Ngāti Kahungunu stands united against Government initiatives

Ngāti Kahungunu chairman Bayden Barber.

“All of those things we are in charge of, leading our own initiatives - we will not move.”

Ngāti Kahungunu is reviewing its future under a coalition Government.

A hui ā-iwi held last month at Waimārama Marae was a response to the Government’s proposed “anti-Māori” policies regarding a referendum on the Treaty of Waitangi, the status of te reo Māori and disbanding the Māori Health Authority, Te Aka Whai Ora.

Ngāti Kahungunu chairman Bayden Barber said the open-floor discussion allowed many to air their views and form their own challenges to the Government.

“All of those things we are in charge of, leading our own initiatives - we will not move,” he said.

The outcomes of the hui will be part of Ngāti Kahungunu’s presentation to the national hui of unity Kīngi Tuheitia will host at Tūrangawaewae Marae on January 20.

And further iwi-ā-hui are in the pipeline.

“I hope to do more of these hui this year, focusing on different issues; a hui-ā-iwi for education, one for the language and customs, so that everyone’s wishes and hopes are heard,” Barber said.

The hui will also address iwi-led recovery almost a year after Cyclone Gabrielle.

Widespread flooding struck Nūhaka twice after heavy rainfall in the northern region in November and December last year, resulting in the closure of the school and forcing families to evacuate their homes again.

Coastal flood maps predicting how climate change will affect Hawke’s Bay’s coastline in the next 75 years also show some 2000 properties in the Napier City Council area alone are in flood-prone areas.

The safety and wellbeing of whānau is still a priority, said Barber.

“The important thing is that we stay prepared and well-equipped for when another disaster like that happens again, because there is no doubt that something similar could happen.

“But having visited different marae and spoken with those that live on the marae, they’re good, the sun is shining over them, and it seems that the hardships are starting to ease.”

Additional reporting by Hawke’s Bay Today.