Māhaki Mātauraka scholarships

Last month, the rūnaka launched our new scholarships focused on rakatahi development, leadership and building cultural capacity.

Applications are now being called for the 2016 school year for our pūtea tautoko – ‘Whaia te Mātauraka.’

The scholarships are open to students attending or intending to attend secondary boarding school (especially Māori boarding schools) and agreeing to a set of criteria aimed at demonstrating commitment to kaupapa Māori, our rūnaka and iwi.

If you wish to see the criteria and/or lodge an application, please contact the office urgently, as there will be a very short application period.

Christmas office hours

Our office will close on Monday 21 December and will reopen 11 January 2016. Any messages or queries made during this time, will be answered as soon as the office opens.

He pānui

The whānau of John William and Hera (Te Koeti) Bannister are in the process of replacing the headstone of John and his daughter Margaret Sampson who are buried side-by-side in the Hokitika cemetery. We would like to involve as many of their extended whānau as possible. If you would like further information, please email: [email protected]. Nā Michael Scott.

Maramataka

Mark your calendars. If you need more information, please contact the office. Nau mai, haere mai.

Annual Christmas pool party
We held our annual Christmas pool party on Sunday 13 December at the Hokitika Centennial Pool. Whānau were invited to join us at the pool for a fun-filled, politics free afternoon with their tamariki and rakatahi. There were games, prizes and giveaways as well as an early visit from Hana Kōkō.

Kūmara Races
Mark 9 January 2016 in your calendars and come and join us at the Kūmara Races. Put on your glad rags, bring your own food and drinks and come and have a fun day. You’ll find our tent close to the finish line.

Marae open day
This year, to acknowledge Waitangi Day, we will be holding an open day at the marae on 6 February. The day will start with a pōwhiri around 10.30am and will end with poroporoaki around 5.30pm at the latest.
We have a number of workshops planned, along with a hāngī to feed the masses. The day is open to everyone, if you want to come and spend the long weekend with us, Te Tauraka Waka a Māui will be the place to be.
Nau mai, haere mai.

Hokitika Races
The Hokitika Races will be held on 13 January (mid-week), following the Kūmara Races. The Hokitika Races are a half-day event starting at 10am. We’ll have a tent and the barbeque, so bring your own food and drinks and join us for another day at the races.

Keeping in contact

Our recent mail-outs have resulted in a lot of returned mail, which means our efforts to ensure our membership database is up-to-date, still needs plenty of work. Members can help by contacting the office and checking we have your correct address and email contact details for you, your tamariki and/or your mokopuna.

Facebook: makaawhio.blogspot.co.nz; Twitter: @makaawhio; phone: 03 755 7885, email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Before closing, I would like to extend our season’s greeting to everyone on behalf of Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio. May you have a joyous, restful and safe holiday season. He mihi manahau, he mihi matakuikui, he mihi mō te kirihimete me te tau hou ki a koutou katoa. Mā te Atua koutou e manaaki, e tiaki hoki. Mauri ora.