Paenga whaa whaa/April 2007 Issue 2 2
E rere atu na
te hookioi
Jared sets his sights on the Olympics
In five years and three months the 2012 Olympic Games will be held in London. 13-year-old Ngaaruawaahia High School student Jared Solomon, already has his sights set on qualifying for the New Zealand Swim Team! The prospect of where one will be in five years and three months is daunting for most. Surviving the first year at high school is the furthest into the future most teenagers will look. But Jared Solomon (Ngaati Hape o Ngaati Naho, Tuurangawaewae Marae) isn’t just any teenager. In two years he has won over 30 combinations of gold, silver and bronze medals, and at the NZ Age Group Championships held in Hamilton last month, Jared won two national titles. His father Glen played a lot of sport and his mother Susie was a competitive swimmer at the same age, yet both parents attribute Jared’s determination to his koro, former NZ Maaori Rugby League representative and Tainui master carver, Dan Solomon. Dan was a master carver at Hopuhopu for many years before he suffered a massive stroke. Some of his taonga can be seen at the Hamilton Novotel, Te Kauhanganui Debating Chambers and the Endowed College at Hopuhopu. Families in the Ngaaruawaahia community will tell you Jared’s zest for swimming also comes from a little further back in his whakapapa. His great grandfather is Hiwinui, a former advisor to Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu. Hiwinui was an orphan brought from Rangiriri to Tuurangawaewae Marae by Princess Te Puea. He was a river man who lived on a staple diet of catfish. The Hiwinui whaanau are noted swimmers, known more-so for swimming upstream against the mighty Waikato river current.
Susie is very proud of what her son has accomplished in such a short time. “Jared is a member of the Ace Swim Squad and trains most days,” she said. “Five nights of the week he is in the pool under the guidance of his coach, former NZ swim representative Casey Donoghue. My parents George and Charlotte Matich attend all Jared’s swim meets and are his biggest supporters. Jared has the right attitude - we know he’ll do well.”
Ko wai taatou? Who are we? In the March edition of Te Puni Kookiri’s bi-monthly publication ‘Kookiri’, there is an interesting summary of national statistics in relation to Maaori who participated in the 2006 Census. “We need to do our own tribal census to determine who we are, where we are and what our needs are,” says Marae. “It’s really important for tribal members to be registered on the Tainui benroll, in the very least, so they can be informed of the work of our unit. So what does the “average” Tainui tribal “Over the coming months there will be a huge member look like? drive to capture those that are still not registered Tribal Development Manager, Marae Tukere - especially the children. Knowledge of says whilst national statistics are our tamariki will help us to plan for the interesting, they do not provide enough future. We also need to make sure we detailed information for her unit to have the right details. If you or someone produce a profile of the socio-economic, you know has moved, ring 0800 TAINUI and update the address!” demographic and cultural status of Tainui. Register 0800 TAINUI Census figures suggest that the average Maaori is a woman; she is in her early 20’s; she is single; she could live in Auckland or Hamilton; she drives a car to a job that pays a minimal wage; and she is less likely able to hold a conversation in te reo Maaori.
451 Old Taupiri Road, Private Bag 542, Ngaaruawaahia. Telephone (07) 824 8689, Fax (07) 824 5133, Email tainui@tainui.co.nz, Website www.tainui.co.nz This newsletter is produced by the Waikato Raupatu Trustee Company Ltd.