Kia ora whānau, I trust everyone is in good health and spirits and that you’re keeping yourselves warm. As I sit here pondering on what to write, I’m listening to the rain pelting down and thinking how very grateful I am for the heat pump and the office refurbishment we have going on. We now have double glazed windows and doors and what a difference that makes to the warmth of the office.

Our new ‘conference’ room is an asset and is available for use if you need this facility. The Inland Revenue Department makes use of this on a monthly basis. We still have a little way to go with the renovations, but if you are about then feel free to pop in, have a look at the changes, and enjoy a warm cuppa and a bikkie.

It’s now also the time of year for lambs, calves, whitebait and time to be thinking of Christmas. I know, sounds bad doesn’t it, but it is just around the corner. Be prepared, it will be here very soon.

Life within the rūnaka doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Our seven executive members and two kaumātua are flat out as always, attending hui and rūnaka business on your behalf. We take these executive members for granted, thinking they will just be here and take care of everything, so now is a good time to acknowledge all the hard work and dedication they give to the rūnaka on our behalf. Most of their work is voluntary and takes up a good deal of their time. They are doing this for us whānau. Much respect. If you think you have something to offer the rūnaka, then come along to our monthly hui. We meet every second Sunday of the month at 10.30 am and we have a shared lunch. We’d love to see you and hear what you have to say.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Ranui Bull, Chief Fire Officer for the Riverton Volunteer Fire Service, who has recently been recognised by the Riverton Coast Guard and the Riverton Volunteer Fire Service for all the work he does for the community.

Ranui, the son of Ron Bull, Colac Bay, recently received recognition for 15 years of service to the Riverton Coastguard, as well as receiving his Senior Masters Certificate. Ranui is the unit’s training officer and a regional coastguard instructor. He can sign off modules and assess crew who wish to move up through the ranks.

He is also a senior station officer and training officer for both the Riverton and Colac Bay Fire Service Brigades. Both Ranui and his wife Helen have given over 22 years of dedicated service to the fire brigade.

They comment that trying to attract new members is the number one goal and struggle. During the day when most members work out of town, they struggle to get a crew to man the truck. Numbers have been falling for a few years now, so if you or anyone you know wishes to join the fire service, please contact us and we can help you with that.

In his limited spare time Ranui enjoys fishing for blue cod or going flying. He has a private pilot’s license and is a committee member of the Southland Aero Club.

The one thing he looks forward to each year, is spending time with whānau on the Tītī Islands. Whānau is an important aspect of Ranui and Helen’s life and they have two daughters, Amanda 13 and Tania 11. Although work on the island is hard, Ranui considers it a holiday – and a very special place.

Nic Hockley presenting Rā with his certificate.

Nic Hockley presenting Rā with his certificate.

Cheryl Moffat, Coastguard Southern Region Manager with Ranui and both well-deserved certificates.

Cheryl Moffat, Coastguard Southern Region Manager with Ranui and both well-deserved certificates.

Hui report

The Building on Success and Strengthen Early Learning Opportunities hui was held at Rāpaki on Saturday 21June.

Present were Kathryn Palmer, Ministry of Education (MOE) manager Murihiku/Ōtepoti, policy writers, managers, budget overseers and other Ministry personal, Māori and English, including George Konia and Victor Manawatu (MOE Iwi Kaiārahi). We had 7 per cent of our Papatipu Rūnanga Education Reps there. I learned rather a lot – the main point being that the Ministry are coming up with what will be good for Māori (tonu) and bringing us in along the way. So they got the message – we Ngāi Tahu want to be right in there at the conceptual stage.

There are two contracts – one is the Building on Success, School Leadership and Professional Development, which a consortium of universities won (Auckland, Te Awanui a Rangi and Waikato). BOS is a follow-on from He Kākano, Kotahitanga and all those great programmes that have been in our secondary schools to date. Also paying cognisance to the MOE Education Strategy Ka Hikitia.

We (in Te Waipounamu) have been ‘given’ Waikato. So there will be personnel from Waikato coming to Te Waipounamu secondary kura to work with culture and identity alongside the teachers and management. (This is our main objection) The pātai was still not answered – what is it they are going to teach the managers, teachers and tauira? What is the content?

John Tait (English, but well known in Te Waipounamu circles) is, the only Te Waipounamu facilitator in the team. He and Raewyn Tipene-Clarke facilitated the He Kākano Programme.

Our education reps asked why we couldn’t attend the Professional Development Leadership sessions (PDL) that the contract facilitators are getting from each of the universities – what about ‘our’ mātauraka?

Each university will be giving the facilitators professional development on the programme – they will then be armed with the tools and knowledge to go out and facilitate in their designated kura tuarua. In Murihiku the kura are:

Aurora, Southland Boys and in the second ‘wave’James Hargest. Because these kura responded to the ministry tono for this professional development, they are the participants. And because they are all in Waihopai, Waihopai Rūnaka has the overall ‘interest’ in this project.

The other Contract is Strengthen Early Learning Opportunities (SELO). This involves early childhood education (ECE) and has been devised by the MOE, who have put it up for tender /contract. Nola Tipa won the contract for Te Waipounamu. Nola then sent out emails to see who or which rūnaka were interested in participating. This is a ‘small’ contract, which some of our reps are just going to ‘do.’ Then they will start working on what they want for their rōhe. It is a drop in the bucket in terms of getting depth about Te Ao Māori into these establishments.

As a resource teacher of Māori and because some of these ECE Centres are in our Ōraka Aparima takiwā (my daughter works at one of them), and because we Māori resource teachers are seen as already fully working in Level One, the task of facilitating has gone to a teacher who has been elected to do the mahi through Waihōpai Rūnaka.

There are 35 ECE centres on the list throughout Murihiku. I would hope the ‘content’ of the professional development that the centres are given, reflects the educational outcomes we at Ōraka-Aparima Rūnaka would want for our tamariki and mokopuna. (More reason to develop our education strategy). I have further information and the handouts, the lists of schools, ECE etc if you want more information. Nā Rangimaria Suddaby Kaitiaki Mātauraka for Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka.

Tax advice

Members of the Inland Revenue Department will be at Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka, 175 Palmerston Street, Riverston on Thursday 18 September from 11am to 1pm, to offer help with income tax, Working for Families, child support, IRD numbers, business taxes, student loans and Kiwisaver. To make an appointment, please contact Kelly on 03 948 4093.