Kāhu ki Rotorua: Waitangi Whakanuia at Ohinemutu - a celebration of community

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E ngā mana, e ngā wehi, e ngā karangatanga maha o te riu o te takere waka he pānui ki ngā rangatira katoa ki a tae mai kotou ki Ohinemutu ā te rangi whakaharahara o Waitangi. Ko Whakanuia te take nā reira tēnei karanga ki a kotou nā Ngāti Whakaue nui tonu, nā te whare tapu o Ue, haere mai, nau mai rā. He rangi hākoakoa, he rangi tākaro, he rangi hākinakina, hauora, toiora whaihoki he rangi whakakotahi i a tātau katoa ki te aha, ki te manaaki i tō tātau taiao. Ko Maylene Sheree Meroiti tō tātau rangatira kua riro i a ia te pahi hākinakina e arataki. Nō tātau te waimaire, he tamaiti hoki ia nō te pā taunaha o Ohinemutu. Tokorua āna tamariki he mahanga rāua, ko Tumanako me Patene Paul. He wahine niho roa ki te ao hākinakina he momo ia nō ōna tūpuna.

“Ko te huarahi o te hākinakina te ara kua roa nei ahau e haerehia ana. Nō te mutunga o taku kura he mōhio nōku ka ū taku wairua ki tēnei ao e piki ai taku hauora, e piki ai taku kaha, nā wai rā ka tū hai mahi tūturu māku. Koinei taku ūmanga nui ināianei. He hua anō o taku mahi, he kotahi anake te rangatira, ko ahau tonu. Ko tāku he tuku i ngā kirimana hākinakina nō te mana o taku waka kawe mahi ko Mayz Sportz &Netball ki ngā kura me ngā kamupene o te rohe whānui tonu.” E wha tekau mā iwa te rahi o Maylene. Nā tōna koroua ia i akiaki kia takahia te huarahi o te hākinakina, he mātanga rongonui ki te papa netipōro hai pou tākaro, hai pou wawao otīā hai rangatira whakahaere hoki. Ko ' Te whakahoki aroha ki taku pā taunaha te whetū kōmata o te ao’, taku kaupapa kawe ki te rā nui o Whakanuia. I tupu ake ai au i te tiriti o Ariariterangi. Ko te kāinga tēnā o ōku kaumātua, he kāinga kī pai i ngā tini tamariki. He kāinga kē tō mātau, wheoi anō kāhore he kāinga i tua atu o te kāinga o ngā kaumātua ki te pā taunaha o Ohinemutu’.

Nō te tau e rua mano mā whitu i whakaaraara ai a Whakanuia engari kē i te pā taunaha o Te Whakarewarewa. Ko tētehi wāhanga o taua hui ko te whakanui i te pakarutanga o Rotomahana. He mihi hoki nā te iwi ki te kaupapa arahi/manaaki turuhi. Kātahi ka toko ake te whakaaro ki a ora tēnei kaupapa e tika ana ki te kawe atu a Whakanuia ki Ohinemutu. ' Ko te take tuarua anō hoki he whakahoki i tēnei kaupapa ki te hāpori kia whai wā ai te manuwhiri te peka mai ki te noho tahi ki a tātau katoa, ka toru, a Waitangi tuturu nei, te tawhiti hoki e kore e tāea pea e te nui o tātau te haere ki taua wāhi rā. Nā reira te tino whakaaro o tēnei kaupapa he whakamihi ki te iwi, ki ngā hapū me te hāpori whānui tonu ki a kotahi mai i runga i te rangimarie me te aroha’. He wahine whai mātauranga hoki a Maylene nō Ngai Te Arawa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Whakaue me Ngāti Whare.

