Ka tangi mōteatea tātou ki ngā parekawakawa o te motu kua whatungarongaro, kua wehe atu rā ki tua o Moriānuku, ki Te Pūtahi nui o Rehua. E te pītau whakarei o Mātaatua, e Ngapo. Haere ki te huinga o ngā kahurangi, ki tō ipo e tatari tonu ana ki a koe. Ko koe tērā, te huia kaimanawa o te motu, te reo korokī, te pou ahurewa o te ao kapa haka. E noho pakukore ana mātou i tō wehenga. Otirā koutou ngā mate huhua kua karangahia e Tahu Kumea, e Tahu Whakairo. Hanatu rā ki te whare o Pōhutukawa, moe mai rā, okioki mai rā. Kāti ake rā, rātou te hunga wairua ki a rātou, tātou ngā urupā o rātou mā ki a tātou. Tihei mauri ora.

Tēnā rā koutou ngā whānau o Ngāi Tahu e noho ana ki tēnā pito, ki tēnā pito.

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the contribution Tim Rochford has made as a representative on Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu for the past 17 years. In his mahi Tim has contributed significantly to the development of the iwi and has strongly advocated for Makaawhio. Of particular note for Makaawhio was his strong advocacy for their boundary change, which culminated in an Order in Council in 2001; and for the return of tahutahi pounamu.

I would also like to acknowledge former representatives Ngaire Tainui, Ashley Warnes and David Higgins for their mahi; and the newly appointed representatives, Susan Wallace, Rik Tainui, Gail Gordon, and Karen Coutts. Over the coming months further Papatipu Rūnanga will complete their election cycles and I look forward to seeing the results.

One of the best parts of my job is meeting with whānau and hearing their dreams for the future and their views on how we are doing. The Road Shows are an awesome opportunity to do this. Over 100 whānau attended the Melbourne Road Show and not only did I get to talk to them, but I saw many of them engaging with our staff representatives — discussing their tīpuna and enrolling and gathering information from programmes like Whai Rawa, Tribal Economies and the Ngāi Tahu Fund. I would encourage all whānau to check out these programmes if you have not done so already.

I would also encourage all whānau to head along to your local Road Show. Venues this year have included Melbourne, Te Tairāwhiti and Ōtaki with Rotorua, Ōtautahi, Te Tai Poutini, Ōtākou, Murihiku, Perth and Tāmaki Makaurau still to come. If you would like more information have a look at the Te Rūnanga website and Facebook page.

It was also great to see our people attending the consultation hui on family violence. These hui have been hosted by Te Puna Oranga in collaboration with Te Whare Hauora, Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, and He Oranga Pounamu. As whānau members, we need to speak out when we know family violence is occurring and I applaud these hui for working to create new and improved ways to support whānau and prevent the impact of violence.

I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge a special anniversary for three key Te Rūnanga programmes: Aoraki Bound, Whai Rawa and the Ngāi Tahu Fund — all celebrating their 10th anniversary.

Over the last decade, these three programmes have contributed significantly to our development as an iwi and although each programme is unique, they each offer whānau the ability to grow culturally and financially. Each programme aims to ensure Ngāi Tahu whānui live better lives, and that is something we need to celebrate.

Whenever I meet with whānau these programmes are always a big talking point. Whai Rawa has grown to have $52 million in funds under management with over 22,000 members; Aoraki Bound has helped to develop the leadership capacity of over 250 participants; and the Ngāi Tahu Fund has approved over 850,000 applications with over $8.5 million distributed. I am tremendously proud of these programmes but I note they are just the start of unleashing the unlimited potential we have to support our tribal members to realise their dreams.

Mark.

Tā Mark Solomon.

Tā Mark Solomon.