Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou

Kā Mihi Aroha

Hotuhotu ana te manawa, mariki ana kā roimata ki a rātou kua karo atu rā ki tua o Paerau. E rere atu ana kā tai o aroha ki a koutou kā whānau, ka urupā 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 Koara Voice on 20 February, daughter of Ned and Kitty Russell from Arowhenua. 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.

2023 Tuia participants announced – Tia Taiaroa

Our congratulations to Tia Taiaroa and Bobby Rushton who have been selected for the Otepoti 2023 Tuia programme, and who are eager to make the most of the opportunity to develop their leadership capabilities.

Tia Taiaroa, who has strong whakapapa links to Ōtākou (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Mamoe, Waitaha) and Te Āti Awa ki Taranaki, and Bobbie Rushton, who has Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Porou and Italian heritage, will take part in this year’s Tuia leadership programme for rakatahi Māori.

The Tuia programme is an intentional, long-term, intergenerational approach to developing the leadership capability of young Māori in communities throughout New Zealand. As part of the programme, Tia and Bobbie will receive mentoring from Mayor of Dunedin Jules Radich and Kāi Tahu mentors. They will also help develop a project to benefit their respective communities and attend wānaka hosted at different marae around the country to build connections with other rakatahi, explore ancestral journeys and learn and reflect on their own whakapapa journey.

Tia has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Otago in Māori and Indigenous Development and Tourism and has worked for multiple iwi and rūnaka organisations. “I grew up on my pā at Ōtākou surrounded by whānau. Growing up on the marae gave me a real sense of self-identity and throughout the years built on my knowledge of history, kōrero-ā-iwi and provoked a passion for whakapapa and leadership,” Tia says. “I hope participating in the Tuia programme will help me build on these passions for, and on behalf of, Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou.”

Kāi Tahu Te Tiriti o Waitangi commemorations at Ōtākou

Ōtākou whānau had an exciting start to February as Treaty Fest took place at Ōtākou Marae on Monday 6 February. With a whole year of planning prior, and the involvement of approximately 70 volunteers from across the community, it was all hands on deck to get Treaty Fest 2023 off the ground.

While the general public wouldn’t catch a glimpse of the festivities until 11:30 am, volunteers and vendors arrived on site as early as 6:00am, preparing kai, planning parking arrangements and feeling the bite of the morning coastal breeze. Manuhiri were welcomed onto the marae with a pōwhiri at 10:00am.

Following this, the festival was officially opened to the public by MC's Shakayla Alapaki-Andrews (Tahu News) and Isaia Piho (FENZ), with an estimated turnout of 3,000 over the course of the day, much larger than the initial 900 who registered their interest on social media. Twenty-seven vendors were present at the event, offering goods from houseplants to pounamu earrings.

Kai centric stands were also in abundance, ensuring that attendees would be catered for whether they preferred fruit ice cream or Isekender( kebab)

Festival goers echoed the sentiment that there was an “impressive variety” of goods on offer with one bystander jokingly referring to the festival as a “danger to (their) wallet.” However, there was plenty to do outside of just buying and enjoying kai. Tamariki were given their own space adjacent to the main grounds, providing them with a bouncy area, face painting and of course, their own ice cream truck.

At the other end of the spectrum, a panel was held in Tamatea from 12:45pm to 1:45pm. The five panellists included: Edward Ellison (Upoko of Te Rūnaka o Ōtākou), Tim Cadogan (Mayor of Central Otago), Lisa Tumahai (Chairperson of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu) and Gretchen Robertson (Chairperson of Otago Regional Council) with Donna Matahaere-Atariki as panel facilitator.

TreatyFest 2023 was centred around the theme

“He waka unua, aukahatia, whakamatuatia. Doublehulled canoe, Bind the waka together, to steady the journey ahead” referring to the idea of co-governance or mahi tahi based around Iwi and Pākehā institutions (such as the Otago Regional Council in this instance), binding their waka together in order to steady the journey ahead for all involved. The panel continued to carry this theme through in their discussion. The panel adopted a Q&A format and facilitated in-depth conversations on the nature of co-governance, how far reaching its effects could be and its connection to treaty settlements.

On a more light-hearted note, a variety performances took the stage throughout the day. These included an opening performance from Portobello School’s kapa haka group Parihaumia, an interactive session with our kaumātua strength and balance health focused initiative Taurite Tū, and a powerful Māu Rakau demonstration.

Alongside these performances, an event entitled ‘Marae Idol’ was woven throughout the day where audience members were encouraged to take the stage and compete against one another. Two young kotiro, Taupuhi-a-Rangi Hapuku Te Nahu Manu-Ratima and Te Heikura o Te Rangi Hapuku Te Nahu Manu-Reynolds won the competition.

Following an impressive display from He Waka Kōtuia the King’s/Queen’s High School’s kapa haka group, the event came to a close with a karakia at 3:00pm, wrapping up a busy day full of delicious kai and meaningful discussion. Nā, Josh Curtis, roving reporter and hapū member.

Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu acknowledge the funding support from Dunedin City Council and koha from individuals, whānau, community/ NGO groups and merchandise purchases; also, the provision of buses by Otago Regional Council, traffic management by Wātene Māori and Dunedin Police, Tahu FM, Res.Awesome Ltd for event waste management, Portobello Volunteer Fire Brigade and FENZ; St Johns Ambulance, manuhiri panellists Tim Cadogan (Mayor of Central Otago) and Gretchen Robertson (Chairperson of Otago Regional Council). Not least, we acknowledge the many members of the wider Peninsula and Dunedin community who volunteered their time and energy alongside iwi and hapū members to make Kāi Tahu Tiriti o Waitangi 2023 a day of positive interaction and togetherness based on whakawhanaukataka, whakamanuhiritaka and aroha ki te takata.