Ngati Whakaue to honour octogenarians and nonagenarians at celebration dinner

Ngati Whakaue Assets Trust chairwoman Katie Paul. Photo/File

Ngati Whakaue will pay tribute to the iwi's highly respected koeke (elders) next month at the Whakaue Koeke Celebration Dinner.

The dinner will host 250 koeke and honour more than 35 kaumatua and kuia in their 80s and 90s who have served across the tribe.

The celebration will be funded by the Ngati Whakaue Assets Trust, Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust, Ngati Whakaue Tribal Lands Inc and the Ngati Whakaue Education Endowment Board.

Ngati Whakaue Assets Trust chairwoman Katie Paul said the evening was an important part of its social and cultural calendar, and would be the fourth of the tribe's special annual dinners honouring its koeke.

"We are already strong in our culture and our marae are thriving.

"The focus now is to grow and protect our success for future generations.

"We believe one of the most critical factors in moving forward is to maintain unity and respect for all of our people, and in particular for our kaumatua who have given so much."

Each of the nonagenarians will receive a taonga and framed photograph of the group at the event.

Monty Morrison and Kingi Biddle will MC the event.

Morrison said the dinner would be an opportunity to acknowledge all of the koeke's contributions and service across a range of activities and areas.

Ngati Whakaue Assets Trust supports a number of events as part of its kaupapa to support and grow Ngati Whakaue.

Last year's highlight was the Whakaue Whakanuia celebration, when more than 1000 people came together to celebrate Ngati Whakaue's family history and achievements, culminating in a special kapa haka event and marae awards dinner.

Next weekend, the tribe will come together again to celebrate the Whakaue Whanau Day, to be held on Sunday, February 4 in Maketu.

The event is designed to bring the tribe together to celebrate their culture, learn about their environment, access key information from the iwi and most importantly - have fun and relax.

Ngati Whakaue would like to thank the committee for organising the Koeke event - Whaea Norma Sturley (kuia karanga), Greg Allen, Tiffy Te Moni and Monty Morrison.