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Home / Kahu

Kāhu ki Rotorua: He rā tākaro, he rā tākai: Whānau day, fun way to tackle heavy issues

Roimata Mihinui
By Roimata Mihinui
Kāhu ki Rotorua·Rotorua Weekender·
4 Nov, 2021 07:30 PM6 mins to read

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Ngati Pikiao Kia Piki te Ora Co-ordinator Mamaeroa Merito.

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

Click here for English translation
Kāore he titiro ki te ao mārama hai tā te pou whakahaere o Kia Piki te Ora a Mamaeroa Merito.

He take tāna, kia tika hoki, ka nui kē āna take! Kare kau ngā hāora mahi pēnei i te nuinga o tātou e hē! He aro kē atu tāna ki te kaupapa matua kātahi ! Kia whakatauiratia ake, āpōpō kua tuituia ki te rōpū Mana Enhancing STOP Charitable Trust me te Eastside Community's Tatau Pounamu he whakaara i tētehi huinga tūwhera ki te hāpori ka tū ki te kura tuatahi o Ōwhata, ko te tioata whakaihi rānei te pī me āna taumahatanga ka pā ki ngā whānau te kaupapa.

He rā nui whakaharahara, he rā tākaro, he rā tuku kai, otīā ko te rā nei hai waka kawe me te tuku kōrero hai tākai i ngā whānau e mate nei i ngā tūkinotanga a te pī. He pūkenga kōrero ka puta mai hai whakawaha i ngā ratonga whakaora hai whare awhina i te māuiui.

He kaupapa māori noa e kanohi mai, e kanohi atu te tangata ki te tangata. "He ahakoa he kawenga taumaha ma te ngākau mahaki e ora ai ngā pāpāringa o te tangata ", hai tā Mamaeroa. " He rā tuku kōrero ki te hāpori e whakamātau ai ki ngā wāhi ora hai awhinatanga".

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Arā anō ētehi kaupapa whakapiki i te ora ka tū i te rā nei pēnei i ngā wāhi mirimiri me te romiromi me te whakatika hoki i ngā kōiwi o te tangata. Kai te whakaritea hoki kia whā anō ngā wānanga pēnei te āhuatanga engari me tataku noa te haere kai raru anō tātou i te mate urutā kowheori.

Mamaeroa Merito to the left with Atapo Huriwai taken in March at a Healing Wananga at Owhata Primary School. Photo / Supplied
Mamaeroa Merito to the left with Atapo Huriwai taken in March at a Healing Wananga at Owhata Primary School. Photo / Supplied

E ai ki a Mamaeroa ( Nō Ngāti Pikiao nō Ngāti Whakaue me Ngāti Awa) ka haumarutia a Piki-te-Ora e te tauākī a Turamarama-ki-te-Ora i whakapāohotia i te huinga whakahirahira taketake o te ao kaupare i te whakamomori i tu i te tau 2016. Nā ngā tohunga pēnei i a Tā Mason Durie rātou ko Michael Naera ko Te Pae Fitzell te kaupapa i kōkiri, ā, i awhinatia rātou e ngā hapū me ngā iwi o te ao taketake.

Ka pau te kotahi kaupeka ka whakatinanahia te tauākī e Ngāti Pikiao hai waka-ā-motu mo te kaupare i te whakamomori, hai parata wāhi ngaru tūātea.
Ko tā te ohu tawhito o Kia Piki Te Ora mahi, he noho tahi i te hunga taiohi ki te waihanga i tētehi ātamira matihiko e kīa ana ko Rise Up he kaupapa tēnei i ara mai i ngā whakamomoritanga i Reporoa.

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Engari ka toru tau tēnā ātamira matihiko e noho ngū ana, nō reira ināianei ko te aronga he whakahuihui i te rangatahi me tēnā kaupapa kia kite kau me he take matua tāna kāore rānei.

Kua riro i a Putake Nui Collective tēnā kaupapa hei kawe engari ka tiakina rātou e te pahi Digital Native Academy kua whitu wiki ināianei rātou e mahi ana i te kaupapa nā. Huihuia katoatia ngā poumahi o Kia Piki te Ora ia rāwhā hai wānanga i ā rātou mahi. He taiohi, he taipakeke hoki te huihuinga.

I ia wiki ka rerekē te hunga mahi, i runga i ngā āhuatanga mahi me ngā āhuatanga hākinakina hoki i pēnei ai. I ētehi wā he toko ono ngā tangata ka tae mai engari ko te nuinga o te taima he tekau mā rua, he tekau mā rima te nui o te tangata ka puta mai.
Ko te taniwha whakapēhi nei i tā Mamaeroa mahi ko te pūtea pakupaku. Kātahi te puna maroke hoki!

He ahakoa ko Te Rau Ora te whare āhuru mōwai mo te kaupapa kaupare i te whakamomori a hāpori Māori, kāore anō kia tino pakeketia ōna paiaka, ko te tau tuarua noaiho tēnei kua whakawhiwhia ki te tāhua pūtea.

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"Kai reira kē te taumahatanga e uaua ai te kimi awhinatanga".

Ngati Pikiao Kia Piki te Ora Coordinator Mamaeroa Merito is a woman on a mission — make that many missions.

Hers is no nine-to-five, compartmentalised role. It's go where the need is greatest.

Like tomorrow, for instance.

In conjunction with the Mana Enhancing STOP Charitable Trust and the Eastside Community's Tatau Pounamu the Pikiao Runanga is holding an open day at Owhata Primary School about methamphetamine or P use and the effects on whānau.

Healing Wananga at Owhata Primary School. This event was focused on connecting whanau to holistic means of Hauora.  Photo / Supplied
Healing Wananga at Owhata Primary School. This event was focused on connecting whanau to holistic means of Hauora. Photo / Supplied

The fun day of games, free food and fun has a serious message and offers information to whanau about what wrap-around services are available to help deal with the effects of addiction. P or methamphetamine are just one aspect.

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There will be kai korero to speak about services and referrals to groups who offer help.
The expo will be one to one with whanau.

"We'll be making it a fun day even though it's a heavy take" said Mamaeroa. "Educating whanau about where they can get support."

As well, there will be healing rooms with mirimiri practitioners and a chiropractor.

Four more healing wananga are planned for the next nine months but that will depend on covid alert levels.

Mamaeroa (Ngati Pikiao, Ngati Whakaue, Ngati Awa) said Kia Piki Te Ora fits under the Turamarama Ki Te Ora declaration made at the world indigenous conference on suicide prevention in 2016. It was led by Ta Mason Durie, Michael Naera and Te Pae Fitzell with support from various indigenous communities and whānau.

A year later Te Rūnanga o Ngati Pikiao conceptualised the declaration into a national māori suicide prevention strategy which leads their mahi at present.

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The previous Kia Piki Te Ora team worked in Partnership with Rangatahi to create a digital platform, Rise Up, in response to suicides in Reporoa.

But for three years that website lay dormant so the latest project is bringing new rangatahi together to see if that website is still relevant or if it requires some adjustment.

That mahi is being carried out under the auspices of the Putake Nui Collective through the Digital Native Academy and the group are seven weeks into that project. Kia Piki Te Ora, whose participants are aged between 12 and 24, meet every Thursday to work on that mahi.

The number of participants changes every week mainly because older rangatahi have jobs and others play sport. At least six rangatahi take part but usually around 12 to 15.

The mahi of Mamaeroa and others in the suicide prevention field is hampered by the insecurity or lack of funding.

Te Rau Ora is the Maori Community suicide prevention fund but this is only the second year they've had some money available.

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"It makes our job really hard trying to find support."

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