Wānanga highlights

Tēnei te mihi atu a Te Matau a Māui nei ki a koutou katoa nō ngā tōpito e whā o te motu i roto i tēnei wā o te Tau Hou (2014) rua mano tekau mā whā. Me huri ngā whakaaro ki a rātou ki ngā tini aituā, ki ngā tini mate o te wā, o te wiki, o te marama, o te tau. Haere koutou, haere koutou, haere koutou, whakangaro atu rā rātou ki a rātou te hunga wairua, tātou ki a tātou te hunga ora. Tīhei Ngāi Tahu.

Well folks, the new year is upon us and it’s the time for swimming and getting sun burnt. Season greetings from us here in Te Matau a Māui, to everyone and may the year be prosperous. We have just finished our first wānanga of the year.

We held our wānanga at Waimārama Marae from 31 January to 2 February on mahi harakeke, mahi toi, nga hītori and waiata, with a focus on rangatahi and whakawhanaunga. The name of their meeting house is Taupunga, an old and eloquent house with a warm feeling, set in a country garden atmosphere. Ātaahua rawa atu. Morehu Te Amohaere is the name of the dining room. On our arrival we were greeted with a pōwhiri by the local people and given a warm welcome in the whare.

We began our wānanga on Friday night with mihimihi and waiata. Saturday activities included mahi harakeke and mahi toi, followed by a visit to the beach, where Te Taupunga o Takitimu or The Anchor of Takitimu is located. Local historian, Robert MacDonald, gave a kōrero on the local history of the area and on Motu o Kura, an island well known for fishing and seafood – incidentally given the name of Bare Island, by Captain Cook. History tells us that Tahupōtiki took Takitimu Waka to Te Waipounamu.

This was followed by a visit to an old pā site named Hakikino, which today has been set up as a tourism venture providing tours and giving visitors a glimpse of the past. The carved waharoa is the ancestor Tumapuhiarangi, of Kahungunu and Rangitāne descent, who also descends from Tahito-tārere, a tipuna of Ngāti Ira and Ngāi Tahu. This visit was fantastic and very uplifting especially given the old whare sites are still visible. The afternoon continued with some of us carrying on with mahi harakeke and mahi toi, while others visited the local urupā.

Following breakfast, clean-up and our final waiata session on Sunday, we left the marae and on the way home, stopped at Waitangi, a small settlement in Waimārama, before saying our goodbyes to one another. Nō reira he mihi kau atu ki a koutou ngā whananunga o Ngāi Tahu o Waimārama hoki mō ō koutou manaakitanga kāre e mutu ngā mihi ki a koutou.

Our next wānanga is to be held in early April with date and venue to be confirmed, so kia kaha koutou ngā uri o Tahupōtiki ki te haramai. Nō reira kia tau ngā manaakitanga a Te Mea Ngaro ki runga ki a mātou. Mauri ora ki a tātou.

Some of the whānau Ngāi Tahu Taurahere ki Te Matau a Māui.

Some of the whānau Ngāi Tahu Taurahere ki Te Matau a Māui.

Tumapuhiarangi.

Tumapuhiarangi.

Ngā wāhine left to right Margie Yates, Hera Tahau, Verna Waitere, Kuia Piki Winitana (tutor) and Memory Hawaiikirangi.

Ngā wāhine left to right Margie Yates, Hera Tahau, Verna Waitere, Kuia Piki Winitana (tutor) and Memory Hawaiikirangi.