Issue 83 Archives - Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu

Ngā Hau e Whā
From the Editor

It’s hard to believe it is only three months since we published the last issue of TE KARAKA. So much can change in such a short time, as we have witnessed with the passing of a number of whānau and tribal leaders, among them Tahu Pōtiki and Pere Tainui. Over the past year we have had the privilege of featuring stories on both Tahu and Pere – two rangatira with incredible vision and passion for their whānau, hapū, and iwi; and for the revitalisation of cultural practices.

From the CEO
Big plans ahead for me!

I know you are supposed to be discreet about your age but it’s a bit late for that now as I move closer towards that gold card than most others around me in the workplace. As a child it seemed to take forever for my birthday to roll around each year, knowing that a present would arrive from my grandmother in the form of a card with 20 cents inside the envelope. Of course once this landed in my lap, I was straight down to the corner dairy to buy a bag of lollies. This event marked another year older.

Whenua
Moturau

Moturau is the correct Māori name for Lake Manapōuri in Te Rua-o-te-Moko (Fiordland). Roto-Ua is an earlier name for the lake, and was given by the Waitaha explorer Rākaihautū when digging the lake with his kō, on account of the persistent rain that troubled his party here. Puhiruru (Rona Island) is the island in the…

He Whakaaro
Oranga Tamariki – Not one more baby?

Not a week after Māoridom erupted over the harrowing images of a baby being uplifted from its mother in Napier earlier this year, another baby was killed in his home. This murdered baby was one of six children – the other five had previously been uplifted by Oranga Tamariki. Some rangatira have been quick to criticise the Oranga Tamariki uplifts with cries of “Not one more baby”.

Ka hao te Rakatahi
Caring for our planet

I was born on the cusp of the second millennium. As a child, the stuffed huia birds at the Canterbury Museum captured my imagination. The idea of “extinction” – something being here and then not – fascinated me. Extinction happened in the past, when people were careless because they did not have the knowledge that we have today … or so I thought as an 8-year-old.

Written in the stars

The stars have aligned for Dark Sky Project, a bold new astro-tourism venture in Takapō. It’s the longstanding vision of the founders of Dark Sky Project’s predecessor Earth & Sky, Graeme Murray and Hide Ozawa, whose passion is to preserve and showcase the region’s famously dark skies. This purpose has new fulfilment through a joint venture with Ngāi Tahu Tourism.
The new building, named Rehua, boasts a multi-media indoor astronomy experience that combines science and tātai aroraki (Māori astronomy). A mana whenua working party ensured they were able to contribute to the project in a way that celebrated their time-honoured connection to Te Manahuna (the Mackenzie Basin).

From hook to plate

Bluff fisherman Nate Smith is on a mission to change the face of commercial fishing in the deep south. A third-generation Ngāi Tahu fisherman, Nate is the owner/operator of Gravity Fishing, and has made a brave personal commitment to return to sustainable fishing practices in a bid to preserve precious southern fish stocks.
In July last year, Gravity Fishing switched from the bulk harvesting techniques that are in common use by the fishing industry to a more traditional style of fishing with hook and line. Nate specifically targets a handful of fish species, and takes only what his customers have pre-ordered.

Tino rangatiratanga: mō tātou, ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei

When Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu first reached a settlement with the Crown in 1998, our iwi leaders knew that we would need a robust strategy to consolidate and grow our newly acquired resources.
Over the next two years, a working group of nearly 100 Ngāi Tahu whānau members undertook extensive planning and consultation to identify and define a single tribal vision that would carry us into the future. This was: Tino rangatiratanga mō tātou, ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei – the ability to create and control our destiny for generations to come.

Regional Regeneration

Stories, myths, and legends of southern Māori occupation of the Mataura River valley will be brought to life in a multi-million dollar redevelopment of the Gore Arts and Heritage Precinct.
The Maruawai Project is the culmination of many years’ work developing and refining an ambitious arts, heritage, and cultural hub in the heart of Gore’s central business district.
Plans for the Maruawai Cultural Precinct include a new Maruawai Centre, which will celebrate close to a thousand years of human occupation of the Mataura valley.

Home is where the heart is

“Let there be peace in this home” – a simple sentence from Koata Te Maiharoa that wrapped his granddaughter Samantha’s new Christchurch home in a korowai of love.
“And people do love this house,” laughs Samantha. “They come and visit, say what a comfy home it is, and then fall asleep on the couch.”
After six years of sharing her parents’ house with her daughter, Brooklyn, the opportunity to now have friends over for dinner in her own home is the culmination of a three-year journey to home ownership.