Matakahi cadetship

My name is Grace and I am a Matakahi Cadet who was fortunate enough to work at Ngāi Tahu over the summer. When I was told I would be joining Ngāi Tahu as a legal intern I was nervous, as I had never worked in a professional environment in a law-related role before. However, my experience could not have gone any better. Every person within the organisation is valued for what they contribute and treated as whānau. I was pleasantly surprised by how many people took the time to ask me who I was and what I was doing.

The legal team, led by the incredible Chris Ford, was a pleasure to work with. It was great to see real life lawyers in action and I learnt so much from them. They took the time to explain every task I was given clearly and answered questions if I was ever confused. This made the challenging tasks exciting rather than daunting. My main on-going project was to come up with a standardised constitution that could be used for the 18 Papatipu Rūnanga. The task was to draft the content according the new Incorporated Societies Act in a way that was concise and easy to understand for all whānau members. With the help of the team, I was able to draw up some diagrams and other visuals that will hopefully be used in the years to come.

Highlights of the summer would include: Monday morning waiata and karakia in the wharekai, weekly te reo lessons, free boot camp lessons for a bit of exercise during lunch, meeting many new faces and making some great friends, but most importantly, learning so much about my culture and gaining the confidence to keep going on this cultural journey. Thank you to everyone who was part of making this summer the best one yet, Grace.

Grace Dimond.

Grace Dimond.

Pānui contributions

If members have an item of interest they wish to share with te whānau o Ngāi Tahu or would like to profile Ngāi Tahu whānau who are achieving in what they are doing in today’s world, please contact Tina on 03 212 6029 or email [email protected].

Membership Database

We are constantly updating our membership database and have found that many members’ children have had children of their own that require registering. If you are one of these people we encourage you to contact us on 03 212 6029 or email [email protected] to request registration form/s.

NB: If your enquiries relate to registering with Ngāi Tahu please contact the Whakapapa Unit on 0800 524 8248.

We also encourage those members who have changed residential or email addresses to update their details by contacting the rūnanga on the above number or email address.

Kia ora whānau,

On top of the core business of the rūnaka, the main focus for the early part of February has seen us putting everything in place to host the Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu hui at Te Kōawa Tūroa o Tākitimu. This hui was a great success and yet again we are indebted to everybody who supported us with this mahi.

Over February we hosted a couple of groups at Takutai o te Tītī Marae. A group from the Number10 organisation in Invercargill held their team building at the marae and we had our bi-annual visit from NMH School in Boston, United States. We also look forward to hosting Riverton primary school in early March. At the end of the month we welcomed the return of the Carving of Tū Te Rakiwhānoa to Takutai o Te Tītī Marae. This figure had been loaned to Southland Museum for the Tamatea, Art and Conservation in Dusky Sound exhibition. A similar exhibition featuring many of the exhibits is now being run at Te Hīkoi here in Riverton.

Rhys Horrell

Rhys and I would sincerely like to thank you all for the wonderful support you gave us both to get to the New Zealand and South Island Secondary School Clay Target Competition held in Christchurch in September 2016.

It was a great experience for Rhys and he’s looking forward to the 2017 shooting season. Rhys has managed a few trophies, medals and badges over the season with his shooting for the Aparima college clay target team in the secondary school competition and for his club Western Southland. He even gained a south Island junior title for the handicap by distance at the South Island Championships held in Invercargill in November, and also received the Southland Future Champion for boys clay bird shooting award at the 2016 Southland Secondary School Sports awards.

Thanks again for your wonderful support it was really appreciated. Your Sincerely, Rhys and Keri Horrell.

Rhys with his trophies and medals.

Rhys with his trophies and medals.

Kia ora koutou whānau,
Well time flies when you are having fun, whānau will be away to the Tītī Islands and just like that they will be home again and it will be May. Not forgetting our succulent tio as well, yummy tītī and tio.

Murihiku Marae has been having all sorts of hui and different meetings – all good too. Lots of little but essential things have happened like our kaumātua went to see the Māori Quartet and they very much enjoyed it – it was a good night out. We have our community garden going well, some teething problems but otherwise all ka pai and some whānau are being given fresh vegetables grown at Murihiku Marae and it’s a good relationship between us and the community. Excellent job! A big shout out to all our whānau overseas and those that are living away from Murihiku, tēnā koutou ngā whanauka mihi aroha we hope you are all well, cheers whānau. To all the whānau that have had new pēpi congratulations from Waihōpai whānau and the same for all our birthday whānau – a big congratulations to you guys as well. And most importantly to our whānau that have lost a loved one since our last kōrero. Waihōpai sends their condolences and aroha to you all aroha nui.

