Issue 90 Archives - Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu

Ngā Hau e Whā
From the Editor

It is hard to find the words that best describe Tā Tipene O’Regan and his contribution not only to Ngāi Tahu and his tireless efforts in the settlement of the Ngāi Tahu Claim, but also his passion for improving the economic, cultural and social standing of Māori and their communities – towards making Aotearoa a better place for us all to live. Never has there been a New Zealander more deserving of his most recent accolades – Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year and the Order of New Zealand (ONZ). To receive not one but both, and just in a few short months of each other, speaks volumes about his efforts over many decades.

From the CEO
Māreikura

Recently I was out visiting kaumātua to deliver kōura sent up from the deep south. The thing about these deliveries is that it’s not like a courier dropping the parcel and rushing down the drive to get to the next destination. These visits are special, and they take time as there is a richness in the experience itself as the stories begin to flow. That is not to take away anything from the mouth-watering delicacy of the kōura, but putting the two together is indeed unforgettable.

Whenua
Waihemo

Waihemo (Shag River) flows into the Otago coastline immediately south of Matakaea (Shag Point). Archaeological investigations have concluded a significant settlement once existed at the river mouth dating back to the 14th century.

Ka hao te Rakatahi
Life on campus

The opportunity to be a part of Takere* earlier this year showed me what I am capable of when I want to succeed. After being so indulged in my culture, and being around people with similar lifestyles and passions, it affected me in a lot of ways that I didn’t think it would – and it was truly a privilege to be accepted into such a group. This scholarship and experience have given me so much hope for the year to come and excitement to be moving out and into a new place. Once the live-in academy finished, we thought we were prepared for the onslaught of these new students coming in to live with us but, as they began to move in, we realised that that was not going to be the case.

Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere

It came as something of a physical shock. a blow to the senses. To visit Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere for the first time in eight years, was devastating. This mighty glacier, that sits among the ancestors, a taonga of our people, a presence once so physically commanding, is shrinking into oblivion.
Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere has been subdued, humiliated by the actions of humans, actions remote yet undeniable. To see this retreating giant is to understand impermanence, to understand the real and terrible results of industrialisation, of climate change.

Poi – it’s in the DNA

Ōtepoti business Pōtiki Poi is a mother/daughter duo producing poi sold worldwide. They’ve also co-written a pukapuka about the whakapapa of poi, and most recently opened the Kura Poi Dance Academy.
Kaituhi Ila Couch talks to Georgia and Anna Tiatia Fa-atoese Latu about setting up a successful kaupapa Māori pakihi, and their plans to ensure a taonga from the past will continue to evolve.

When a tiny heart pulls a ton of love

Coming up to a year of motherhood, Chantal Tumahai has been on a rollercoaster ride of joy and heartbreak. Now the ride is slowing, and she is a mother to two healthy baby girls with strong personalities and resilience, Chantal looks back at just how many miracles have come their way.
She shares her story with kaituhi Shabnam Dastgheib.

‘Our ultimate duty’

In 1991, Tipene O’Regan stood before New Zealand’s leading historians and delivered the J. C. Beaglehole Lecture. It was a pivotal time. The dust had barely settled on the sesquicentenary of signing Te Tiriti and the government had granted the Waitangi Tribunal retrospective powers of enquiry a mere six years earlier.
Difficult questions were being asked of those who researched, wrote and taught New Zealand history; members of Tipene’s audience chief amongst them. Then, as now, these people were overwhelmingly Pākehā. And they were being variously called out for “white-washing” New Zealand history – which is to say continuing to exclude the Māori past – and cultural appropriation – which is to say “doing” Māori history.

Celebrating A Life Well Lived

In his 83 years, Tā Tipene O’Regan ONZ has been many things to many people. He is perhaps best known for his leadership of Ngāi Tahu in the final years of Te Kerēme, particularly during negotiations for the fisheries settlements of 1989 and 1992, and the Ngāi Tahu settlement of 1998. This year, Tā Tipene was awarded two of the highest honours our country offers; Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year, and appointed to the highest Royal Honour in the New Zealand system – the Order of New Zealand.
Over the years we have all become familiar with the public figure, and in honour of these milestones and a lifetime of achievements, kaituhi Anna Brankin sits down with Tā Tipene to learn more about his life – behind the scenes.

Sound and a clear vision of heritage

Sandy Wakefield (Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Tahu, Pākehā) has made a career in sound for broadcast television and film, this year coming close to fulfilling her Oscar dream when The Power Of The Dog was nominated for the Best Achievement
in Sound category.
Kaituhi Ila Couch talks to Sandy about her pathway to sound, the early days of working at Māori Television and the importance of kaupapa Māori values
in her mahi as a storyteller.