ISSUE 10 – July 2018 E ngā mana e ngā uri ō rātou mā e mihi atu kia tātou katoa i tui tuia kia kotahi i roto i te Hapū o Ruapuha me Uekaha ki Waitomo. E maumahara ana ki a rātou kua huri ki tua i te arai. Moe mai rā koutou i roto i ngā ringāringā a tō tātou Matua nui i te Rangi. Ka huri ki a koutou kia tātou katoa ara ngā manaakitanga o te runga rawa kia tātou katoa…Pai marire. THIS ISSUE OF TOMOKIA Welcome to this issue of Tomokia. Winter has arrived, and the Caves have slowed down giving our taonga and whanau working there a well-deserved break. The year has certainly been busy with visitor numbers to the Caves up 11% on last year. Tourism New Zealand forecasts further growth in visitor numbers to Aotearoa and while this is good news for the Caves, the RUHT is aware of how important it is to ensure our taonga is looked after. In this issue we advertise a call for nominations for the election of one trustee to the Ruapuha Uekaha Hapū Trust at the annual general meeting in September; re-advertise the Kaumātua Grants; report on the roll-out of the RUHT’s Marae Development Fund; acknowledge Steve Keung, a long serving trustee on the RUHT who will be retiring in September; catch up with Dr Kiri Edge, a hapū trust member who recently received her Ph.D; and panui a calendar of dates of programmes and grants offered by the RUHT. We hope you enjoy this issue of Tomokia updating you on what is happening with the RUHT. Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa. KAUMATUA HAUORA GRANTS ARE NOW OPEN Applications for the Kaumātua Hauora Grants are now open for hapū trust members sixty-five years and older. The grants can be used to help with health expenses for glasses and eye treatments, dental and denture work, specialist visits/procedures, for assistance with hearing, medical alarms and mobility or disability equipment. The grant can also be used for memberships to: · AA Plus – This gives the applicant six free call outs for either breakdowns, flat batteries, flat tyres and, additional benefits including free towing, emergency cars and accommodation. · St John’s Ambulance Service - This membership means you are exempt from ambulance charges if you are taken to hospital by St John’s. This membership is not available to people living in Wellington and Wairarapa. However, there is a free ambulance service that is offered in these regions. · Mobility Parking Cards - A long-term permit is valid for five years. You will need to fill in a Mobility Parking Application Form which you then take to your GP to complete. The forms can be downloaded from www.ccsdisabilityaction.org.nz or you can ring the RUHT office and we can post one to you. The closing date for applications is Friday, 17 August. Grants (up to $400) will be paid out in the following week. If you have any queries regarding the grant, please contact CJ on 0800 525 626. NOMINATIONS FOR THE ELECTION OF ONE TRUSTEE Nominations are now open for the election for one trustee to the Ruapuha Uekaha Hapū Trust at the annual general meeting to be held on Saturday, 22 September at Te Kauae Marae, Hangatiki starting at 10am. The election for one trustee will be conducted by postal vote and, by special vote at the annual general meeting. There is no voting by proxy. GHA of Rotorua are the Returning Officer. See details below on how to obtain a nomination form. Please note that Nominations were advertised on June 22 2018 in numerous regional and national papers. This is a follow-up panui. LONG SERVING TRUSTEE TO RETIRE MARAE DEVELOPMENT FUND The RUHT recently met with the Trustees from Rereamanu Marae, Te Korapatu Marae, Mirumiru Marae, Pohatuiri Marae and Tokikapu Marae to discuss the roll-out of the RUHT’s new Marae Development Fund initiative. (The original owners in the Caves; Whatakaraka; Te Moerua Natanahira; Te Aroa Haami Haereiti; Tanetinorau; and Te Riutoto Aihe are affiliated to these marae). The Fund, along with other support available, will provide opportunities for each marae to identify and pursue their ongoing development needs and aspirations in the following areas; · Cultural infrastructure and capabilities; · Physical infrastructure and capacity; · Administrative infrastructure and capability. To achieve these aspirations the Fund will provide grants for: · Capital works for building developments – up to $100,000 to each marae; · Development of the paepae and the regeneration of te reo Maori, tikanga, kawa and history – up to $5,000 to each marae for wānanga and · Annual grants for operational expenses – up to $20,000 to each marae. The RUHT is committed to giving back and supporting the development and ongoing future of our marae and our hau kainga who carry out important roles as the kaitiaki of