It’s time for me to hang up my pen for another month and get on with my mahi. Listen folks take very good care of one another arguing and fighting is not good, hugs and laughter are better ka pai. Nā Squirrel on the Hill, hei konei rā Waihōpai Rūnaka.

Murihiku Māori Warden and volunteers at the World Shearing Champs in Invercargill.

Kaumātua at Hilton High Tea.

Kaumātua at Hilton High Tea.

Kai ora whānau we have had another very busy month and great to see all of our kaumātua and health services underway. Don’t forget the Kā Pūtea grants and scholarships for our tertiary students are open until 28 April. Check out www.ngaitahu.iwi.nz/whanau/opportunities or if you require support or further information give Colleen a call at Hokonui Rūnanga 03 208 7954.

Pōwhiri for new Southland/Otago Police District Commander

The new Police District Commander Paul Basham was welcomed onto the marae on 28 February. It was heartening to hear the commander attempt so much of his speech in te reo Māori and we anticipate a strengthening of calibre and depth of leadership for Otago/Southland.

Pōwhiri for new Otago Police District Commander

Archaeological update

Local enthusiasts led by archaeologists Shar Briden (independent) and Rachel Wesley of Ōtākou have retrieved further historical finds at Papanui Inlet. The Papanui waka was recovered in October 2014 and many other artefacts have been found since 2007. Coastal erosion continues to reveal more relics. There are protections in this area to reduce vehicles and fossicking.

Summer Pops Tour

Our thanks go to the award-winning classic Māori show band, the Modern Māori Quartet for providing tickets for kaumātua to attend their Summer Pops show in the Dunedin. Together with the NZ Symphony Orchestra the MMQ sang their way through their ‘garage party’ demonstrating their wit and amazing harmonies. A great night, thank you Modern Māori Quartet.

Aoraki Bound experience

As a young boy growing up in a small town in heartland mid-Canterbury, I always knew I was Kāi Tahu, and that my grandfather’s family had grown up around Moeraki. I was told that a Dutch whaler had arrived several generations back, he married a ‘princess’ from down south and that’s how the Waterreus name made it to New Zealand. Unfortunately 40 years ago in mid-Canterbury it wasn’t cool to identify as being Māori, and there were limited opportunities to engage with Māori culture, to learn about tikaka or how to speak te reo. So my identity was limited to the Pākehā side of my family, and apart from a few small meetings with other Waterreus family members, my upbringing was rather devoid of my Māori heritage. I felt this hole as I grew up, and the older I got the more I wanted to know in order to fill in those gaps.

Years ago I saw Aoraki Bound advertised, and I knew at that moment that I had to do it in order to find myself. Aoraki Bound was an amazing journey crammed full of reflections, self-awareness, cultural learnings, stories about days of old, Kāi Tahu tikaka, the Atua, myths and legends, feeling a new whānau bonding and a growing pride in discovering who I am, and where I’m from. The defining moment for me however came after the last day of Aoraki Bound, when with the support and help of Alice Dimond from TRoNT I came home to Moeraki. My partner and I arrived at the rūnaka to meet Jenny Brooks and Mary-Anne Tipa. Jenny had produced information and documents relating to my whakapapa and we all sat and discussed how I fitted in to Moeraki. David Higgins soon arrived and explained how we were related, before taking us in the car to all the areas of significance, telling rich stories of a lifetime growing up on the whenua and moana. David was able to point out relatives final resting places, and I got to see the grave of my great-great grandmother at Hamden.

The high point of my visit to Moeraki though, was finally feeling like my Pepeha now has validity. I can call Moeraki my marae, I can now identify with my hapū, thanks to David’s knowledge of whakapapa I have clarity around my waka, and I have a clearer view of who I am. I would like to say a huge thank you to Kāi Tahu for Aoraki Bound, to Alice Dimond for arranging our visit to Moeraki and to Mary-Anne, Jenny and David for their knowledge, care and attention while we were there. Ko Aaron Waterreus ahau, Aoraki Matatū.

Aaron Waterreus.

Aaron Waterreus.

Notice of owners

This is to give notice to all persons who descend from the original landowners of the Kaiapoi Māori Reserve 873, who therefore have the right to be buried in the Te Urutī Cemetery (section 101).

Due to the heavy use and uncoordinated activities of our urupā, please refer all questions over usage and burial to our newly nominated trustees via the office of Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga.

