Tēnei te mihi ki te whānau whānui o Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki. Your feedback is needed on our draft language strategy which, when finalised and adopted, will become an important foundation for our rūnaka and hapū as we move into the next phase of our journey as Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki. Feedback is needed from everyone, but in particular we encourage younger members to think about the future they want and whether this draft language strategy will help to achieve that. Once we have collated feedback, we will consider what further input is needed. The key question: do you share the long-term vision of the draft strategy? If not, what is your long-term vision for te reo Māori for our rūnaka and on our marae? [Read more…]

Aoraki Bound is personal and cultural journey to discover who we are as people, iwi and whānau. Fourteen strangers came together as Kupe watch, we laughed, cried and shared an amazing journey from Anakiwa to Aoraki. Some highlights included meeting and building friendships with some pretty cool people, learning about Ngāi Tahu culture and what it means to be Ngāi Tahu, tramping up Mt Royal and performing ‘Maraka, Maraka! Tahu Pōtiki!’ to the sun rising, sailing through the Marlborough Sounds, staying at marae at Arahura and Arowhenua and hearing the stories of their rohe, tramping up the Arahura River to Waitaiki, Waka ama at Lake Pūkaki and finishing a half marathon. Aoraki Bound runs in February each year and if you are interested in learning more about the iwi this is an opportunity not to miss. We had an 18 year-old and a 67 year-old (Graeme Pepper) so anyone can do it. Aoraki Matatū! Nā Jeffrey Broughton. [Read more…]

The second Wānaka Tukutuku was held in our weaving room 3 – 5 March, with 14 wāhine and one tāne present. Most of the weavers had attended the November hui which made the time together more relaxed. Our three new members were very excited to meet up with us all – two were from Wānaka and one from Milton.

The plan now is to do a harvest on the West Coast to gather kiekie later in the year. I have also had an offer from a local weaver to teach piupiu to our rōpū, which covers a lot of skills to learn in the making of same. [Read more…]

The afternoon of Sunday 5 March saw rūnaka members from Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, Moeraki Rūnanga and Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki, along with whanauka from Arowhenua and Waihao, gather at Puketeraki Marae to express their appreciation to Tā Mark following his departure as kaiwhakahaere of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.

Tā Mark was accompanied by hākui Ranui Ngarimu as he has been on many occasions in the past. With them was also Ranui’s daughter Mere Karaka. [Read more…]

Nurse-led clinics

Nurse-led clinics can provide a range of services including tamariki ora checks, rangatahi checks, cervical smears, sexual health checks and contraception advice, pregnancy testing, weight monitoring, blood sugar and blood pressure checks, heart, diabetes and breathing checks to identify your risk of illness, access to a podiatrist or dietician – helping you know who and what is available to meet your health needs. [Read more…]

We will be carrying out extensive work to Hui te Rangiora church in order to preserve it for the long-term.

The work will include:

  • Roof bracing, straightening of exterior walls and tying together
  • Reinstating the bell tower to its original position on the roof (ensuring it is securely fixed on the roof bracing and structure to withstand heavy wind and weather)
  • Installation of a new roof and ceiling batts to that area
  • Borer treatment to inside including repairing the leak in the Vestry. (Pinex linings)
  • Install perspex over stained glass window
  • Create better solutions for water runoff
  • Repair/replace external cladding and window timbers where rotten and paint exterior
  • Install a 2nd entrance door (and widen existing internal door) to provide easy access for coffins
  • Upgrade the footpath to the original entrance and new entrance points.

The drawings are currently being worked on by the architect and we are looking at how we can detect unmarked graves close to the actual building. We are talking to potential funders, including the Otago Community Trust and Lotteries, and we hope to start the work in the New Year.

A new addition will be a wharepaku at the top of the carpark and we are currently looking at options for this. Any volunteers available to help with the renovations would be welcome. Please contact the rūnaka office on: (03) 465 7300 or [email protected]

Hui te Rangiora Church.

Hui te Rangiora Church.

Tukutuku wānaka

Whiria kā Aho ki Puketeraki, our weaving group is holding a tukutuku wānaka at the marae from 18-20 November, with another to follow in early February (date to be confirmed).

These wānaka have been funded by the Ngāi Tahu Fund. There will be no cost to the participants.
We have some whānau from Arowhenua and Central Otago coming who would like to learn this art form.

