Our Stories - Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu

Aukaha

Wendy Gomez (Ngāi Tahu – Awarua) speaks off-screen, her voice gently carried over images of a sunshower cutting through dark clouds. In this candid and intimate moment, she addresses her tupuna kuia directly, as if she was there in the room.

He Tangata
Rauhine Coakley

Rauhine Coakley resides at Arahura, immersing herself in the landscape of her tīpuna with her passion for tramping and fossicking for pounamu on the river. This passion has turned into a livelihood through her work as Tour Guide and Administrative Manager of Hīkoi Waewae – a tourism venture she started in 2016 to help Māori reconnect with their ancestral lands and learn more about native flora and fauna. She is determined to revitalise traditional Māori place names, and encourages others to learn more about their history and correct pronunciation.

Supporting Mātauranga in the Regions

This is the aspiration and commitment of the regionally-based workforce known as Kaitoko Mātauranga and Kaitohutohu Mātauranga, putting the Ngāi Tahu education programme into action. These kaimahi are the realisation of long-held dreams of rūnanga education representatives providing regional support for our whānau.

Protecting their future

A dedicated and passionate group of Ngāi Tahu representatives has been working hard on species recovery groups across Te Waipounamu to protect vanishing taonga species, and to ensure that the iwi has a voice in their future.

Ngā Hau e Whā
From the Editor

And so the seasons are changing once again as winter draws to a close and we move into spring. However, as the impacts of climate change kick in, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between the seasons – here in Ōtautahi the daffodils in Hagley Park are blooming earlier each year. Where it really hits home is the changes to Te Ao Tūroa – to our coastlines, our rivers, our landscapes, and, most importantly, our mahinga kai.

From the CEO

In 1951 more than 90 women delegates gathered in Wellington and became the founding branches of the Māori Women’s Welfare League. The late Princess Te Puea Herangi became patroness, and Whina Cooper (later Dame Whina) was elected President. Over its almost 70 years, the movement has cascaded to all corners of our country and has become a dynamic institution that has been embedded throughout our whānau generations. Today there are more than 3000 members, and the growth continues with the uprising of the “juniors” within some branches.

Whenua

Taramakau The Taramakau River rises in Kā Tiritiri-o-te-moana (the Southern Alps) and flows into Te Tai-o-Rehua (the Tasman Sea) south of Greymouth. The upper reaches of the Taramakau are renowned as a source of pounamu, with several significant pounamu working sites located at the river mouth.

Debating the Treaty

The treaty has a historically inconsistent role in New Zealand’s constitution and remains on uncertain ground. We need to understand its constitutional role in the colonial era, and the period of change from 1975 to 1985 that has so heavily influenced our Ngāi Tahu world today.

Māori victims of crime

A lack of education, poor life, financial and social skills, hand-in-hand with poor parenting, are at the root of crime. The solutions involve support to the parents of at-risk kids. We must ruthlessly address these issues early, and, as whānau, demand the resources to keep these kids at school, and even, if necessary, to keep their parents away from them.

Cultural Connection – a personal journey

Aoraki Bound is a 20-day cultural and personal development programme. My hīkoi was everything I hoped it would be – a chance to immerse myself in my culture, walk in the footsteps of my ancestors, and gain a greater sense of my identity. The course culminates on the shores of Lake Pūkaki, in the presence of our Maunga Ariki, Aoraki. I parted ways with my rōpū, wiping tears of gratitude from my cheeks, knowing that my life had changed forever.