He was supporting a group of Kahungunu kaumātua who were travelling to Ngaruawahia to attend the annual Koroneihana when he received the call from former chief executive Meka Whaitiri to say he had the job.
“That morning I received a phone call from kaumātua Haami Hilton who asked me to represent Kahungunu and speak on the paepae at Ngaruawahia, so I jumped on the bus to tautoko. It was on our way back that I received a call to say I had the job,” Jeremy said.
“I was asked not to disclose the information, but it was hard to contain it because everyone on the bus was listening to the conversation.”
Jeremy has been a great asset to the organisation during his time at Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated. He stepped into a big role and was responsible for managing and progressing the Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated Te Reo Māori Strategy to safeguard and protect Kahungunutanga through the implementation of the Strategic Plan for the Revitalisation of Te Reo Māori o Ngāti Kahungunu 2006-2027.
Under Jeremy’s leadership, the organisation has led many successful initiatives including the review of the Ngāti Kahungunu Māori Language Strategy from whence came Kahungunu, kia eke!, the implementation of Te Kura Reo o Ngāti Kahungunu that recently celebrated its 10th year, the Te Reo ki Tua National Māori Language Revitalisation Symposium, the Ngā Tohu Reo o Ngāti Kahungunu where we’ve celebrated our Kahungunu language champions, the Whakamana i Te Pae o Huaki-pōuri whaikōrero and karanga wānanga, the development of rangatahi excellence programmes including Te Tira Hou, Te Pae Tata and Te Pōkaitara. Rangatahi who have attended these programmes have gone on to become leaders in their own communities and throughout the country.
During the past 13 years, the organisation has received a number of national supreme awards in acknowledgement for its Māori language revitalisation efforts.
This young man has influenced the iwi through his hard work and sheer determination to follow his dreams and project his passion for the continuous pursuit of excellence when it comes to learning and understanding everything about Kahungunu reo and reaching our potential as individuals, as whānau and as an iwi.
He has always acknowledged his mentors, those people who have nurtured him and helped him progress in his journey, especially those who have now passed on, the late Tuahine Northover, Materoa Haenga and Dr James Wharehuia Milroy. Their legacy lives on as people like Jeremy continue to refine and share te reo Māori with the world.
We make special mention of Sir Tīmoti Kāretu who is a key figure in Jeremy’s life and has also reared him during his tenure at the helm of Ngāti Kahungunu’s reo strategy.
Jeremy received his Bachelor of Māori Performing Arts Degree in 2014 and further challenged himself to gain his PhD which he received in 2021. His doctorate topic was the history, evolution, and future of dialect within Ngāti Kahungunu.
Jeremy is married to Te Rina Wainohu, and together they have a family of three sons: Te Uaki, 14, Te Maurutanga, 9, and Mahikai, 2.
In 2020, Jeremy established Kauwaka Limited, a service provider that contributes to the language and cultural revitalisation endeavours within Ngāti Kahungunu. Going forward, Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated will continue to partner with groups like Kauwaka to progress our reo revitalisation goals and aspirations.
“I’m grateful for my time with the iwi. I feel privileged and grateful for my work experience and my work colleagues who have become close family friends,” Jeremy said.
“Ka pū te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi! Ka nui te mihi atu ki tēnei tamaiti kua riro nei i a ia tēnei tūranga motuhake. Waiho mā te ringa kakama pēnei i a Tātere, tātau e ārahi whakamua i roto i te pakanga nui ki te whakapūmau anō i tō tātau reo Māori me ōna tikanga, ā, ki te whakarite huarahi e eke ai tō tātau iwi ki ngā taumata teitei o te mātauranga. Heoi anō, kia maumahara anō tātau ki tērā kōrero tuku iho a kui mā, a koro mā - ko te amorangi ki mua, ko te hāpai-ō ki muri. E kore hoki e tutuki katoa i a Tātere me tana kotahi ō tātau wawata mō te reo Māori me te mātauranga ki te kore tātau katoa e tautoko i a ia i roto i ngā mahi nei.” – Dr Joeseph Te Rito (2010)