It would be beneficial for us to have an idea of how many are interested in being part of this wānaka, so please can you contact either Betty Apes at [email protected] or Phyllis Smith at [email protected] [Read more…]

Āraiteuru ki uta, Āraiteuru ki tai, Āraiteuru te waka e tau nei. Tīhei mauri ora!

From 4-7 October we held Manawa Hou ki Kāti Huirapa ki Puketeraki. Although Ranginui spent most of the time ensuring we knew how much he loved our beautiful hākui, Papatūānuku, our whānau made the most of it. On the first night we split into our groups and learned about the journeys of our tūpuna all the way from Hawaiki to Kaiapoi. Through sharing their stories: our two pōua (Graeme Pepper and Matapura Ellison) bought us back home and shared how our tūpuna settled around Te Tai o Āraiteuru. Each group did a wonderful job of retelling the stories and coming up with creative ways of recreating their kōrero through a visual timeline, waiata, whakaari (drama), stomping and games. [Read more…]

Manawa Hou ki Puketeraki

Over the weekend of 4-7 October, Kāti Huirapa ki Puketeraki will host 25 Ngāi Tahu rangatahi aged 15-18 to explore their Ngāi Tahu identity and Ngāi Tahu takiwā. The four-day wānanga is designed by the hapū and delivered by a group of local tuākana.

Hui Rakatahi

Hui Rakatahi will be held from 4-6 November in conjunction with the Tame Parata scholarships. Rakatahi will have the opportunity to connect with their Puketeraki whakapapa, marae and whanaunga and to celebrate all of the amazing things our Puketeraki rakatahi are doing. [Read more…]

Our congratulations to Alex Laurenson, who has been appointed as the new president of the Taranaki branch of the New Zealand Law Society. Alex’s connection to Puketeraki is through his grandmother, Taini Wright.

Congratulations also to Ash-Leigh Campbell, whose maternal great-grandmother comes from Puketeraki, she was recently named as a finalist in the prestigious 2016 Ahuwhenua Young Māori Dairy Farmer Award. Ash-Leigh is the first ever woman to make the finals of the dairy category. In early 2015, she discovered her Māori heritage when applying for a scholarship to do a Diploma in Agriculture at Lincoln University.

Over the weekend of 12-14 August, around 15 Puketeraki tuākana gathered to take part in the Manawa Hou tuākana wānanga. The purpose of this wānanga was to discuss and plan how to show manaaki and connect Ngāi Tahu rakatahi with the papa-kāinga, Puketeraki and was held in preparation for Manawa Hou ki Puketeraki which will be taking place from 4-7 October. It was a weekend of connecting to the past, the place and the people. Participants at this wānanga were very fortunate to have Donelle Manihera, Rangimarie Mules, Tihou Weepu and Irai Weepu in support of our whānau and the Manawa Hou kaupapa.

We look forward to hosting rakatahi at the upcoming Manawa Hou ki Puketeraki and building lasting connections with them through this kaupapa. [Read more…]

Ko Tongariro te Maunga
Ko Whanganui te Awa
Ko Te Atihaunui-ā-Pāpārangi te Iwi

Our whānau have been on a hīkoi, from the awa of Whanganui, to the shores of Te Waipounamu. There are up to five generations, numbering well over 700. Although it has taken more than a century to get here, our new found heritage will last long into the future.

We have discovered we are the descendants of Aperahama Pukukaiaotea, #372 on the 1848 Kaumātua Census. Pinana Te Atua (his daughter) had a daughter, Elizabeth King aka Betsy Emmanuel or Peti Imanuera. Peti and John McLeod had 12 children, all born in Otago/Southland. [Read more…]

Applications for the 2017 Tame Parata Scholarship are now open. The rūnaka has established the Hon.Tame Parata Scholarships for secondary and tertiary students who are members of our hapū. The scholarships recognise the ongoing active participation and contribution of our rangatahi to the future development of the hapū.

There are two categories – junior and senior. Each category is awarded a scholarship of $1,000 which can be used in further education such as school or university fees and/or resources, for example: a laptop or tablet. [Read more…]

One year ago the community, tangata tiaki, researchers and rūnaka members met at Puketeraki Marae to kōrero about aspirations for the Waikouaiti River after receiving Waimāori Trust funding to carry out surveys regarding the mauri of the river. One year on, the results of the research have been collated into a report that makes a number of recommendations regarding the restoration and connections to the river. While the river is in a moderately good state of health, there are clearly some opportunities for improvement. The full report is available online at www.puketeraki.nz. After feedback from the latest hui, stage two of the restoration project is about to begin.