Meeting of owners and trustees

1906 Māori Land – Alton Block 4 Section 6
The purpose of this meeting is the election of new trustee’s and the proposed salvage of dead standing and windfall Rimu trees.

Date: 29 April 2017
Time: 1pm
Location: Kaiapoi Club Level 2 Room 3, 113 Raven Quay, Kaiapoi
Contact: Wiremu Hopkinson 03 3276621 or 0273659382

Te Anau holiday home

Did you know that we have a comfortable house for whānau to rent in Te Anau? This property sleeps eight and is located in the heart of the town. It is within walking distance of all amenities and only a short distance from many of the tourist opportunities the region has to offer. Please contact the office for further details or to make a booking.

Contact details

We are progressively updating our membership database to improve the quality of our information. So if you or any of your whānau have moved house or changed email address or phone numbers then please let us know as soon as possible.

Whānau communication

We are looking at ways to improve our communications with whānau and are exploring different ways to get the word out there about what is going on.

We have created an opportunities page on Facebook. This page will carry details of any opportunities for our members such as: details of scholarships, bird transfers, vacancies for representatives on various boards and much more. The link below will take you to this page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oraka-Aparima-Runaka-opportunity-pages/1615071675378752

In the interim we will continue to send you emails. If you no longer wish to receive emails please let us know.

Kia ora whānau, I hope you are all well and rested and looking forward to an exciting year ahead. This summer has had its moments – for a start, we have hardly seen the big yellow glow in the sky and when we do it’s blowing a gale. But that’s the way it goes – rain, gales and very little sun. Let us be thankful that we are alive and can enjoy whatever the weather gods send especially here in the southern isles – live and let live and enjoy whānau time.

Nō reira, ngā mihi aroha ki a koutou katoa to the whānau that have lost a loved one, Waihōpai sends their condolences and aroha to you and your whānau, aroha nui. Also a huge congratulations to whānau that have a new addition aroha nui to you and your new pēpi. Cheers whānau. Lastly to all the whānau who have had a birthday over the break, a big congratulations to you all and hope you had a great day.

Kia ora koutou whānau, ka mihi aroha ki a koutou katoa. Kā mihi o Te Tau Hou ki a koutou katoa. We wish you all the best for the New Year.

Rā whānau2
Wishing you a very happy birthday – Ngā mihi rā i tō rā whānau.

Ngā mate

Me ngā whakaaro, inoi aroha atu – with loving thoughts and prayers to those who have lost a love one at this time.

A group of Moeraki whānau gathered for the opening of the new Kāti Huirapa whare, Te Hapa o Niu Tireni on Saturday 12 November, despite the drizzling rain and cold conditions.

Tiana Mihaere, Justin Tipa and Hana O’Regan

Tiana Mihaere, Justin Tipa and Hana O’Regan

Karen Coutts, our Moeraki Te Rūnanga Representative.

Karen Coutts, our Moeraki Te Rūnanga Representative.

Tiana Mihaere and Koa Whitau Kean.

Tiana Mihaere and Koa Whitau Kean.

Well, here we are again into another fabulous year – although 2016 was a great year when you think back. Condolences to all who have lost loved ones, keep smiling and all will end happy for you! Aroha mai. Now to some gossy. Yes, I had a wonderful Christmas as a matter of fact, don’t remember much about Christmas Day, but that’s another story. I hope you all had a good Christmas, I bet you all did – children and all. All put on the weight, preparing for winter.

Timua launched her CD recently, but she will tell you about it. It would be nice if you all wrote pānui to include in Te Pānui Rūnaka, it would save me plenty. So as the weather is blowing up a storm outside, I think that will be enough for now.

You have three chances in life.
Choices – you must make a choice
Chances – take a chance
Changes – to change your life
.
Luv ya all, till next time. KKK.
Oh, cousin Charlie, I’m a year older now
(49 reversed, not bad eh).

Kāi Tahu, tēnā koutou.
Nei rā te whakamiha ki a koutou o Kāti Māhaki ki Makaawhio ki a koutou. Nei rā hoki te mihi poroporoaki ki kā tini mate, kua hika mai, kua hika atu. Ki a koutou katoa i hīkoi atu ki tua o te ārai, haere, haere, haere atu rā. Moe mai koutou i te rakimārie. Rātou ki a rātou, tātou anō ki a tātou, ka huri anō ki a tātou o te ao takata. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

He pātai nui tēnei…kei whea te raumati?

Here on Poutini we could be forgiven for thinking summer has all but passed us by. Apart from the odd visit from Tama-nui-te-raki, we have been hit with rain and wintery blasts and that’s all before the weather bomb exploded, letting loose so much rain – not even the Poutini could handle the volume.

