Our Organisation

He maimai aroha Putiputi Kirsten Koopu

Putiputi Kirsten Koopu, Board Representative for Ngāti Maumoana passed away on the 7th February 2022. Puti was elected to represent Ngāti Maumoana on the Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa Board in 2013. He kōrero hei whakamaumahara ake ki to mātau whaea, hoa, tuahine, irāmutu hoki ki a Putiputi Kirsten Koopu. There are numerous kaupapa one could write about Puti and her contributions towards them. She gave of herself one hundred percent to whatever she committed to and her whānau were expected to give the same effort. But above all, she was absolutely at the forefront of any kaupapa that had anything to do with Te Patuwai – Ngāti Maumoana, her three marae, Pupuaruhe, Te Hihitaua and Te Ruakopiha and her tūrangawaewae, Pupuaruhe and Mōtītī. These were all places of cultural significance to the maternal side of her whakapapa. Nevertheless, she was always there to support her hapū, Te Pahīpoto, Te Warahoe and Ngāi Tamaoki. Her marae, Kokohinau and Ruaihona, remaining a kanohi kitea on these tūrangawaewae of hers pertaining to the paternal side of her lineage. Puti knew of the importance of making sure her three daughters, Meremaihi Sharleen, Te Rumate Ngātāria and Amelia Marie were familiar with who they were and where they came from.

Despite her strong connections to Te Whānau ā Apanui, Te Whakatōhea, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Pikiao and Ngāpuhi to name a few Iwi. She was first and foremost, Ngāti Awa. This was evident in her being the representative delegate for Ngāti Maumoana on the Rūnanga Board, serving a few terms. She fought many battles in and outside of court, protecting the mana of Ngāti Awa in its cultural settings, especially when it came to her moutere, Mōtītī.

Perhaps, her biggest battles occurred in the last 10 or years in three significant cases. Firstly, was the Rena battle, secondly, the battle with a fragment of her own relations stating that Ngāti Awa had no standing on Mōtītī and the last being about MACA and the crown identifying who had rights to the waterways and coastal boundaries surrounding Mōtītī Island.

Our marae benefited from the many wānanga, fundraisers, caterings that Puti organised. She was a marvellous fundraiser and people supported greatly to any initiative she was a part of.

On the 13th of October 2021, her beloved mother, Meremaihi passed away, which was a huge loss to the whānau, hapū and iwi. On the 7th of February 2022, just under three months, Puti suddenly passed in Hamilton doing what she loved outside of Iwi mahi, she was playing cards. She was returned to Pupuaruhe Marae in Whakatāne before being returned to Mōtiti where she slumbers in eternal sleep with our tīpuna at Tahuapiri Urupā.

Her sudden passing and the impact of her passing on us has been heart shattering. Since then, progress in all our hapū and iwi kaupapa has come to a halt. She had tried many times to put in place a succesion plan in the hope that her younger whanaunga would take up the many leadership roles she had. Upon reflection, we never saw a future without our Puti, and now we are left trying to find our feet and the courage again to carry on. Only time will tell...

Moe mai e Puti. E kore e mauru ake te mamae mōu kua ngaro nei i te tirohanga kanohi. A tōna wā pea e kite ai i te hua o ngā mahi i waihotia mai e koe hei hāpai ake mā tēnei reanga whakatipuranga e piki ake nei.

She was first and foremost,

Ngāti Awa.