Modest pair surprised by achievements

To say Mita and Huka Mohi are modest would be an understatement.
They've never given much thought to the amount of voluntary work they do in their Rotorua community and were shocked to see it all in writing when they found themselves the recipients of a Rotorua District Council award.
They are among a group of Rotorua residents presented with the council's annual community service awards for locals who have contributed voluntary support and leadership over the past year.
"It was a real surprise for both of us.
"When they read out the citation I was really impressed with Mita and what we had achieved together over the years," Mrs Mohi said.
While modest to a fault, the couple are proud of what they have been able to do for their whanau and the community.
One of the their most notable achievements has been running the Mokoia Taiaha Wananga on Mokoia Island for 25 years.
More than 20,000 people have attended their courses and one of their greatest pleasures is seeing the looks on parents' faces after their sometimes troubled children have attended a course.
"When they get here we tell them we don't want to know about their past, we want them to start a new journey beginning on Mokoia," Mr Mohi said.
"A lot of them don't want to leave."
The couple also opened Rotorua and New Zealand's first kohanga reo in 1982 after the birth of their first mokopuna (grandchild), Hohua Mohi.
"At the time the Maori language and culture was in decline and we saw an opening to help our people to relearn what they had forgotten," Mrs Mohi said.
"It was an opportunity to give back to the community and preserve our language and heritage."
About 40 nominations were received for this year's community awards with recipients decided on by the Rotorua District Council Executive Committee and representatives of the Rotorua Youth Council.


Rotorua Community Awards for voluntary service
Anne Larkin
Services to the Rotorua Competitions Society
Anne Managh
Services to the Kaharoa and Rotorua Communities
David and Shreeve Donaldson
Services to Mountainbiking
Kane Radford
Youth Award for Sporting Achievement
Mita and Huka Mohi
Services to the Rotorua Community
Monique Avery
Youth Award for Sporting Achievement
Ngawara Gordon
Services to the Rotorua Arts Community
Owen Howard
Services to the Rotorua Young Achievers Awards
Richard Martin
Youth Award for Leadership, Sport, Academic and Waka Ama achievements
Te Kuruotemarama Dewes
Youth Award for Sport, Academic, Kapa Haka and Te Reo Maori achievements
Te Manu Whakataki Te Koi
Youth Award for Sporting Achievement