Kāhu ki Rotorua: Have a say about our rohe

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

See below for English translation

Ko tō pōti, ko tāku pōti, ka ora te iwi

Nā te mea kai te rārangi pōti Māori ahau e pūare ana taku ringa ki te pōti mō tētehi Mea o te tāone, e toru ngā mema kaunihera i te puna o Te Ipu Wai Taketake rānei te wāri Māori, ā me te pōti mō tētehi tangata mō te wāhanga Māori ki Ōkurei mō te kaunihera o Te moana o Toitehuatahi.

Ki ahau ngā māringitanga o Te Mangaroa he waimarie nōku nō tātou o tēnei takiwā nei inā te tokomaha o ngā rangatira e tika ana ki ēnei tūnga hai whakamāmā i ngā tini raruraru kai te ātea nui o te takiwā.

Ko te take matua ki ahau ko te tiaki me te manaaki i ngā awa me ngā moana me te āta whakamāuru i ā mātou kia itiiiti noa ā tātou tukitukinga i a Papatuanuku.

He ahakoa kai te taiao kē ētehi pahi e tiaki whenua ana pai kē atu ki a rau taiaha tēnā i te rau kotahi hei hahau i tēnei ngārara. Kai te titaha kē aku kanohi ki ngā kaupapa rawa kore me te kāinga kore hai aha noa atu ēnā kaupapa māku.

Me ā motu kē tā tātou anga atu ki tēnei kaupapa e kore e tāea e te tokoiti. Nā reira kua rautakingia e ahau āku pōti.

Nō te tau kotahi mano e iwa rau e whitu tekau mā wha ahau e pōti ana ko te wā tēnei i heke ai te tau pōti ki te kotahi tekau mā waru. He rangatahi tonu nōku nō te tau kotahi mano e iwa rau e ono tekau mā iwa ko te wā tēnei i tāhuringia e te kāwanatanga te tau pōti mai i te rua tekau ki te rua tekau.

Ka kati te pōti ā te tuawaru o Ōketopa engari rā kai te ngaro ētehi kanohi rongonui kia tū hai Mea mō Rotorua nei.

Kua mana kē tēnei tūnga i a Steve Chadwick he iwa tau te roa o tēnei tūranga mahi nāna, whaihoki kāore rāua tana pikitūranga a Dave Donaldson e hiahia ana ki te whai anō i tana tūnga, nō reira ko rāua tahi ka noho ki rāhaki tā ai.

Kua puta mai tētehi kāhui tokowhitu te pakari. Ko Kalaadevi Ananda, ko Raj Kumar, ko Reynold Macpherson, ko Ben Sandford, ko Rania Sears, ko Fletcher Tabuteau me Tania Tapsell.

Ko Potaua Biasiny-Tule, ko William Hataraka, ko Lani Kereopa, ko Trevor Maxwell, ko Hana Tapiata, me Rawiri Waru ngā pou whakataetae mō te Rotorua Māori Ward.

Ki te Rotorua Rural Ward he tokorua anahe ngā pou whakataetae mō te tūnga kōtahi , nā ko Karen Barker tētehi ko Shirley Trumper tētehi.

Vote now because your next chance is three years away.

Kia kaha rā kōrua. E hoa mā he tino pahi whakataetae kai te tautohetohe mō te Rotorua General Ward, ko Kariana Black, ko Gregg Brown, Nick Chater, ko John Chetty, ko Brendan Davis, ko Ryan Gray, ko Trish Hosking, ko Sandra Kai Fong, ko Robert Lee, ko Conan O'Brien, ko Don Paterson, ko Steve Pinder, ko Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, ko Rania Sears, ko Kaya Sparke, ko Rawiri Te Kowhai, ko Grace Tuakana-Jones, ko Fisher Wang, me Mercia Yates.

Kāore e take ana te whakataetae mō te wāhanga Rotorua Lakes Community Board, kua mana kē ēnei tūnga. Ko ngā poupou ko Nick Chater, ko Stephanie George, ko Peter MacMillia me Phill Thomass.

He pēnā tonu ki te Rotorua Rural Community Board kua mana hoki aua tūnga. Ko ngā poupou ko Rachel Clark, ko Colin Guyton, ko Anker Hansen me Ben Hollier.

He tokorua poupou nō te kāinga e whakataetaengia ana mō te tūnga ki Ōkurei ,ko Raina Meha me Te Taru White, whaihoki he tokoono anō tangata nō te takiwā nei kua tukuna ō rātou ingoa mō ngā tūnga e rua mō te Rotorua General Constituency mō te kaunihera ā rohe mō te moana o Toitehuatahi, nā ko Radhika Dahya, ko Mark Gould, ko Katie Priscilla Paul, ko Tim Smith, ko Lyall Thurston me Kevin Winters.
Kia kaha rā kotou katoa.

— Na Raimona Inia tenei purongo i whakamaoritia

Being on the Maori roll gives me the right to vote for one mayor, three councillors in Te Ipu Wai Taketake or the Maori ward and one for the Okurei Maori Constituency of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

I was spoiled for choice because the calibre of candidate was so high which is just as well considering that in our town we have a number of issues which need to be addressed.

For me number 1 on that list is looking after our awa and moana, and how can we mitigate the effects of people's influence on papatuanuku.

Individuals and various entities have already taken on the mantle of caring for the taiao but we need every weapon in the arsenal to tackle this ngangara.

I haven't even considered the problem of homelessness and poverty.

That issue first needs to be tackled from a national perspective. And so I have voted accordingly. I have exercised my right to vote since the law was changed in 1974 to lower the age to 18.

I was still too young in 1969 to vote when the Government of the day changed the voting age from 21 to 20.

This year voting closes on October 8 and a couple of familiar faces are missing from our Rotorua lineup as the mayor since 2013, Steve Chadwick, and deputy mayor Dave Donaldson are not standing for re-election.

Seven candidates have offered themselves for the position. They are: Kalaadevi Ananda, Raj Kumar, Reynold Macpherson, Ben Sandford, Rania Sears, Fletcher Tabuteau, and Tania Tapsell.

Vying to fill the three seats in the Rotorua Māori Ward are: Potaua Biasiny-Tule, William Hataraka, Lani Kereopa, Aotearoa's longest-serving councillorTrevor Maxwell, Hana Tapiata, and Rawiri Waru.

In the Rotorua Rural Ward, Karen Barker and Shirley Trumper are contesting one vacancy.

There is strong competition for the six seats in the Rotorua General Ward: Kariana Black, Gregg Brown, Nick Chater, John Chetty, Brendan Davis, Ryan Gray, Trish Hosking, Sandra Kai Fong, Robert Lee, Conan O'Brien, Don Paterson, Steve Pinder, Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, Rania Sears, Kaya Sparke, Rawiri Te Kowhai, Grace Tuakana-Jones, Fisher Wang, and Mercia Yates.

No election is needed for the Rotorua Lakes Community Board. The four vacancies are filled by Nick Chater, Stephanie George, Peter MacMillan, and Phill Thomass.

It's a similar situation for the Rotorua Rural Community Board where Rachel Clark, Colin Guyton, Anker Hansen, and Ben Hollier are elected unopposed.

There are two candidates for the Okurei Maori Constituency of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Raina Meha and Te Taru White.

Six people have put themselves forward for the two Rotorua General Constituency seats on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. They are: Radhika Dahya, Mark Gould, Katie Priscilla Paul, Tim Smith, Lyall Thurston and Kevin Winters.