha o kā mātua tīpuna ki tua o te ārai, haere, haere, haere atu rā. Moe mai koutou i te rakimārie. Rātou ki ā rātou, tātou anō ki a tātou. Tēnā anō tātou katoa.

December will be another busy month for us. We had our Hākari Kaumātua (dinner) on 6 December and the following weekend we hosted our annual Makaawhio Xmas pool party.

Our office will be closing from Friday 19 December to Monday 12 January 2015.
Please note 10 January in your diaries and come and join us at the Kūmara Races.

Not much has changed weather-wise here on Te Tai o Poutini. Our reputation for rain has been more than fulfilled over the past month. Water tanks are full, our awa have been up and Tama-nui-te-rā has been paying us fleeting visits.

Weather aside, it has been an exciting month here on Te Tai o Poutini and especially for our whanauka hapū of Poutini Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Waewae, who after a 150 year wait, opened their stunning new marae in November.

We were honoured to share with our Poutini whanauka, the pride and joy that comes with finally realising such a long held dream; and to be invited on to the paepae to welcome te iti me te rahi to Arahura.

Tūhuru is a work of art and an awesome expression of the whakapapa and history of Te Tai o Poutini and our Poutini Kāi Tahu connections. We were stunned by the very generous tribute to our Kāti Māhaki tīpuna, with the inclusion of an entire (southern) wall devoted to our South Westland ancestors, with the adornments and ambience of the whare. We are so pleased for our whanauka.

It was therefore our honour as Māhaki to live up to our name and manaaki Ngāti Waewae on their special day. We helped kaimahi feed the multitudes and we presented the hau kāika with our koha of three giant canvases of historic photos of the old Arahura Rūnanga Hall, Tairea.

Nō reira, nei rā te mihi aroha ki a koutou o Ngāti Waewae. Tū mai rā te whare tipuna, tū mai rā Tūhuru e.

Māhaki team prepping plates for service.

Māhaki team prepping plates for service.

Feeding the multitudes.

Feeding the multitudes.

Presenting the Makaawhio koha.

Presenting the Makaawhio koha.

Ngā kaikōrero, from left, Te Rua Mason, Rino Tirikatene, Richard Wallace (Makaawhio), Tā Tipene O’Regan, Ned Tauwhare and Ely Weepu.

Ngā kaikōrero, from left, Te Rua Mason, Rino Tirikatene, Richard Wallace (Makaawhio), Tā Tipene O’Regan, Ned Tauwhare and Ely Weepu.

Te iti me te rahi.

Te iti me te rahi.