< Previous 10 Ngāi Tūpoto Hikoi A good turn out of whānau members came to our hikoi which is an annual event where we travel to different parts of our rohe. This year we were guided by the Tapuwae Incorpora- tion Committee of Management and visited Pāponga, Rākautapu, and the Tapuwae lands. Committee member, Gerard Harris who owns Pure Logging, and Farm Manager, War- ren Gundry showed everyone around the block and the impressive network of roads that now make access to the forestry areas much more straight forward. Ngāi Tūpoto Marae Ko Rākautapu te maunga Ko Tapuwae te awa Ko Hokianga te moana Ko Ngāhuia te whare Ko Ngāi Tūpoto te hapū Graduation Congratulations to Hēmi Clendon who recently graduated with a Masters of Arts in Indigenous Studies from the Universi- ty of Auckland. He is pictured here with his mother Kathleen Samson. Kathleen is the daughter of Wiremutana and Te Reo Samson, and a descendant of Hēmi Hare and Meri Otene. Above: An up-close look at the forestry operations currently underway at Pukekohe on Tapuwae. Above: Whānau members travelled to Pāponga where they could get a great view of the rohe of Ngāi Tūpoto and out to Te Hokianga-nui-a-Kupe and Te Kauae-o-Ruru-Wahine. 11 Top Drainage Herekino Boar Hunt Whānau are encouraged to come along to this event in September and join the fun. There are some great prizes. In the kids category we are now focusing on getting rid of some of the nas- ties from the ngāhere with a possum and mus- telids category which includes ferrets, stoats, and weasels. Our main sponsor is Top Drainage 2015. We also wish to thank our other wonderful sponsors including North Drill, Tai Tokerau Honey, Veza Construction, Tui Inn Adventures and Accom- modation, Te Rarawa-Warawara Whakaora Ake Roopu Kaitiaki, Northland Auctions, Kaitaia Hunting and Fishing, Kaitaia Liquor King, Mark and Michelle Hammond, Steven Nathan, and the Tau Whānau. Three local community groups will benefit from the fundraising including Whāngāpe Kōhanga Reo, Herekino Primary School and Herekino Youth and Revival Centre. Manukau Marae is also doing a fundraiser for the kai on the Sun- day 15th. Tickets which are $15 for adults and $10 for children cover the kai, as well as prize and spot draws. Kōtahitanga Marae Ko Rangiputa te maunga tupuna Ko Whakakoro te maunga moana Ko Awaroa te awa Ko Whāngāpe te moana Ko Ngāti Haua te hapū Above: A recent aerial photo taken of Kotahitanga Marae . 12 Tā Hekenukumai Busby receives his Scenes from the investiture at Waitangi. 13 Knighthood at Waitangi in February. Hundreds of people turned out at Waitangi on the 4th February for the investiture of Sir Hekenukumai Busby. Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy who carried out the ceremony asked Sir Hek Busby, "Please wear your insignia with pride, knowing that your work is valued here in Aotearoa and beyond our shores, and has in- spired many others to follow in your example." Photos by Rongo Bentson and Hilda Halkyard-Harawira 14 Elections for Marae Delegates In April the Runanga elections for marae delegates were held and this brought with it the retirement of a number of representatives, several of them having served long terms on the Runanga. Retirements included John Walsh, Wendy Henwood, Bob Pirini, Hank Dunn, Mer- cia Smith, John Tahana, John Smart, Mereana Ngaropo and Billy-James Natanahira. In May the retiring delegates were farewelled at a special Runanga meeting and a total of ten new marae delegates were welcomed. New Marae Delegates Taiao Marae: Lee-Anne Spice Lee-Anne links to Pawarenga through her grandmother Katie Proctor. She is single, with a large extended whanau. She was born in Kaikohe but has spent most of her working life in Tamaki Makaurau where she worked for a number of large companies like Watties, Hewlett-Packard, Tegal and Air NZ in the finance and accounting side. In 2015 she decided to re- turn north and took up a job in Kaikohe working for Northland College. She then moved to Kaitaia where she works for Te Hiku Hauora in their administration. Lee-Anne is an account- ing technician with membership in CAANZ and NZICA. Her hopes as a Trustee for Te Rarawa are to work on developing and supporting economic solutions that will help to lift the Far North back to a thriving community. She believes there is so much opportunity here to develop solutions to address the social issues that people face. Korou Kore Marae; Putiputi McMahon Putiputi is the daughter of Samuel and Eliza Larkins nee Wal- ters and was born and raised in Oturu. Her Mum, known as Auntie Ngau to many, is Ngāti Moroki from Ahipara and Putiputi has returned to live on her whenua there. Her partner is Russell McMahon and they have two children Liam and Chelsea McMahon. Putiputi is a registered nurse and has spent her life working as a nurse both in hospital and commu- nity roles. As a new marae delegate, she would like to focus on helping Te Rarawa