Maylene Meroiti and some of her players and volunteers from Whakanuia 2020. Photo / Supplied

' E whia kē ngā tau kua hori e whakapau kaha nei ahau ki te whakakaha i taku reo. Nō te tau tawhito ka pakaru i ahau te kaupapa Te Ahu o Te Reo, he kaupapa awhina nā Te Taumata o Ngāti Whakaue. Ko te wero nui māku ā te tau hou nei ki a oti i ahau i te taumata tuatoru. Ka nui taku hiahia kia noho tuturu ahau hai tauira reo, engari ka pēwhea e ora ai ahau i te korenga pūtea’. Nā reira tana whakamihi ki te hunga e noho tuturu nei ki te mana o te reo me ngā kaupapa Māori. Nō te wā o te mate urutā, mate kōwheori kāore ia i tae ki te kaupapa Whakanuia, i haria ki wāhi kē atu. Ko āna kupu itiiiti nei ki a tātau katoa, ' Kia mau ki tō mana, me ūpoko pakaru rānō koe, engari kia ngākau hūmarie hoki, ka oti, hōea te waka! Mā te tūpono tangata mā te tūtakitaki tangata e pūare ai ngā huarahi huhua – e puta koe, takahia ngā ara whānui o te ao, tomokia ngā whare engari kia kaha hoki ki te whakahauhau tangata.

— Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori

Come celebrate whanau and community during Waitangi Whakanuia at Ohinemutu.

That’s the message loud and clear from Ngati Whakaue who plan a full day of activities down at the pa for February 6.

Iwi services are geared up to provide a day of culture, kai, hakinakina, hauora, toiora, and looking out for our taiao.

Leading the hakinakina team is Ohinemutu born and raised Maylene Sheree Meroiti.

The mother of twins Tumanako and Patene Paul has been active in sport all her life as she comes from a sports-mad family.

“My pathway since leaving school was always focused on sport, health and fitness which moved into my career of studying sport, recreation, health and fitness and now creating self-employment delivery contracts through my Mayz Sportz & Netball.”

Maylene, 49, knew her future would be sports related because she had whanau play elite sports and was trained by her koro.

She is a familiar figure on the netball courts around the rohe as a life-long player, coach and manager. Her contribution to Whakanuia is a way to “give back to my pa — the amazing place where I grew up!”

“I grew up down the pa, 40 Ariariterangi Street is my nan’s and koro’s homestead and it was always filled with us all the time! We had our own homes with our mum and dad but any chance we got we were at nan’s down the pa.”

He papa takaro ki Paratehoata mo te Whakanuia 2020. Photo / Supplied

The first Whakanuia Day was celebrated at Whakarewarewa in 2007 and included acknowledging the eruption on June 10, 1886, of Mount Tarawera. It was also an acknowledgement of the legacy of guiding. To keep the kaupapa going, it was decided to shift the Whakanuia celebrations to Ohinemutu.

“As well, it was to give back to our people that are usually still around the township on the day, and for those that can’t always make it up to Waitangi grounds.

“We have whanau that link from here in Te Arawa up to the top of the North Island, and to the bottom of the South Island. We can’t always get up north to support our whanau up there, so the decision was made to run the event for our whanau and their tamariki who are looking to get out for the day and enjoy what we do have here and all the different things we can pull together as an iwi, again to acknowledge past and present, and open the door of educating our next generation.”

Maylene (Te Arawa, Ngai Tuhoe, Ngati Whakaue, Ngati Whare), is committed to learning te reo and whakapapa.

“I have been learning te reo for years intermittently. Last year I completed the Te Ahu o Te Reo programme in the education sector with Te Taumata o Ngati Whakaue and will be doing level 3 this year.

“It would be fantastic to do te reo learning full time but cannot afford to leave mahi yet.”

She always appreciates whanau, friends and other passionate, vibrant people who give up their time to keep the kaupapa going no matter what. During the Covid pandemic, she did not participate in the Whakanuia event as it was moved from her pa. She is passionate about her pa and her sport and encourages rangatahi.

“Believe in yourself, Be confident and positive. Keep moving forward!

“Connections open pathways for lifetime journeys — explore, engage and encourage!”