We have a few catch up stories from 2016 to share this month. We have also had some great celebrations already this year, in what is shaping up to be another busy one.

Tai Poutini Polytechnic Exhibition

On 4 November 2016, the local Polytechnic exhibited the the work of the latest cohort of certificate and diploma students in their hardstone and jade carving course. Makaawhio kaumātua supported the occasion with our Upoko, Richard Wallace providing a karakia. Congratulations to Josey Coyle, Tutoko Wallace-Jones and Josh Tamainu Pu who won awards. Certificate students Josey and Josh were recognised as the most improved (the award Tutoko won last year), and Tutoko was acknowledged for being the Pāpā Bear – tino kaitautoko o te rōpū supporting and helping other students with their mahi and designs, and holding the fort on a couple of occasions. Well done everyone, with a special acknowledgement of Josh (mokopuna of Nan Pu) and Tutoko, two Kāti Māhaki ki Makaawhio descendants creating another generation of kaiwhakairo pounamu. Ka mau te wehi.

Marae news

Bach for sale
Only for descendants of traditional land owners and hapū members.
Peter and Heather Orr wish to offer their bach for sale at a sale price of $130,000.
Expressions of Interest for Lot 1 – DP3882, Block XIV Bruce Bay to be sent to:
The Secretary, Mahitahi Ahu Whenua Trust,
PO Box 255, Hokitika 7842
or email: [email protected]

Rūnaka website and e-pānui

For those of you who have not had a chance to check out our newly-launched website, we invite you to do so: www.makaawhio.maori.nz Members can access a members-only section which allows registered members to access more information than anyone else visiting the site. All passwords have been emailed and posted out to whānau. If you have not received one, please contact the office. Our pānui are sent by email and can be accessed via a link in the members section of our website.

Keeping in contact

Our recent mail-outs have resulted in a lot of returned mail, which means our efforts to ensure that 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]

Mā te Atua koutou e manaaki, e tiaki hoki. Mauri ora.

Marae donations

Members have been asking how they can contribute to our marae when they live far away. One way is to make automatic payments into the marae bank account. If this is something you would like to do please note the following details:

Pay to: Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio Inc Marae
Bank account: 01 0797 0636793 02
Details to appear on their bank statement: Surname initials

We have several whānau that have been contributing small but regular payments since the marae opened in 2005. Others have made one-off payments and irregular payments as they want. The amount and frequency of payment is up to you.

Rā whānau

January
Katrina Lang, Adrian Tainui, Troy Tauwhare, Rikihana Hutana, Ashlee Wickett , Josh Tamainu, Aaron Tauwhare, Summer Lilley, Rauhine Coakley.

February
Tuari Tainui, William Russell (Bill), Ursula Tainui, Allan Tainui, Aleigha Ngaamo, Tihou Messenger-Weepu, Ruihi Tumahai, Justice Tainui, Toa Makapelu, Naomi Jones, Derek Tainui, Mitchell Currie, Nellie Jane Robinson, Toko Lang, Sophie Tenbethy, Mia Robinson, Aroha Meihana, Ema Weepu, Ihaka Weepu.

Kā mihi aroha

To all our whānau, suffering the loss of loved ones at this time Awarua Rūnaka extends all our love and sympathy.

Rā whānau

Happy birthday to all those celebrating their birthdays this month.

Whitebait stand

As intimated in the last issue we now own a whitebait stand on the Aparima River. This stand is being used fairly regularly by whānau, albeit with mixed fortunes. Those whānau who have used the stand so far have found the people from the surrounding stands and the general whitebait community to be really supportive and helpful.

The stand is available for whānau to use throughout the season. If you wish to use the stand you will need to fill out a booking form. You will also be required to read and acknowledge our whitebaiting health and safety documentation and have an induction. These forms sum up our expectations, and your responsibilities as a user.

This paperwork only has to be done once during the season. To be fair to everybody bookings can only be made two weeks in advance. If we have multiple requests for prime tides we will ballot out those periods. So come on whānau, what could be better than a few hours on the awa catching a feed of whitebait?

Health and safety

As some of you may be aware there have been substantial changes to the health and safety legislation. On 4 April 2016, the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) came into force bringing with it new responsibilities for everyone in the workplace. These changes affect everybody and as a result we have reviewed our health and safety policies and implemented a few changes to the way we work.

