Kāi Tahu whānui, tēnā koutou katoa. Nei rā te mihi o Kāti Māhaki ki Makaawhio ki a koutou katoa.

Nei rā hoki te mihi poroporoaki ki kā tini mate kua hika mai, kua hika atu. Ki a koutou, kua roko i te karaka a Hine nui te pō, koutou kua hīkoi atu ki tua o te ārai, haere, haere, haere atu rā. Moe mai koutou i te rakimārie. Rātou ki ā rātou, tātou anō ki a tātou.

Tēnā anō tātou katoa, the spring weather continues to bring rain and warm balmy weather in equal measures, with the odd wintery blast as well. Naturally, none of this has deterred the whitebaiters and most whānau have had at least one feed of fresh bait.On the plus side, of course, Te Tai o Poutini is looking lush and green, and everything is thriving.

We have had a busy month here on Te Tai o Poutini, hosting and attending numerous hui. Labour Weekend saw a number of our members head home to Mahitahi for our Hui-ā-Tau (AGM) held on the Saturday. It’s always great when whānau return home to our marae and even better when the weather is spectacular – even if you end up spending much of it in a hui.

Recent farewell

This month, we farewelled West Coast Department of Conservation (DoC) conservator Mike Slater, who we have worked with for many years.

Mike has been appointed as the Deputy Director General. He will take a piece of poutini with him, not just in his heart, but also for his desk – in the form of a taoka pounamu.

His replacement, Mark Davies, has been welcomed by ourselves and Ngāti Waewae and we look forward to building a strong relationship with him as we all get to know each other.

From left, Paul Madgwick with moko Charlotte Russell, Susan Wallace with daughter Karera Wallace-Jones, Mike Slater, Richard Wallace, Rachael Forsyth and Viv Slater.

From left, Paul Madgwick with moko Charlotte Russell, Susan Wallace with daughter Karera Wallace-Jones, Mike Slater, Richard Wallace, Rachael Forsyth and Viv Slater.

Keeping in contact

Our recent mail-outs have resulted in a lot of returned mail, which means our efforts to ensure that our membership data base is up-to-date still needs plenty of work. Members can help by contacting the office and checking we have your correct address and email contact details for you, your tamariki and/or your mokopuna.

Follow us on Facebook; makaawhio.blogspot.co.nz; Twitter: @makaawhio; phone 03 755 7885 or
email: [email protected] or
[email protected]. Mā te Atua koutou e manaaki, e tiaki hoki. Mauri ora.

Rakatahi in front of the Hollyford Track sign.

Rakatahi in front of the Hollyford Track sign.