A Monthly Newsletter of Kāi Tahu news, views and events.
Here are some photos showing what some of our whānau have been up to lately.
Aunty Georgiana preparing harakeke for Arowhenua Kura piupiu.
From left, Libya Foote, Drew Trainer and Rosina Hix having a catch up.
Karyn Thin from Literacy South Canterbury.
Lindsay and Mario from Moffats Kitchen Equipment.
Tewera King receiving flowers for his 50th birthday.
John Henry and the kaumātua net group that meet every Thursday.
On 4 July , the trip to the Puketeraki wearable arts was a fabulous trip for Maru our driver Georgiana and myself. Regrettably, Joan had to cancel at the last minute.
We arrived at Golden Fleece Hotel in time for a hot dinner. We went to the wharenui packed to the rafters and a runway the length of the hall decorated with cut flax flowers woven to hide the steps and give an atmosphere with a video in colour projected above of rain wind and fire. [Read more…]
On Sunday 13 September, we will be hosting our next rūnanga wānanga at 11am.
On Sunday 11 October, we will be hosting our annual general meeting starting at 10am followed by the rūnanga meeting.
The appointments committee is due for elections and the process is being reviewed by the executive. Once the process of postal voting has been approved nominations for the appointments committee will be called for. Updated information on the process of postal balloting and nominations for the appointments committee will be distributed through our newsletter, the KVine and Te Pānui Rūnaka in September, October and November. [Read more…]
On 24 January, Portia King (daughter of Fiona Pimm) headed off to Poland for a year long adventure before she goes on to University in 2016.
Portia has been accepted into the Lattitude Global Volunteering Programme and will be living in Warsaw, Poland. Portia is excited about the opportunity but also knows it will be a challenging year.
She will be working in a Polish school as the English teacher’s assistant helping to teach the children English. The school where she is working is a small private school in the Biatoteka District. There are 200 students ranging from seven to 15-years-old. [Read more…]
From 25-28 February, Arowhenua Marae hosted the Environment Canterbury (Ecan) Ōrari, Ōpihi, Pareora zone youth hui.
South Canterbury youth aged between 15 and 25 with an interest in water issues, environmental management and what’s happening in South Canterbury were invited to attend the free four-day hui with a focus on water, its issues and management in the Ōrari, Ōpihi, Pareora Zone.
The purpose of the hui/noho marae was to encourage young people to become more involved in the water management/issues, with a specific focus on the Ōrari/Ōpihi/Pareora Zone. As the future generation of water users in our region they are the ones who will gain or lose the most from decisions currently being made. This is why it is important to engage young people, providing them with opportunities to learn and to become actively involved. [Read more…]
Vania Pirini-Hurunui, a descendant of Te Anau and granddaughter of the late Mohi Fowler, received her Bachelor’s degree in Management at Otago Polytechnic majoring in Project Management.
Vania with her proud mother on graduation day.
Her proud mother, Mateka Pirini (née Anglem) was there to tautoko her at the graduation ceremony in Ōtākou. [Read more…]
On Sunday, 1 March, our Tāua Hiria Moffatt opened her arts exhibition, Ka heke kā roimata at the Arts Central, Peterborough Street, Christchurch.
Several of her whanauka from Ngāti Huirapa, Arowhenua, travelled north to support her, including her son, Anthony who had travelled from California to tautoko his mum, along with many others from within our community of Ōtautahi. [Read more…]
Allan Painter came to Arowhenua Marae recently, to return a taonga whānau. The taonga, a mat was made by Sarah Maude Painter at the behest of Tāua Paki Manning, for the inaugural meeting of the Arowhenua Māori Women’s Institute on, or about, 20 July 1937.
It was featured in a photo taken at that time, in front of Mrs Riku and Tokeke Rehu. Sarah Maude lived on what is now known as Station Road and had a good relationship with the people of the pā. Allan was baptised in the church and Tāua Paki was his godmother. [Read more…]
Over Queen’s Birthday weekend the Ngāi Tahu Māori Rock Art Trust, with rūnanga support, ran an archaeological excavation at one of the public rock art sites on Three Mile Bush Rd in Hazelburn.
The site is prone to flooding in heavy rain, causing damage to the rock art. The objective of the excavation was to carefully remove cultural material in the floor of the rock shelter so a drain could be installed to stop any further damage to the rock drawings. Trust Fieldworker Brian Allingham directed the work with help from Rock Art Trust staff, Department of Conservation archaeologist Shar Briden, and several volunteers. [Read more…]
Four guest speakers, including two local doctors, were a highlight at a recent men’s health wānanga. Men often delay in seeking medical attention for their ailments, adopting a “she’ll be right” attitude, until their symptoms become too severe to ignore. In recognition of this Arowhenua Whānau Services scheduled a men’s health wānanga aimed at males aged between 45 and 70 to raise men’s health awareness. The timing of the night was scheduled to coincide with international men’s health week. [Read more…]
We’ve celebrated a number of birthdays recently.
