Ngā mihi aroha

Whānau of Hineari Lamberg.

He pēpi

Many congratulations and aroha to proud parents Mathew Tikao and Elizabeth McKnight in Perth, who welcomed the arrival of Riria, a beautiful daughter.

Rā whānau

Hari huritau to Tarewa Pakau-McGregor, Reihana Paraone, Huia Guthrie, Charmaine Lee, Rachael Rakena, Hori Briggs, Kena Rakena, Rangimaria Suddaby, Rangitane Thompson, Honey Barlow, Murray Briggs, Brandon Briggs, Brenda Luki.

Whānau news

Welcome home to the Dwyer whānau and to Aunty Tui Timihou who just returned from an extended stay in Perth. Good to have you all back in Rāpaki.

Jade, Sean, Cameron, Jeremy (SBHS Old Boy), Matt and Phillip.

Success for swimmers

A team of five swimmers represented Shirley Boys High School at the South Island Inter-Secondary School Swimming Championships. These were held in Invercargill from 29-30 June. More than 100 swimmers from 37 schools took part. Among them was one of our own, Sean Hartgers, who placed second overall in his age group. Three of his team mates placed second, third and fourth in the 15 and over age group. Shirley Boys won both the 200m medley and 200m freestyle relays, to take first place overall.

Cultural exchange – language revitalisation

The weather wasn’t the greatest, but hosting Rewi’s Canadian whānau from Blue Quills First Nations College, Alberta, Canada, was a warm occasion. There was a bountiful hākari of traditional kai, which took all afternoon to prepare. This was followed by traditional waiata and dance with the giving and receiving of gifts much to the delight of our tamariki. Although their time in Rāpaki was too short, it was awesome to have them here.

Kapa haka.

Preparing the hākari.

Donald Couch.

Rāpaki recovery

The two hui held on the marae in May and July with CERA, Christchurch City Council and EQC representatives were great morale boosters. Whānau who came took advantage of the opportunity to ask questions. The kōrero was interesting and very beneficial. A smaller group hui held in the city was also appreciated, so thanks again to all who made this happen.

Some good news, repairs to the kaumātua flats have started. It won’t be long before Uncle Dudley and Aunty Melica are able to move back in to a repaired and refurbished home. With a bit of luck, Uncle Kena and Aunty Sal may see their new home going up on their section soon.

The three families with property in Ōmaru Road expect to hear about their re-zoning decision by the end of August. It’s heartening to hear stories from those of our Ōtautahi whānau who have been successfully re-housed. If you have a good news story please let us know.

Contemporary visual arts

Our marae, Wheke, was the venue for the Ngāi Tahu Contemporary Visual Arts Steering Group’s inaugural wānanga.

The cornerstone presentation by poumanawa Ross Hemera enlightened participants on the fundamentals of Ngāi Tahutanga.

Ross spoke about the dynamic nature of our rock drawings and their relevance to us as Ngāi Tahu contemporary visual artists today. An idea that Ross talked about was Paemanu, which can be interpreted in many ways; it emphasises the importance of the perch that the manu rests upon and the communication and contemplation that is specific to that space. It also suggests the communication of the manu that is far reaching, from the moana though to our mauka and that network that is so important to us as an iwi. Once Ross described this to us, it was clear that this was the appropriate name for our rōpū – Paemanu; Toi Rerekē o Kāi Tahu’.

Participant Simon Kaan wrote, ‘the group worked hard over the three days having to prioritise in order to achieve the kaupapa. Some of our key outcomes were; establish a steering group to assist in driving our kaupapa, voice our dreams and aspirations for the wellbeing of contemporary Ngāi Tahu visual arts and start to develop a medium to long term plan for its future’.

Ross Hemera wrote, ‘the new whare is stunning – a major accomplishment in two ways. As a project it brought the whole community together as a collective. It seemed to me, that such things arise out of a oneness of purpose with minds on the future. It is a real benchmark for Rāpaki going forward. As an expression of visual and material culture it is also a benchmark – of note are the contributions made in all its different facets, from the whakairo led by Riki to the tukutuku led by Aunty Doe and the painting by Rachael. For a group of contemporary Ngāi Tahu artists it was an inspirational whare to hold our hui. The kaupapa for our hui echoing both the groundness, and risks taken at Rāpaki in laying a path to the future. Our hui similarly based in Ngāi Tahu tradition, but at the same time looking outward to a vibrant and exciting Ngāi Tahutanga.’
Regards

Ross Hemera.