Kia ora whānau o Kāi Tahu

What a beautiful weekend we had at the Valley for the Te Rūnanga hui, on the Friday and Saturday and great weather for those who went on the boat trip on Sunday. The weather was absolutely superb the whole time and those who were present seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves at the Valley.

Some rūnaka members and our great office staff had been up prior and ensured the buildings were tidied for all, they even painted one of the rooms which looked great. [Read more…]

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.

It was a great privilege to host this hui in our takiwā. The majestic backdrop of the Tākitimu mountains coupled with the blistering sunshine made Te Kōawa Tūroa o Tākitimu sparkle like the jewel that it is. Having the meeting at a venue like this reinforces just how vast and diverse the landscapes and rohe of Ngāi Tahu whānau are.

This land has intrinsic values that no money can buy. It is sacrosanct, and as such, as kaitiaki we have a duty of care to ensure its continued wellbeing. The profits we gain from this are not measured in monetary terms but in the access whānau have to this special place and others similar to it. Te Kōawa Tūroa o Tākitimu is an example of Mō Tātau – for us and our children after us. [Read more…]

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.

We hope that you all had an enjoyable Christmas break and were able to spend time with whānau and friends over this period. Hopefully you are now feeling energised and ready to meet this year’s challenges.The first quarter of the year is shaping up to be busy on all fronts. A hardy group of volunteers and staff are presently labouring away completing maintenance and cleaning tasks at the venue.

The next scheduled trip for a volunteer group to head out to Rarotoka will be at Easter. We are also hosting a school group from the United States at the end of February. This is a bi-annual trip for them. The students are preparing a lesson on the native American influences in their area. They have offered to present this to whānau if there is enough interest. [Read more…]

From Ranui

On News Year’s Day I flew out to Rarotoka Island for three days of whānau time with my two daughters Amanda and Tania and other family members.

What a wonderful time we had. Two of the old lighthouse keepers homes have been done up, and are very comfortable and warm with the addition of new wood burners. The isolation from the mainland reminded me of the Tītī Islands but with fewer trees. We went for walks around the tracks, and saw plenty of birdlife. Finding time to relax, after the Christmas and New Year’s rush, I read some books that were written by young girls who lived on the Island that told of their daily lives and routines. Lighthouse keepers were a hard breed, and life was sometimes very tough, but they really seemed to enjoy it, as did their families. I love the history. Thank you for the trip out there. Nā Ranui Bull. [Read more…]

Two representatives from Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka, Stewart Bull and Lynley McKay along with one representative from Makaawhio, Willy Wilson, went on a hīkoi on Saturday 10 September to Martins Bay. Stewart and I (Lynley) drove to Riversdale where we met up with two of the Hollyford Conservation Trust members, got on a fixed wing plane and took the scenic ride into Martins Bay. Oh my goodness, what a fantastic scenic flight this was. [Read more…]

Kia ora whānau,

What an incredible run of weather we are experiencing here in the deep south – a stark contrast to the monsoon type conditions experienced further up the country. How nice for tamariki to have weather like this during the school holidays! This warm spell has also been a boost to many of those in the farming community over the busy period of calving and lambing. It’s also great to see the cafes, restaurants and shops getting a bit of trade after the winter hiatus. [Read more…]

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.

A big congratulations to Dakota Crengle. Dakota is the son of Ricky and Alishia and grandson of Pam and Royd Crengle. Ricky is a young lad who is very keen on riding his speedway bike and the photo below is of him with the “Rider of the Meet” ribbon the was awarded. Dakota has also done well at soccer and was presented the Waihōpai Football Club 9th Grade yellow team Player of the Year for 2016. Awesome work Dakota! [Read more…]

Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka now owns a whitebait stand on the Aparima River. The stand is available for whānau to use throughout the season but you will need to fill out a booking form and 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 and we will ballot out the prime tides if we have multiple requests for those periods. Whānau who have so far used the stand have found the people from the surrounding stands to be really supportive and helpful. So come on whānau, what could be better than a few hours on the awa catching a feed on whitebait. [Read more…]

Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka members hosted nine Aparima College students and support staff for a lunch at Takutai o Te Tītī Marae. Rangimaria Suddaby, Lynley McKay and Riki Dallas have been involved in a responsive writing programme, arranged by the college during term three. The programme was the first time the pen-pals have met each other. Once the introductions were exchanged we were able to further discuss each other’s interests. It was great to find out two of the students have connections to the Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka. This programme was also assisted by Stewart Bull and Rebecca McKay, and has seen vast improvements in the students’ writing and confidence. It will continue for the rest of the term and into the future. [Read more…]

Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka congratulates Theresa Pankhurst (mokopuna of Marjorie Manaena née Gutzel, and descendant of Mere Wehikore and James Leader of Aparima) who graduated with a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (double major in human genetics and molecular pathology) and is now on the road to completing her Masters of Clinical Immunology. She is currently doing an internship with Volpara Health Technologies, working on a project looking at creating a stable measure for temporal changes in mammographic breast density. She hopes to better understand how breast density could be a surrogate biomarker of breast cancer. We wish Theresa all the best for her further studies. [Read more…]

Kia ora whānau,

As we bask in the warm weather here in the deep south, we welcome the arrival of spring and the new life that it brings. The arrival of spring is beautifully summed up by the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.

“And the Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth’s dark breast
Rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.” [Read more…]

On Friday 29 July Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka hosted the Māori Advisory Komiti hui. This was the last hui for Stuart Davies in his role at the Invercargill Prison. Stu has decided to leave the delights of Southland, and has taken up a job offer in Australia. We all wish Stu the very best with his move. He will be missed at our meetings for his quick wit and his ready smile. I am sure he will enjoy the opportunities presented to him in this new venture. Before he left, we took the opportunity to have a photo taken with him outside Takutai o Te Tītī Marae. [Read more…]

Amiria, Hana and Aaron Davis all received awards at the recent Murihiku Pūtake Kōrero speech competition. These tamariki are the whānau of Gary and Rose Davis. Amiria was first in the senior Māori section. Hana was first in the intermediate Māori section and Aaron was third in his section at the Manu Kōrero speech competitions. Well done Davis whānau.

Amiria (left), Hana (front) and Aaron Davis.

Amiria (left), Hana (front) and Aaron Davis.

Kia ora whānau,

As winter begins to bite in the deep south we look forward to the arrival of spring and the new life that it brings. After a run of beautiful sunny days, the gardeners among you will notice how confused some of the plants are. Over the last month the we have been involved in a number of hui including the Southland Land and Water Plan hui, Murihiku Mahinga Kai Regional Forum and the Tu Pono hui. We also had an open governance training day which was well received. [Read more…]

Meridian Energy has today been named as the new national partner of the Kākāpō Recovery Programme, in a partnership with the Department of Conservation (DOC). The partnership was announced at Meridian’s Manapōuri hydro station, located in Fiordland National Park, as part of a kākāpō chick release on Pukenui/Anchor Island. CEO Mark Binns says Meridian is delighted to be able to contribute to the ongoing conservation of the rare and iconic kākāpō. [Read more…]

Ōraka-Aparima Rūnaka Inc Society

Annual General Meeting
10am, Sunday 9 October
Takutai o Te Titi Marae, Ōraka/Colac Bay.

•           Chairperson Report

•           Financial Report

•           Annual Report

•           Adoption of new Holding company constitution

Oraka Aparima Rūnaka Holdings Ltd

Annual General Meeting
(following on from the AGM of Oraka Aparima Rūnaka)

•           Chairperson report

•           Financial report

•           Annual Report

•           Reappointment of co-opted director/s

This will be followed by our general monthly hui.

 

Rarotoka working trips

How would you like to be part of the team going over to help carry on the great work that is being done there? These trips are scheduled for the following times:

Trip one:

  • Friday 2 September – Leaving Takutai o Te Tītī Marae at 10am.
  • Sunday 4 September – Leaving Rarotoka to return to Takutai o Te Tītī  by 3pm.

Trip two:

  • Friday 21 October – Leaving Takutai o Te Tītī Marae at 10am
  • Monday 24 October  – Leaving Rarotoka to return to Takutai o Te Tītī  by 3pm.

Please contact the office by Friday 26 August for more detail.

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 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 variety of projects and commitments that we have. There are many diverse roles that we need help with, from representation on boards or appointment panels to helping with bird transfers and assisting at the marae or working in the nursery or the wetlands. 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 mediums as to how 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 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.

On Thursday 28 April the rūnaka Iwi liaison representatives were invited to Invercargill Prison to meet with the chief executive and the leadership team.

There was an inspiring kōrero regarding statistics, along with commendations regarding the good work that is being done within all Prisons in New Zealand. [Read more…]