Kia ora koutou e te whānau, kā mihi aroha ki a koutou katoa.

Ngā mate

We would like to send aroha and sympathies to all our whānau near and far who have suffered the loss of a loved one recently. Kia kaha, kia toa kia manawanui.

He pēpi

Nau mai haere mai, Tamati York Pearson, who was born on 24 December 2014.
Congratulations to Robyn Meehan and Mat Pearson on their new arrival.

Baby Tamati.

Baby Tamati.

Te Matatini 2015

By all accounts Te Matatini looked amazing and Facebook was clogged up with photos from the event. Thank goodness there was a live stream broadcast for those of us who couldn’t attend. Whānau are slowly dribbling back down, each with stories and photos. There will be a full update in next month’s pānui.

Ōtākou history

Here is a photo of the centennial gate, church and Tamatea on a misty day. This picture was taken in the early 1950s. In comparison there is also a picture of how Tamatea and Hākuiao look today.

An old picture from the 1950s.

An old picture from the 1950s.

Tamatea and Hakuiao today.

Tamatea and Hākuiao today.

Hīkoi ki Te Waipounamu

This month whānau from Ngā Ruahine iwi will be journeying from Taranaki in remembrance of the journey their tūpuna faced. This will be the fourth time they have travelled to Te Waipounamu on a spiritual journey, visiting the sites where their tūpuna were imprisoned and buried by the colonial government of the late 1800s. The last time Ngā Ruahine whānau were here was 15-years-ago, so we are looking forward to re-connecting.