THE TIES THAT BIND

For Ngati Kahu, 2015 is promising to be busier than ever.  I suspect it’s the same for all strands of my whakapapa, and the activating principle that we all rely on to achieve everything we do is whanaungatanga; the relationship ties that bind and facilitate our best social interactions. 

We never take that principle for granted, but we do have utmost confidence in it, and for good reason.  Through its application this month alone, we have completed two major events, with numerous activities between. 

On Saturday 31^st our hui-a-marama happened at Ranginui marae in Kenana, the home of Matarahurahu hapu who are the mana whenua from Oruaiti through to Taipa.  There are more than 15 hapu in Ngati Kahu, and the focal point for them is their respective marae, each of which appoints two delegates to Te Runanga-a-Iwi o Ngati Kahu.  Whenever those delegates come together the process is termed ‘runanga’ and the entity is termed “Te Runanga.’ 

Both the noun and verb are only as effective as the quality of the whanaungatanga that drives them.

On Sunday 1^st February, Te Taumata Kaumatua o Ngati Kahu led a large ope on to Whitiora marae in Te Tii to pay respects to our whanaunga, Richard Parangi. Tangihanga are the quintessence of whanaungatanga.  It’s impossible to have one without the other.

Then from Tuesday 3rd to Thursday 5th February we and our whanaunga from Ngati Hine hosted the Taitokerau leg of this year's National Iwi Chairs' Forum hui at Te Kerikeri and Opua.  Again, with the tikanga support of Te Taumata Kaumatua o Ngati Kahu and the administrative support of the Iwi Chairs Forum Secretariat provided by Te Kaahui o Rauru from Whanganui, we were able to achieve our goal of delivering a hui that showcased and supported the best of everything we and Ngati Hine had to offer by way of manaaki, whakangahau, te kai mo te tinana, me te kai o nga rangatira.  That included Basil, the Tangaroa skipper during our Tuesday evening cruise, as well as the Martin whanau, Te Roopu Kapa Haka o Muriwhenua, and Russell Harrison, whose whanaungatanga hugely enhanced our Wednesday evening banquet.

Does whanaungatanga apply only to iwi Maori?  Kahore.  The National ICF would not have been as successful as it was without the wonderfully generous sponsorship of Living Nature Cosmetics and Makana Confections from Kerikeri, alongside that of Mana Kai from Awanui, and Carrington Peppers from Karikari.  And to top it all off, we enjoyed working with the Turner Events Centre staff led by Nicky, as well as with the Kerikeri RSA catering team led by Tracey.  They were worth their weight in gold to us. 

Waitangi Day was of course spent at Waitangi on Taurangatira in the Forum tent supporting our own Ahorangi Makere Mutu and her colleague Moana Jackson to present on the constitutional transformation mahi they are doing with Matike Mai o Aotearoa. And finally, our week closed on Saturday 7th February with the celebration of an out of court settlement with Carrington that will ensure no-one will ever again even attempt to build on Te Ana o Taite, one of the largest burial caves in Ngati Kahu.

Tini nga whakawhetai ki ta matou rangatira, kaumatua kuia, pakeke, taitamariki tamariki hoki o nga iwi katoa mo te whanaungatanga.