To get involved, contact Justine at the runaka office: [email protected].

Data gathering on the Waikouaiti River.

Data gathering on the Waikouaiti River.

Another successful tamariki programme was held at Puketeraki Marae 20-22 July. A huge thank you to Aroha and her team of workers, who kept the momentum going and the stress levels low. Here’s a letter from one of the participants:

“This year’s Tamariki Programme was awesome because we had a lady from the Green Party who works in Parliament. All the kids had good questions and some about John Key. We also went to the Planetarium at the Otago Museum and saw all the constellations and Matariki. Then we caught a train from Dunedin to the Karitane church at the marae. We would like to thank Aroha and the rūnaka for making the Tamariki Programme happen. We had lots of lots of fun”. Nā Nikki Lees (9). [Read more…]

Paterson whānau visit

Te hokinga ki te kainga
We recently had the pleasure of welcoming home Rawi Paterson (son of Wiki Paterson née Ellison) and members of the Paterson whānau, including his late sister Sally Bannister’s daughters and whānau. Rawi and the whānau, many of whom are based in the Napier area, spent several days getting reacquainted with special people and places before gathering at Hui te Rangiora Church and urupā for an unveiling. It was a time filled with laughter and tears, reminiscing and plenty of singing — all the ingredients of a successful visit.

The Paterson whānau gathered at Puketeraki Marae.

The Paterson whānau gathered at Puketeraki Marae.

Kei aku rau rangatira, tēnā koutou katoa. On 3-6 June Puketeraki held its third annual taiaha wānanga. We had an awesome turnout with whānau from Milton, Wānaka, Ōāmaru, Ōtepoti and our local whānau. There are some photos and videos on the Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka Facebook page.

It was a blessing to have Tuari Dawson here to lead out on the wānanga. Tuari had us up every morning at 5.30am cleaning, exercising and training on the beach. Tuari is a great mentor and role model for these boys. We look forward to having him back next year. Ngā mihi nui ki ngā kaiāwhina, ki ngā ringawera, ki ngā whānau, tae noa atu rā ki a koe e te toa matarau Tuari. E kore e oti noa ngā mihi ki a koutou katoa. [Read more…]

Tamariki school holiday programme

Another fun-filled tamariki school holiday programme is taking place at Puketeraki marae 20-22 July.

To register the interest of your tamariki please email Aroha Ellison at: [email protected]

Roiti Whānau Trust

Annual general meeting
Venue: Karitāne Old School (Te Taumata o Puaka), Grimness St, Karitāne
Date: Saturday 6 August
Time: 2pm
Contact details: Jenny Smith 027 811 3291
[email protected]

Anzac Day

In line with the rūnaka commitment to attend local Anzac services, Bruce Ritchie and Matapura Ellison attended the Waikouaiti service on 25 April. Bruce Ritchie laid a wreath at the memorial plinth, beautifully created by Myra Tipa, Aroha Mules and Justine Marshall. For Bruce it was a time to remember his parents, aunts and uncles who have passed on.

Bruce with the wreath at the memorial plinth.

Bruce with the wreath at the memorial plinth.

Waikouaiti Block XII Section 58 has come up for sale. The area is 17.1991 hectares — big enough to build a house. The view looking out to sea is from Matanaka to Blueskin Bay and Taiaroa Head. This land is at Brinns Point between Puketeraki and Seacliff. It is in two parts divided by the Coast Road.

Also for sale is Block III Section 75 which is 9460 square metres. This land has a woolshed, sheep yards and cattle yards. It will only be sold with Section 58. Please contact Vicki Offen on 03 465 7124 or 021 212 7842 or at [email protected] for further information.

View from possible building site looking towards Blueskin Bay.

View from possible building site looking towards Blueskin Bay.

It has been recommended by the Operations Committee that the executive form a separate Risk Management Committee that will meet three times per year. The new legislation that has come into force in April has serious penalties for anyone who hasn’t complied and managed their risk appropriately. We are seeking an indication of interest from those rūnaka members with health and safety knowledge, and/or an insurance (risk assessment) or legal background. Contact the Office Manager, Justine Marshall if you are interested.