our marae. The RUHT is committed to connecting and reconnecting whanau to their hapū and marae. The Marae Development Fund is intended to support these objectives to ensure our marae remain the hub of our cultural identity and connection to whānau. Contact your Marae representatives for more information. CALENDAR OF PROGRAMMES AND GRANTS Congratulations to the elected trustees to the Maniapoto Māori Trust Board. Five trustees were returned (Dan Te Kanawa, Glenn Toothill, Riria Te Kanawa, Bella Takiari-Brame and Keith Ikin), and one new trustee elected (Derek Wooster). A very special acknowledgement to our whanaunga Wikitoria Tane who also stood as a candidate - Ko reira tata! Lastly, we acknowledge the passing of Hon. Dr Koro Wētere, a respected parliamentarian during his time as a member of parliament and leader and kaumātua of Maniapoto. His lifetime contribution was susbstantial bringing about significant change that benefitied Māori . We extend our condolensces to Koro’s whānau . Moe mai, moe mai, moe mai ra. KIRI'S JOURNEY Kia ora whānau, my name is Kiri Edge. I am the granddaughter of Arona Barrett, the great granddaughter of Tahipapa (Napi) Davis & Hēnare Barrett. I am proudly Ngāti Maniapoto! I was born in Hamilton and completed all my education in what they would now call decile one schools. I wasn’t really the best student and was probably just a wee bit too cheeky with my teachers. My school reports often said things like “If Kiri talked less and worked more she’d get better results” or “Kiri is a distraction to herself and others in class, which is becoming an issue”. Looking back, I struggled to understand the meaning of school and how it might help me in the ‘real world’. What I realised much later, was that school was really more about me ‘learning how to learn’ and working hard for my goals and dreams. It was also trying to teach me about different ways of understanding the world, and my place within it. I didn’t really realise these things until I got my first real job and finally I began to understand that hard work can mean great rewards! I eventually enrolled at university as an adult student, which was pretty scary and I wasn’t completely sure I was cut out to be a student. I had to make good use of the support and learning resources at University. I worked really hard and was probably more than a little surprised when I started to get really good grades. This opened up some amazing opportunities for me, I become part of the Māori & Psychology Research Unit at the University of Waikato and was able to travel and met some amazing people, who continue to inspire me today. I was honoured to join the Tangi Research Programme at the University of Waikato and began to work on my PhD as part of that; my PhD was titled Different Coloured Tears: Bicultural Bereavement Perspectives, exploring how Māori and Pākehā bicultural whānau negotiate through bereavement. Being Maniapoto played an important role throughout my PhD journey. As I began to read about the topic, it was really clear that there were particular perspectives that hadn’t been included-those from Te Ao Māori. I made these perspectives a priority and stayed within my Maniapoto networks to make contact with elders, kaumātua and kuia to see if they would be interested in contributing to the research. There are four amazing chapters in my PhD which present the perspectives and experiences of Maniapoto elders, kuia and kaumātua. My proudest moment was bringing my research ‘home’, with a graduation celebration and presentation at Te Kauae Marae, Hangatiki. This meant more to me that the formal graduation at the University the day before! Doing a PhD can be a long and often lonely journey, one I simply would not have completed without the support of my whanau, hapū and Iwi. One of the most significant challenges I faced was being able to complete my research, while still supporting my son Mātai, who is now ten. I was honoured by the expression of support and financial assistance through the Ruapuha Uekaha Hapū Trust scholarships. This meant I could concentrate on my research and look after my whānau without the distraction by financial pressures. I am now a postdoctoral research fellow and am working on a new project about healthy, flourishing relationships within Te Ao Māori. On behalf of my whānau and myself, we are eternally grateful for the supportive role of the Ruapuha Uekaha Hapū Trust within my PhD journey. This support made a huge difference to our lives, supporting me to fulfil my ultimate aspiration- making some kind of difference in the world, in our world -for our whānau, hapū and iwi. Tihei Mauri Ora! The PhD research is available online at: http://hdl.handle.net/10289/11163 |