people access the basic resources they need to live a good life. 15 Ngāi Tūpoto Marae: Hoana Smith Hoana is the daughter of Phil and Letty Chapman (nee Har- ris). She was mainly brought up in Auckland but spent a lot of her time at Motukaraka during her youth, staying with her grandparents. She attended Kelston Girls High School and Broadwood Area School. Hoana is married to Conrad Smith from Te Uri o Tai and they have four children, Dylan, Sonia, Ruana Te Whenua and Daniel. Hoana and Conrad are based in Kaitaia where they run their own building business. Hoana has a diploma in business and has mainly worked in finance and accounts administration. She has been a budget advisor and has worked with children and youth as a volunteer for a local community group for many years. She has also been in- volved with the Kōhanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa that her tamariki attended. She hopes that as hapū of Te Rarawa we can keep our connections with one another alive and strong, and leave a legacy of well-being and prosperity for our mo- kopuna. Motuti Marae: Desire’e Andrews Ko Joseph Andrews raua ko Awhina Allen ōna mātua. Ko Reyne, ko Illyana, ko Maioha, ko Joseph rātou ko Grace-Mari āna tamariki. Ko Kora-Moana Hepi rāua ko Rangimarie Sarich āna mokopuna. Desire’e has had over 30 years of experience working within the Māori education sector. Her responsibilities have included project management, facilitation and leadership at both governance and implementation levels. She works full- time in Auckland as a Resource Teacher Advisory Māori, where involvement in te reo Māori revitalisation has been at the forefront of her work. Desire’e’s desire to contribute back to her hapū and iwi has drawn her to undertake a Masters of Indigenous Studies degree with a focus on marae driven transformative change aligned to iwi strategy and aspirations. Her five tamariki and two mokopuna ground her and remind her of her responsibility to them and to their tūpuna. Desire’e returns home to Motuti and Panguru as much as she is able, actively participating in whānau, hapū and iwi activities. Mātihetihe Marae: Debbie Martin Debbie is the daughter of Robin Tamaho and Joyce Martin nee Evans from Southland. Her grandparents from Mitimiti were Kamira and Harata Martin (nee Hotere). She was born in Southland and attended school in Invercargill. She has on daughter Tallulah, who is currently studying at Victoria Univer- sity of Wellington. Debbie currently works as a Principal Advi- sor in treaty settlements. She has managed to relocate herself back to the north living in Hokianga, however she often finds herself working in Auckland and Wellington at times. Debbie has a BA in Māori and History. Her hope for the Iwi is to see our Te Rarawa marae and hapū flourishing in all aspects of life. New Marae delegates 16 Waiparera Marae: Matilda Bercic Ko Stephen Robert Bercic Te Toko rāua ko Terehia Atiria Bercic nee Pakinga ana mātua. Ko Selena tana kōtiro. Ko Matira rāua ko Tuamelie Kata ana mokopuna. Matilda was brought up in Whāngārei but often returned home to Rangi Point and Hokianga with her whānau for holidays and to attend hui and tangihanga. She went to school in Kamo, then to Marist College in Auckland. She has studied part time for a teacher-aide qualification at Massey University, a certificate in Community and Social Work at Waiariki Polytechnic in Tokoroa, and a diploma in Māori and Man- agement at Raukawa. Matilda has been on the marae committee for Waiparera and Mātihetihe Marae as well as a cook, cleaner and kaikaranga. She has been a Board of Trustees member and is presently the secretary for Te Pu- na Tōpu o Hokianga Trust. She has worked as a teacher relief, cleaner, shop assistant, and whānau carer. She lives in Mitimiti and her passion is traditional Māori prac- tice. Matilda hopes that our mokopuna will continue to grow and prosper from the legacy that is left for them. Te Uri o Hina Marae: Tui Beddgood Ko Matekino Raharuhi tōna whaea, Ko Hone Reweti Walsh tōna matua. Ko Kirk Bedggood tōna hoa rangatira, tokotoru a rāua tamariki. Tokowhā ana mokopuna. I tupu ake ia i Pukepoto, i ngā hararei kura i noho ki ngā re- kereke o ana Karani ki Te Hāpua, ki Kapowairua. I kuraina tuatahi ki Pukepoto, peka atu ki te kura takawaenga o Kaitāia, whiti atu ki te Kāreti o Kaitāia. He kaihokohoko whare te mahi ngākaunui ana ki a ia, he kaitunu hoki tētahi o ana mahi. Kua hoki mai rāua ko tōna hoa ki te hau kainga noho ai. Kei Tangonge rāua e noho ana i tēnei wā. Ko tōna wawata nui, kia tū rangatira, kia tū māia, kia puāwai ngā uri o Te Rarawa Kaiwhare. Morehu Marae: Jean Beazley Jean is the daughter of Te Re (Ray) and Alma Herbert, and grew up in Pawarenga along with her seven sisters and seven brothers. She went to Rotokākahi Native School and Hātā Maria Convent before attending St Jo- seph’s Māori Girls College in Napier. Jean worked in Auckland before