A man is still missing off the Patāua South coast. Photo / NZME
A rāhui following the death of a young fisherman and the disappearance of another off the coast of Whangārei has highlighted a lack of public understanding about the cultural protocol.
A search was launched on Friday night after the pair failed to return home that day from a fishing trip off the coast of Patāua South, Whangārei Heads.
On Saturday morning, their boat was located with no one aboard, and shortly afterwards, an 11-year-old boy’s body was recovered from the water at Parauwanui Beach in Patāua North.
The search for the second fisherman continued today and involved police, including the Police Dive Squad, the Royal New Zealand Navy, Coastguard Tutukākā and Coastguard Whangārei volunteers.
A rāhui has been placed on the east coast from Paparoa-Tutukākā to south of Waipu Cove, and including Whangārei Harbour. Swimming, fishing and seafood gathering is prohibited.
News of the rāhui was shared across social media channels on the weekend, at times attracting negative comments.
Aperehama Kerepeti-Edwards of Te Waiariki hapū – one of the wider Whangārei hapū and iwi affected by the tragedy, and which collectively agreed to impose the rāhui – said it is a protective measure.
“It’s not about punishment or inconvenience. It’s about care, respect, and giving space for the family and the search effort.”
Kerepeti-Edwards said a rāhui is initially undertaken as a notion of respect. It also allows the place, space and people involved time to heal.
“We still have a missing loved one, and efforts are still underway to locate him. That has also influenced the geographical size of the rāhui area. It’s within the search area.”
Kaumātua (elders) decide if a rāhui is to be imposed, give official notice of it, and say karakia (prayer) when it is placed and lifted.
Green Party MP and Northlander Hūhana Lyndon, who is close to the whānau of the recovered boy and missing man, said the rāhui is about protecting life and respecting the dead, and it applies regardless of ethnicity.
In this situation, the purpose is to allow search and rescue to proceed, and give the sea time to clear.
She urged the public to be patient and mindful of the sensitivity of the situation. She said there was no set timeframe while the missing person remained unrecovered.
Kerepeti-Edwards said rāhui was an ancient protocol evident in its practice not just in New Zealand but right across the Polynesian triangle, where it has the same functions.
He has been invited several times in the past five years to speak internationally about rāhui, including at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Iceland, Climate Week in New York, and at COP (Conference of the Parties) Summits in Egypt and Dubai.
That international interest, Kerepeti-Edwards said, recognised rāhui as an important mechanism in conservation strategies.
“We’ve been doing a significant amount of work around securing better protections for whales and the habitat of whales, the migratory corridor of whales in the Pacific. And one of the aspects of the project is around the use of rāhui.”
Rāhui could apply to situations at sea or land, and also applied when the mauri (vibrancy or life principle) of a place is under strain, such as after a forest fire or when a species or habitat was threatened.
In Northland, rāhui had been used to help control the spread of kauri dieback disease and the invasive seaweed caulerpa.
“It limits access to or use of a specific place or resource. It’s based on tikanga and is used to promote safety, respect, healing or regeneration,” Kerepeti-Edwards said.
Dr Mere Kepa, chair of the Takahiwai Māori Committee and a representative of Te Parawhau hapū, who lives near Marsden Point, was at Ruakākā Beach on Sunday and said she was impressed by the way surf club members calmly explained the rāhui protocol to people, including her whānau.
“There was no fuss or bother by anyone. People simply retreated from the sea.”
In her view, it showed, “Aotearoa-New Zealand society is maturing and engaging courteously and respectfully with Māori principles of protection for the dead”.
Ruakākā Surf Lifesaving Patrol administration officer Charlie Davies said the club respects rāhui, and its thoughts are with the whānau and community.
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, most of which she spent court reporting in Gisborne and on the East Coast.