Ngā mate

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.

What’s happening at Arowhenua Marae?

  • Kaumātua meeting – kaumātua are having a break until October.
  • Puna Reo classes are heled every second and fourth Wednesday of the month.

Arowhenua whānau services
May was a busy month for the team at Arowhenua Whānau Services, with a number of hui and training opportunities.

Our regular diabetes hui was held at the marae. It was designed for people with diabetes and their whānau, who wish to increase their knowledge about the disease and other health conditions. We have also been fortunate enough to secure funding through the Z “Good in the Hood” campaign to continue supporting future diabetes hui.

We held an Alzheimer’s hui with our guest speaker a consultant psychiatrist and psycho-geriatrician from South Canterbury District Health Board; and at another hui, Daniel Naude, South Canterbury Road Safety Coordinator, brought a driving simulator out for staff to brush up on their winter driving skills.

We also facilitated QPR online training for organisations, community members and individuals in the use of suicide prevention strategies. QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer – the three simple steps that anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.

Kāika Reo ki Te Tihi o Maru

We’re already six months into the year and our rōpū, Kāika Reo ki Te Tihi o Maru have been busy with a number of activities, including a hāngī, rama tuna and just recently, our first noho for the year at Arowhenua Marae. We have been meeting regularly since January 2013 and our main kaupapa is to immerse our tamariki in Ngāi Tahutanga. At Arowhenua, our noho focus was learning about Matariki and Puanga and what they mean from a Māori perspective and other indigenous people’s perspective.

We had a guest speaker from Tekapō, Freidel Hale, and she kept us engaged with photos and demonstrations on how the earth moves around Tama-nui-te-rā and Te Marama and the best time to see Matariki and Puanga. We learnt a lot about Te Tahu-o-te Rangi and just how infinite it is. The tamariki made poi, korowai and porotiti and it gave them an opportunity to bond with each other and for many to visit the marae of their tīpuna. Ahakoa he mātaratara ki uta, he tino mahana mātou i raro i te maru o Te Hapa o Niu Tireni. Nō reira, kia ora mō te manaakitanga me te wheako tino rawe. Wananei. We are looking forward to other events coming up, including visiting Aoraki later in the year and another noho marae. Any queries, please contact Quentin Hix or Aaron Donaldson c/- Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua. Nā te whānau o Kāika Reo ki te Tihi o Maru.

Arowhenua Marae hosted an evening with the stars on 31 May – 1 June. Firstly the Kāika Reo ki te Tihi o Maru were introduced to those stars of a more celestial nature when Freidel Hale from Tekapō Starlight and a member of the South Canterbury Astronomical Society told us all about Matariki and Puanga. Freidel showed us where the stars would appear and what they’d look like and we also talked about the significance of Matariki and Puanga and how an understanding of astronomy is important in many cultures.

The other marae ‘stars’ were the tamariki who had a great time playing games and making porotiti and korowai. We discovered the poi making skills of some of the mothers and everyone was soon busy putting an impressive amount of work into their creations. It was great to catch up with old friends and to meet and welcome new people onto the marae. Thanks to Marie Donaldson for organising yet another fun and informative weekend and have a happy Matariki. Nā te whānau Hix – Quentin, Kathy, Abraham and Solomon.

Kai time at the marae.

Kai time at the marae.

Tamariki gathered outside the marae.

Tamariki gathered outside the marae.