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Our Stories

Te Ao o te Māori

David Brennan has made a life and a living from cultural tourism. Through global financial crises, earthquakes, and now a global pandemic, he has faced them all with tenacity and enthusiasm.

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Aukaha

He Reka te Kūmara is an exhibition based on the foundation of mātauraka Māori, co-curated by four wāhine toa; Piupiu Maya Turei (Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi), Madison Kelly (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Māmoe), Mya Morrison Middleton (Ngāi Tūāhuriri, Ngāi Tahu) and Aroha Novak (Ngāi te Rangi, Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungunu).

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Review

There is something undeniably special about Kia Kaha: A storybook of Māori who changed the world. The kaupapa of having Māori writers and Māori illustrators come together to tell Māori stories is easy to get behind and when I picture rangatahi sitting down with this pukapuka or parents picking a chapter to read aloud at bedtime, I also imagine the collective mauri of everyone involved in the living and telling of these stories.

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He Tangata
Liz Kereru

A blessing to be the youngest of five and raised by our parents, Te Ruahine and Johno Crofts, to be the person I am today. A wife and mother of three with 10 very spoilt mokopuna who are the delight of our lives. An educator of many kaupapa that are tikanga driven and an advocate of the whakataukī that I grew up with “Aroha ki te tangata, tētahi ki tētahi, ahakoa ko wai, ahakoa nō hea.”

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He-Rau-Tau-He-Tini-Mahara, A hundred years, a thousand memories

The Hall that holds 1000 memories | Overlooking sparkling cyan sea. Dwarfed by volcanic mountains. Tūtehuarewa, a white weatherboard community hall, stands in the bay of Koukourarata (Port Levy) as she has for nearly 100 years. Whānau and community will celebrate the life of the whare at her centenary celebration in April 2023. They will…

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The growing mana of the kākāpō

The rimu are expected to mast in the South this summer, supporting the kākāpō population to breed again. Following highly successful breeding seasons in 2016 and 2019, the kākāpō population is doing well and is currently sitting at 201 individual birds.

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Ngā Hau e Whā
From the Editor

When TE KARAKA first landed in letter boxes in the mid-1990s, Ngāi Tahu was in the midst of Te Kerēme. The magazine played a pivotal role in ensuring whānau not only kept up-to-date about this very complex and critical process, but were also able to gain an insight and understanding into the history of how it came to be. Throughout the years TE KARAKA has continued to evolve. In every issue we are privileged to share the rich and diverse stories that celebrate what it means to be Ngāi Tahu. These stories help connect whānau with their whakapapa, their whenua and with each other.

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From the CEO
A walk down memory lane

For the past nine years I have brought this column to you in a way that has reflected the day-to-day reality of my multigenerational whare in Tuahiwi. Recently we bid farewell to our dearly loved father, William Ruwhiu QSM, who was the centre and life-force of our whānau. With his effervescent personality he would begin each day with “mōrena” and when I would ask “how are you today”, his cheeky reply would be: “Well, I’m still alive.” Dad was a quick-witted social character who easily brought humour to any situation. It was easy to see how he could build rapport with anyone as he made you feel like you were a star no matter who you were.

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Whenua
Mātakitaki

MĀTAKITAKI is the correct spelling for the Matukituki River, which flows from Kā Tiritiri-o-te-moana (the Southern Alps) into the west side of Lake Wānaka.

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Ka hao te Rakatahi
The spaces we will fill

We are two young wāhine who have grown up often being called on to be the “rangatahi Māori advisors” in the many spaces we find ourselves in. There is seemingly a rising need for a rangatahi perspective. To have our voices heard has been validating, especially at a young age, and the experience that we have gained due to being a part of those conversations has been invaluable. This is not to say we have not experienced times where we have been asked to take a seat at a table so the Māori box could be ticked, or the rangatahi or wahine box.

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