Sporting success
The Gemmell whānau have three successful mokopuna in three separate sporting disciplines.
Adama Coulibali
Adama, nō Tamaki Makaurau won Player of the Tournament at the football tournament held in Whakatu/Nelson during the recent school holidays. Adama plays for Western Springs and has been scouted by selectors for his outstanding defensive play. His team won the competition outright. His koro Henare watched the game and saw his ability for future success.
Wodjiouma Coulibali
Wodjiouma is excited to be making his way to Los Angeles for basketball on 9 August. At just 13 and already six-feet tall, he would like to earn a scholarship to attend university there. Wodjiouma travelled with his father Madou last Christmas holidays to Mali, West Africa to meet his extended whānau for the first time. Wanda Gemmell is a very proud mother and recalls the commitment to sport, having been an athlete herself until her teenage years.
“Whaia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe me he maunga teitei.” We are very proud of whānau achieving, of those who seek do the best they can in their special fields.
Omar Hamoui
Omar, 12 (from Dubai) has just been to Orlando for a Basketball Academy and joined the Lebonese youth team, his father Riad’s home country. He was acknowledged in April this year for a teen sports fitness award in the UAE and attended a special awards dinner with his parents Riad and Janine in Dubai.
Omar Hamoui in Orlando.
Congratulations
A huge congratulations to Kane Parker and Quinn Johnsen for making the West Coast Under 50kg Seddon Shield team for 2016. Kane Parker was awarded player of the day in the first game against Buller following an impressive performance the week prior in Westport. Quinn Johnsen was awarded player of the day in the final game against Nelson and received the West Coast player of the tournament. Well done boys, we wish you all the best for the future.
Kane Parker and Quinn Johnsen, rising rugby stars.
Fusion holiday programme
Our July holiday programme again proved a huge success with over 30 tamariki. Two groups were formed – a teina group aged five to 10 years led by Miriama White and Nelly Mason, and a tuakana group 11 to 15 years led by Mahana Coulston and Jamie Whittle. Each morning we would met for karakia and waiata, then split off to go on our daily plans.
The teina group sat a four-hour first aid course and received their first aid certificates for all their hard work. We had a rongoā day where the tamariki produced their own Kawakawa balm and lemon cough drops (which turned out a lot better than I thought they would), we also had a baking day and the teina made their own muffins and iced them (just in time for the tuakana to come and help eat them).
The tuakana went to the museum and got to hear some kōrero before heading to ‘Bonez and Stonez’ to carve their own pounamu taonga. On the Friday we took them all to the Hokitika swimming pools had fish and chips for lunch and then treated them all to the movies to watch The BFG.
A huge mihi to Miriama Johnsen for our primo kai every day, thank you for all your hard work. It wouldn’t be possible to run our programmes without our kaiako, so thank you to Miriama White, Jamie whittle, Mahana Coulston and Nelly Mason. Also, thank you to ‘Bonez n Stonez’ carver Katene Campbell for showing our tuakana kids how to carve, the rūnanga for letting us hold our programme here at the marae, and Kāi Tahu for making it all happen.
We look forward to the next holidays where hopefully the weather lets us plan things outside (like setting the nets catching some tuna) it is already in the planning stage so we are looking forward to the next holidays.
The tuakana group ready to carve their own taonga.
Tamariki with their home-made baking creations.
Tamariki with their First Aid certificates.
Kawakawa proudly made by the teina group.
Te Whakatūwheratanga o Te Ao Mārama
Whānau travelled down to Waiau – Franz Josef on Saturday 25 June for the official opening of Te Ao Mārama.
The building, owned by Ngāi Tahu Tourism, houses the Department of Conservation, Franz Josef Glacier Guides, Glacier Hot Pools, iSite Franz Josef and a café. Our rūnanga has worked closely with Ngāi Tahu Tourism, not only as a shareholder in the Glacier Guides, but also as the manawhenua rūnanga, throughout the development of the site and were thrilled to see some of the vision come to fruition.
It was an exciting day with wonderful speeches and even better waiata from everyone, along with lovely kai and free hot pools for everyone to enjoy afterwards. Whānau stayed the night at the Punga Grove Motels and had an amazing dinner at the Tiger King Eastern Eating House with Ngāi Tahu Tourism staff before travelling back home to Hokitika the next day.
Tamariki at theTe Ao Mārama opening.
Te Ao Mārama opening crowd.
Annual Wero Mātauraka Reading Challenge
The rūnaka held its annual reading challenge for Kāti Mahaki tamariki in the July school holidays. All entries needed to be in the office on 4 August and we will be announcing the winner of the major prizes very soon.
Reading Challenge 2015 participants.
Kaumātua kapa haka
Over the weekend 25-26 June, a celebration of haka and waiata presented by senior Māori performing artists from around New Zealand took place at Te Papa. Thirteen teams from Tokomaru Bay, Auckland, Whakatane, Patea, Christchurch and elsewhere performed. Kaumātua Kapa Haka capped off the successful month-long Matariki Festival for Te Papa.
This year, Te Kapa Haka Kaumātua ō Ngāi Tahu had a special member in their group. Four generations later, 8-year-old Yozannah Whitiora Topia-Peneha lead the waiata learnt with her peers at Tuahiwi School, the same waiata performed 70 years ago.
The performances held this year were live-streamed so whānau could watch from anywhere in the world. This gave performers a chance to shout-out and wave hello to their moko and whānau who couldn’t make it to Te Papa to join them.
Yozannah Whitiora Topia-Peneha (centre) leads the waiata.
Performers wave to their whānau watching the livestream.
Congratulations
A belated congratulations to Te Aotahi Rice-Edwards (from the Pere whānau) and the crew who led the St Thomas’ of Canterbury and Villa Maria school production this year.
The team spent four months and long hours practicing for their remake of the famous show Grease. Te Aotahi was cast in the male lead role of Danny Zuko and whānau are still amazed at his previously hidden dance and singing abilities. The June show was a sell-out over all four nights and a huge hit with audiences. He whetū taukapo koe, e Te Aotahi e.
Te Aotahi (second from right) and the T-Birds.
Success for young rugby fan
Jayda Siyakurima (Teihoka whānau) is rugby mad. She has just made the Canterbury School girls’ rugby development team and is looking forward to representing her province. Jayda currently plays club rugby for the Southbridge under 13 team, which is combined with Irwell and Dunsandel and the Cathedral College school girls’ team. Jayda has been playing rugby for just on five years and has no intention of giving up. She is passionate about the game and she enjoys playing in all her teams. She hopes to further this in the future, as long as she can continue her education and play rugby at the same time Jayda is looking forward to her first game in August for Canterbury.
Jayda Siyakurima – future rugby star.
Tamariki meet local tuna
Tamariki at Arowhenua Māori School had an exciting visit from Working Waters Trust in June as part of their Matariki celebrations. Keen kids turned up with gumboots and a change of clothes ready for an adventure to the stream down the end of Huipara Street.
Sophie Allen from the trust gave a talk at the kura about taonga species like whitebait, bullies and tuna, which resulted in millions of pātai and great story-sharing from the inquisitive kids. Sophie also focused on how our native fish have problems like habitat destruction and predation from the introduced trout, and what people can do to help the fish. [Read more…]