This is particularly relevant for whānau and other groups requesting to use the marae or any of our other facilities for specific events or hui. In some cases you may well be asked to complete a Hazard Risk Assessment that is specific to your activities and any potential risks associated with those activities. This document works in conjunction with the existing hazard register. Don’t worry we can and will help you with this at the time of booking. We now also have a registered fire evacuation scheme at the marae. This is a legal requirement. What this means is that we need to have trial evacuations every six months. We have been working closely with the NZ Fire Service Māori Liaison Officer Paki Johnston on this and have already run our first fire evacuation.

There are also responsibilities regarding the role of the fire warden. It is necessary to have an appointed fire warden when the marae is in use. It has been decided that the simplest way to run this is that the hirer becomes the fire warden for that event. This is not an onerous task and the duties are explained in the fire warden folder which is stored on site. This role will be explained in fuller detail at the time of induction. At other times (such as the general monthly meeting) when staff are present, a fire warden will be appointed and this will be conveyed to those present prior to the event commencing.

So whānau, this affects everybody and each of us has a shared responsibility to ensure we keep ourselves and others around us safe. Please embrace these new changes and let’s all work together to achieve a safe working environment.

Ngā Taonga programme

Please remember our Ngā Taonga programme for tamariki. This exciting initiative runs on the same days as the general monthly hui. Those tamariki who attended the first few have really enjoyed the experience.

Holiday home in Te Anau

Did you know that we have a comfortable house for whānau to rent in Te Anau? This property sleeps eight and is located in the heart of the town. It is within walking distance of all amenities and only a short distance from many of the tourist opportunities the region has to offer. Please contact the office for further details or to make a booking.

Volunteers

We are always looking for volunteers to help out with the varied projects and commitments that we have. There are many diverse roles that we need help with including: representation on boards or appointment panels, helping with bird transfers, assisting at the marae or working in the nursery or wetlands and many more. If you are keen to play a more active role within the rūnaka please contact us here at the office to discuss the options.

Contact details

We are progressively updating our membership database to improve the quality of our information. So if you or any of your whānau have moved house or changed email address or phone numbers then please let us know as soon as possible.

Communication with whānau

We are looking at ways to improve our communications with whānau and are exploring different ways to get the word out there about what is going on.

We have created an opportunities page on Facebook. This page will carry details of any opportunities for our members such as, details of scholarships, bird transfers, vacancies for representatives on various boards and much more. The link below will take you to this page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oraka-Aparima-Runaka-opportunity-pages/1615071675378752

In the interim we will continue to send you emails, however if you no longer wish to receive emails please let us know.

Greetings from Hokonui Rūnanga,
It has been a busy few months here at Hokonui, we have had many groups and organisations make use of our new complex for various hui.

Otago/Southland men’s hui

We recently hosted this hui at our complex, it’s always a pleasure to assist with hui like these. New Zealand is one of the worst countries in the world for family violence – we need to step up and make a change. Men from all walks of life are invited to attend the hui which will focus on how men can take leadership to reduce and prevent family violence in our whānau, our communities and our region. For more information you can visit www.familiesfreefromviolence.org.nz or phone 0800 474 1121.

Chinese Consul-General visit

Jin Zhijian the Chinese Consul-General made a promotional trip to the Hokonui region and visited our rūnanga along with the Gore District Mayor Tracy Hicks and their respective entourage. We were grateful to have the kapa haka group from Longford Intermediate to help welcome them as well as international students from local high schools.

Kia ora koutou whānau, ka mihi aroha ki a koutou katoa. Kā mihi rā i tō rā whānau, e te tau; Kia rā pai tēnei mōu. Me kā whakaaro, inoi aroha atu. To whānau who have lost a loved one or attending unveilings, our loving thoughts and prayers are with you.

He pēpi

Our congratulations to whānau who have welcomed new pēpi into their whānau – awesome. Ka mihi nui me te aroha nui.

Contact

Te Rūnanga o Moeraki office hours are:
Monday-Friday 8.30am-4.30pm
Ph: 03 439 4816 or 03 439 4864
Marae: 03 439 4411
Website: www.moerakirunanga.co.nz
Jennifer Brookes – Office Coordinator
[email protected]

Mary-Anne Tipa – Kaihautū (General Manager)
[email protected]

Settlement Day mahi

We would also like to acknowledge staff from the office of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu who were at Taumutu undertaking clean up jobs as part of the Settlement Day commemorations, some were able to be persuaded to come and assist tamariki with producing their mōkihi – all efforts were greatly appreciated.

Thomas Horton weeding at the urupā.

Thomas Horton weeding at the urupā.

Te Rūnanga staff ready for mahi.

Te Rūnanga staff ready for mahi.