Te Arawa Vision to be launched on Sunday

What started as a blank canvas has morphed into a robust and heartfelt picture on how Te Arawa sees its future over the next 30 years.

The Te Arawa Vision 2050 is being launched on Sunday 19 July from 3pm to 6pm at Te Puia, after more than a year of wānanga and discussions throughout Te Arawa. The event will also be livestreamed on Te Arawa FM’s Facebook.

Te Arawa 2050 Rōpū Whakahaere, a collective of representatives from 16 Te Arawa mandated organisations, came together in February 2019 to develop a future plan, following calls from Te Arawa who wanted a new and united vision for the iwi.

Rōpū Whakahaere member and Te Tatau o Te Arawa chair, Te Taru White, says the vision document is founded on the words of Houmaitawhiti as he farewelled his son Tamatekapua and Te Arawa tīpuna from the shores of Hawaiiki many generations ago.

“His words encourage us to pay homage to the homelands wherever we go in life,” says Te Taru. “Never forget who you are and where you come from. Carry the values of our people with you and when our day is done on earth, our spirits will return to Hawaiiki to rest with our ancestors. 

“These wonderful interpretations set the scene for who we are today and where we must be in the future. Be strong, challenge everything, and defeat it.”

Te Taru says Te Arawa can now look forward to a future transformed into what we want it to be. 

“This document has fed off the contributions from so many Te Arawa people – our entities, individuals, hapū – and videos with our rangatahi and koeke. It creates the strength in this document when you add it to the wonderful words of our ancestors.

“The Te Arawa Vision 2050 document isn’t designed to impugn on the rights and sovereignty of our hapū and iwi but to galvanise us in those areas. Through collective leverage we can make a difference to the world ahead of us – to the world our children our mokopuna will be inheriting,” says Te Taru.

“I look forward to seeing this document in action over the next 30-plus years and making a real difference for our people.”

The launch of the Te Arawa Vision 2050 is on Sunday 19 July from 3pm to 6pm at Te Puia and livestreamed on Te Arawa FM’s Facebook. The event is being celebrated as part of Rotorua Reorua initiatives.

Both reo Māori and English versions of Te Arawa Vision 2050 will be available online at www.tearawavision.nz from Sunday.