Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou

Ka Mihi Aroha

Kai te toa horopū o Kotahi Mano Kāika, kai te rika raupā o tō iwi, kai te uri o Karetai, kaikinikini ana te kākau i tō hikaka. E kore e warewaretia āhau nā whakapauka kaha ki te kōkiri i kā mahi a Kotahi Mano Kāika i roto i kā tau ko hori ake nei. Nō reira, e te hākoro, e Mason Ngawhika, moe mai rā.

Māturuturu iho ana kā roimata ki a rātou ko whatukarokaro ki tua o Wainukumamao. E rere atu ana kā tai o aroha ki a koutou kā whānau, kā urupa o rātou mā i tenei wā. Our thoughts and deepest sympathy are with whānau who have lost a loved one recently, including the whānau of Thomas David Tahere, Rima Edwina Tikao, Uncle Russell Hawkings, Henry (Henare – Nare) Robert (Bob) Tai, Miriama (Mihi) Sinclair, Dr Terry Ryan MBE and Florence Tikao (née Subritzky). We send our aroha to all whānau across the miles. May each whānau find comfort in your memories and from those who surround you with love and care. For those who are in hospital or unwell at home we wish you a speedy recovery and return to good health.

Spring snow

October surprised us all with its ‘out of the blue’ snowstorms. Kura Reo Rakatahi were staying on the marae so they made snowmen. Staff were out and about and snapped shots of the marae bathed in the white stuff.

Right, from top: Panorama view of the Kura Reo vans surrounded by snow at Ōtākou Marae 6 October; A break in the cloud highlights the October snow on Te Atua o Taiehu overlooking Ōtākou Marae; Snow covers everything within its reach at the Ōtākou Centennial Memorial Church and grounds, photos by staff 6 October 2022.

Taurite Tū

Taurite Tū is a fall prevention exercise programme especially designed for Māori aged 50 plus and their whānau. It is an example of what community-led research funding can achieve. Falls are a leading cause of injury with major consequences for ageing Māori. In 2017, members of Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou identified a gap in fall prevention services for Māori living in their takiwā.

The rūnanga applied for HRC funding specifically designed to support iwi, hapū and community groups to undertake research into self-identified health issues. They first gained an HRC Ngā Kanohi Kitea Development Grant before securing a Ngā Kanohi Kitea Full Project Grant with the aim of creating a balance and strengthening exercise programme based on kaupapa Māori research methodology.

Under the leadership of Katrina Bryant – a hapū member of Ōtākou and a registered physiotherapist – the community designed ‘Taurite Tū’ exercise programme includes te reo, karakia, whakawhanaukataka, and other mātauraka Māori.

This was the first falls prevention programme developed specifically for kaumātua Māori (designed by kaumātua for kaumātua), and its outcomes include a statistically significant improvement in falls risk, positive engagement of Māori community, and increased hauora research capacity within Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou.

Ngāi Tahu Tiriti o Waitangi 6 February 2023

Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou welcomes you to Ōtākou Marae to commemorate the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, signed at Pukekura /Taiaroa Head on 13 June 1840.

Theme: ‘He waka unua aukahatia, mātuatia’

(The double-hulled waka, bound together, to steady the journey ahead)

The programme’s success led to Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou receiving further funding in 2020 ($881,944 through an HRC-ACC partnership fund) to roll this programme out throughout Aotearoa. The project aims to support other rūnanga based organisations to grow their own health research capacity, while also providing benefits and meeting the needs of Māori communities.

Co-governance – the need for the Crown, government and its agents to govern equally with tangata whenua for the future success of our nation.

Programme: 10am Powhiri on the Marae Atea

Followed by the festival opening and entertainment at the carpark for everyone while the officials parttake kaii in Hakuiao.

Festival: cross-cultural entertainment, music and food stalls. Everyone is welcome to attend the official discussion in Tamatea, anticipated to be a lively debate by keynote speakers around 'What does co-governance look like in the 21st century’

Haere mai, nau mai, tauti mai!

Monday 6 February 2023

Ōtākou Marae, Tamatea Road, Otago Peninsula, Dunedin Pōwhiri 10am, Mutuka 3pm

Kaimahi: Volunteers are needed on the day. if you are free to lend a hand, please contact the office.

Transport needs: Contact the office for information about bus/public transport on offer to the marae.

Bring: Your picnic or personal gear, be weather wise, bring cash, EFTPOS is not guaranteed. Pram and wheelchair accessible

Ōtākou Office: 03 478 0352; office@tro.org,nz

We look forward to seeing you all here at Ōtākou, haere mai!

Tū

Kia

Next dates for working bees leading up to the Treaty Festival are:

Saturday 14 January 9am-4pm

Saturday 28 January 9am-4pm

Diary them now, whānau!

We're seeing great progress from our mahi so far. The awa and plantings are looking very happy and healthy so in January we'll concentrate on getting our grounds spick'n'span, ready for the Treaty Festival.

As usual kai and tools are all provided. Please RSVP to the office for catering. Office@tro.org.nz or 034780352

Te Nukuroa o Matamata

Kana/spring has brought a mixed bag of weather for the tīma, with snow, sunshine, a late frost and some muchneeded rain as the wetlands have been dry up until now. While everyone was complaining about the wet public holiday on Labour Day, there were those amongst us rejoicing for our late plantings and nursery stock. Our mahi continues strongly with a final push for our base opening on Saturday, 5 November, and the naming of our nursery “Tūokioki” the grandson of Tukiauau and Tūwiriroa.

Our weaving tīma have been working on a pākē from the local wetland’s harakeke. The harakeke has been stripped and then dyed black. While the orange band is made from a combination of muka and jute. The technique used is whatu aho pātahi (single pair weft twining). Our weaving team have gone from strength-to-strength in developing their skills and it’s a great pleasure to see their skill develop.

Christmas/New Year break at Ōtākou

Our office is closed from Friday 23 December 2022 until Thursday 5 January 2023.

During one of our riparian planting projects our tīma made a very interesting discovery. This kākahi was found in a small stream south-west of Lake Waihora. It’s an exciting find because it reveals a new area of kākahi not known before. Unlike marine mussels, they move around with a ‘foot’ and can often be spotted by finding the trails they leave behind them.

This kākahi was found in a small stream south-west of Lake Waihora. They were traditionally valued by our old people as a reliable food source, and their shells were used in making muka (flax fibre) and cutting hair.

Methodist Pūtea 2023 Fund is Open to the Seven Papatipu Rūnaka South of the Waitaki and their members

Reminder that the 2023 Methodist Pūtea Grant closes 12 noon 31 March 2023. The two categories on offer are Theology and Wairua studies, and the Cultural Needs of the Iwi. For application forms contact Ōtākou office.

Results for the appointment of the Ōtākou Representative for Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu

The appointment of the new Ōtākou Representative for Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu will be announced in early December. Phone the office if you wish to contact the office manager Nadia Wesley-Smith.

Availability of Cultural Materials

The Komiti Taoka Tuku Iho holds cultural materials for distribution to Kāi Tahu and non Kāi Tahu individuals or whānau. They oversee the allocation and distribution process of cultural materials to applicants. Application forms are available from the Department of Conservation office in Dunedin on their webpage or from our office.