marrying Warren Beazley and returning to Pawarenga in 1985 to look after her parents. She lived in Pawarenga for 10 years before moving to Lake Ngātu where she now lives. Jean has worked in a number of key roles both in community organisations and central govern- ment including the Pawarenga Community Trust, Relation- ship Services, Te Puni Kokiri, Te Rūnanga o Te Rarawa, and Internal Affairs where she was Manager of National Services, in Wellington. Jean has three children Adrian, Sylvia and John, and six mokopuna. Her hope for Te Ra- rawa is that everyone is able to achieve oranga tinana, oranga hinengaro, and oranga wairua. As a Rūnanga del- egate she wants to be fair, caring, accountable and pre- sent in all matters she commits to. New Marae Delegates 17 New Marae Delegates Waihou Marae: Makere Ngaropo-Hati Ko Rawi rāua ko Mereana Ngaropo ōna matua. Ko James Hati tona hoa rangatira, ko Aroha-Nui ta rāua kōtiro atawhai. He puāwai ia o ngā whiira parakipere, otira o te kainga me te marae o Waihou. Makere was brought up in Waihou and returned home in 2016, to help with the marae, and to support te reo me ngā tikanga o te kainga. She is currently a kaimahi at Pa Arapeta Te Ohanga Reo ki Panguru and says that "there is nothing more satisfying then listening to future generations of mokopuna, convers- ing in te reo o te kainga". She is currently the treasurer of the Waihou Komiti Wahine, which means spending a lot of time at the Marae. She was a graduate of all the Pouhono Wānanga held at the marae and the Whare Wananga o Awanuiārangi Bachelor of Mātauranga Māori that was deliv- ered through Waihou Marae. Having retuned home recent- ly she is aware of how many of the people have passed on leaving very important roles on the marae, and in the com- munity. She is forever thankful for their teachings. She has a passion for people and te reo me ona tikanga, and she believes that her new role as marae delegate will allow her to apply these along with her skills in the education, re- search and heritage sectors. Manukau Marae: Roberta McLean Roberta’s parents are Robert McLean from Motuti and Huia McLean (nee) Clark from Manukau. She is one of the youngest of a large family. She attended Marcellin College in Auckland but spent her last year of school at Kaitaia Col- lege after her parents moved home to Manukau to retire. She returned to Auckland for work and studies before she moved back to Manukau to care for her parents 17 years ago. During this time she met her partner Shane Grbich (Ngāi Tūpoto) and they have five children. Her parents have both passed on now but she is thankful to have made Herekino her home where she can give her children an up- bringing that connects them to their whānau, hapū, marae and Iwi. As the Manukau Marae delegate Roberts brings knowledge and skills from past school board of trustee roles and a passion for her community. She has worked at Te Hiku Hauora for over seven years and is currently complet- ing a Bachelor of Humanities degree majoring in Indigenous Studies with Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiārangi. Roberta hopes to see Te Rarawa people leading healthy, happy and fulfilled lives, unified, connected and strong in our identity. 18 Te Rarawa Noho Taiao features in awards Te Rarawa Noho Taiao won the kaitiaki- tanga award at the recent North Regional Council inaugural environmental awards. Noho Taiao has been running for ten years and has brought hundreds of our taitamariki together to expand their horizons, focus on the pressing environmental issues facing hapū and iwi, and to build their cultural es- teem. The Te Rarawa leadership group that runs Noho Taiao each year includes iwi members Mina Pomare-Peita, Paul White, Selena Bercic, Joanne Murray, Wendy Hen- wood and Wiremu Sarich. Group members put the success down to a shared vision and commitment to the kaupapa, and the tenacity to keep going. "This win belongs to the young people and all the marae who have supported Noho Taiao over the past 10 years." This year’s Noho was held in Motuti with kayak trips to Motukauri, and a day trip to Pawarenga and the Runaruna mud volca- no. The next noho will be hosted by Manukau Marae from 7-10 Jan and is open to taitama- riki between 13-17 who whakapapa to a Te Rarawa marae. Dune Lakes Project also nominated Members of Te Rarawa’s Noho Taiao team are also involved with the Te Hiku Dune Lakes Project. The Dune Lakes Project was also nominated for an NRC award. Clockwise from top left: Ohāki Marae, Pawarenga; Fond farewells, Motuti; Mud Volcano, Runaruna; Tribute to Jim and Robyn Peters; Visit to Motukauri; Tuakana taking a break. 19 Te Rarawa Noho Taiao #Ngahuru Above: Whaea Mina in session in Tamatea whare. Below: Haka moment; Bottom: Kayaking on the Motuti creek. Above: Ringawera Pirima Thomas, Wendy Hen- wood, Aimee Matiu, Paul White, Jovan Mokaraka- Harris and Joan Daniels taking a mahi break. Next >