Aunty Diana (née Spencer) celebrating her 80th Birthday with whānau and friends at Arowhenua Marae.
Te pou i te ara tika i ngaro
The kaikaraka called to her, from Pareora Beach.
The whānau gathered.
Knives glinted in the sun.
She knew, her koha would be honoured.
Teoti Jardine 29 May, 2014.
A dead 11.3metre sub-adult humpback whale washed ashore last month at Pareora and the Department of Conservation granted a permit for Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua to carry out a customary recovery of whale taonga. This was the second humpback stranding incident after the Wainono ‘Te Haumi’ whale event in late August 2013. The rūnanga contacted Māori whale consultant, Ramari Stewart and she arrived from the West Coast with a supply of specialist equipment. [Read more…]
It is with sadness Michel Selene Ngatai and Pierre James Manning wish to publicly acknowledge the passing on of their father, Huirapa (Pablo) Timaru Manning who passed away peacefully on 5 May at Christchurch Public Hospital. No service was undertaken as Dad wanted no fuss around him after his death, which his children agreed to. Dad is survived by his sisters, Doris Pitman née Manning and Dorothy Cuthers née Manning and his second wife Lyn. Nā Pierre James Manning. [Read more…]
Who can tell why our whānau have heard the ancestors’ call so strongly? Some say the deeper the wound the stronger the call, and the yearning will not rest until it is satisfied.
And here we sit, in the wharenui at the marae we are told we affiliate to – Arowhenua – our ancestral grandmothers Potete Ashwell and her daughter Rebecca Lewis and all our kaumātua now passed on, being represented by we 13 “very blond” Ngāi Tahu Ozzies. [Read more…]
The memories, friendships and overall experience that I have gained from Aoraki Bound have been truly life-changing. For me, it’s been like a doorway or safe passage into my tribes and my culture. From the origins of this journey at Anakiwa in the rohe of Te Atiawa ki te Tau Ihu, through to Arowhenua, Pūkaki and Aoraki, Aoraki Bound has shown me what it was for my ancestors to find their place within the whenua. This has brought a hell of a lot more meaning to my own existence. [Read more…]
Last year Sheila Jardine, (nee Wilkinson) celebrated her 100th birthday with her Christchurch whānau. She was delighted to receive a message from the Queen. This year, she turned 101 and enjoyed celebrations with her whānau.
Sheila has 15 great-grandchildren. Sheila’s parents were George Wilkinson from Donegal, Ireland, and Maria Bates, the daughter of Kuihi and Nathaniel Bates. She grew up on Rakiura. [Read more…]
Mariki ana kā roimata o Aoraki
Rere atu ki te tai o Mahaanui
tērā kā pakihi hāroa e te Kāhu
Nei rā te mihi ki a koutou ngā ahi kā o te haukāinga, kei whea mai ō koutou kaha ki te tiaki i te marae, i te hapū, i te whenua e hāroa e te Kāhu. Mei kore ko koutou ka aha mātou e noho ana ki ngā hau e whā o te motu nei. Kāore e mutu ngā mihi ki a koutou katoa, tēnā koutou.
Last year in July my son, Rehu Richardson (mokopuna of Maru and Shirley Reihana), attended a literacy conference in Brisbane Australia with a group from his kura, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Whānau Tahi (Christchurch). Being a Kura Kaupapa Māori, the instructional language is te reo Māori for all the curriculum areas. In year 5 the tamariki start learning English and have 90 minutes of learning each week. As a part of the 2012 programme, an extra class was added with the aim of accelerating the learning for the kids. It is called the “Wai study help” programme and it worked. [Read more…]
Felicity McMillan.
The team at Arowhenua Whānau Services are pleased to welcome Felicity McMillan.
Ko Aoraki te maunga, ko Waitaki te awa, ko Kāi Tahu te iwi. Ko Lloyd tōku Pāpā, ko Liz tōku Māmā, ko Neihana rāua ko Irihapati aku tamariki. Tēnā koutou katoa. [Read more…]
Kura Reo Kāi Tahu 2014 concludes, again with great success. This language wānanga first started in 2009 with the idea of having a similar week- long total immersion course much like Kura Reo-ā-Motu, but with a Ngāi Tahu focus on local knowledge, our dialect and whakapapa. Whānau and tamariki share the experience, with the students’ day split into two learning sessions, with tamariki playing games and working on activities. All take part in the morning and night karakia and the evening kapa haka sessions. Its success continues to grow every year and the fruits of efforts throughout the years can be heard in Kāi Tahu waiata which are now iwi anthems. [Read more…]