Tā Mark Solomon Archives - Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu

Iwi Chairs Forum

From being the literal kings of the castle in 1840 to virtually impoverished not 30 years later is a stunning reversal of fortune. But what’s more stunning is the recent rise of the Ngāi Tahu phoenix from the ashes of that time – well, at least economically.

Looking to the Future

In November 2017 Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu elected its first female kaiwhakahaere to head its tribal board, which represents the 18 Papatipu Rūnanga of Ngāi Tahu. The appointment of Lisa Tumahai comes amidst a wave of change that is seeing increasing numbers of wāhine in top jobs throughout Aotearoa. TE KARAKA caught up with Lisa to talk about leadership and her vision for the next 20 years.

Māori Trade Training reborn

He Toki ki te Mahi has created economic value of more than $5.5 million since 2015. Further analysis suggests the potential to return seven times the value of the investment in economic benefits to the apprentices and the economy.

Walking the talk

Tā Mark Solomon is not the kind of man who speaks at length about himself. He values his privacy and he’s prone to under-playing any suggestion that he’s made a significant contribution to Māoridom, to Ngāi Tahu.
The fact that he was knighted in 2013 in recognition of the work he has done for Ngāi Tahu and for Māoridom is a case in point. His initial reaction was to baulk at the honour, but there were those who told him to “pull his head in,” that it wasn’t just for him, it was for the tribe. He relates how he was told firmly to “get up there to Wellington and receive the honour on behalf of the tribe.”

Marae manaaki

When a massive magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck North Canterbury just after midnight on November 14, Takahanga Marae in Kaikōura opened its doors to distraught locals and visitors with characteristic manaaki, promptly setting itself up as a welfare centre for the community.
This was the third largest earthquake in New Zealand in a century and it took the lives of two people. It wasn’t only the marae that showed whanaungatanga to Kaikōura – within hours Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu staff also set out to help whānau in need.

Wai Ora

In early April news broke the Ashburton District Council was considering selling a section in their business park known as “Lot 9”. A seemingly innocuous move, except that a resource consent for the extraction of freshwater is attached to Lot 9, and on the other side of the deal was a company in the business of bottling and selling water. The consent would allow for 45 litres of artesian water to be extracted per second, over 1.4 billion litres over the course of a year.

Money Matters
10 Years of Whai Rawa

Rather than following the state’s example – and opting for student debt over savings – Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu leaders saw an opportunity to provide their people with increased access to tertiary education, home ownership, and retirement support. And so Whai Rawa was born.

Drip feed

Any starting point for a discussion on water has to be the health and well-being of waterways, says Kaiwhakahaere Tā Mark Solomon. And any discussion on water should also include people and their relationship with water.

His comments come after a series of hui held by the Iwi Leaders Group to advise iwi on discussions with the Crown to address iwi rights and interests in fresh water.

Beneath the cloak of Aoraki

Each year Alpine Recreation takes four Ngāi Tahu whānui on the Ball Pass Guided Hike free, to learn basic alpine skills, climb high into the Alps, stand close to Aoraki and look upon his face.

Future proof
What do the coming decades look like for Ngāi Tahu?

Kaituhi Mark Revington reports. What will the world be like for Ngāi Tahu in 2050? Think about it. That is 36 years away. Then think about how far the tribe…

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