Jay Rerekura: Less corporate festive season and more ‘Piki Raumati’

Jay Rerekura is planning on eating plenty of kina and koura this Christmas season. Photo / Supplied

I had a guy back into my car this week.

Very apologetic and a good man. My daughter, who is a learner driver, has had multiple near misses. It’s getting harder to find a car park in town and every other day there is an end-of-year lunch or dinner or even both.

We are being encouraged to give gifts and spend money even in the face of rising interest rates. It is what it is. Welcome to the festive season.

I haven’t even mentioned alcohol yet. Oh, the stories I could tell from 18 years working around alcohol and drug policy creation, as well as time spent working the local doors.

But what has always fascinated me over the years is the amount of time, effort and money we put into this celebration. Of course, who am I to pass judgment on what the majority of the western world celebrates?

I’ve always been a bit cynical about it all. I myself have become something of a Grinch over the years. I just feel that on the whole, society does not celebrate the true essence of this time. And I won’t go into it, but I feel it is now largely corporate-driven. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good deal just like everyone else, but there is an almost invisible pressure to do certain things, celebrate in certain ways and be seen in a certain light.

For me, I’m calling this time of year ‘Piki Raumati’ from here on out. A time that we acknowledge all those things that summer brings. Warmth and, to be honest lately, rain. But the main thing is growth. The grass grows, the fruit grows riper. The puku grows wider. The days are longer. We are often acknowledging our young people as they progress through their education. There are prizegivings and graduations.

Whatever your flavour of acknowledging this time of the year, I think we can all agree this is the festive season. It should be about whānau and friends. It should be about spending time, quality time. It should be about coming together and what better activity to do together than eat heaps of yummy kai. “Yummy” being defined by the puku of the beholder!

For me, it would be plenty of kina, koura and kina … and maybe the odd slippery tuna in there for good measure. A time for sharing and caring.

Speaking of which, in contrast to our mates in the northern hemisphere, we spend lots of time in and around water. Some of us choose to add to the kai collection. Others of us try to keep cool and have fun with the aforementioned whānau and friends.

So on top of all the celebrating, we must also be mindful of our safety. Safety in and around the water. Safety on the roads. Safety in the home. It’s a time to not only celebrate one another and spend time with one another, but also a time to care for one another. So whatever it is that you and your whānau do at this time of the year, do it well.

If you are travelling afar by plane, boat or car … travel well. If you are splashing about in our awa, lakes or moana, whether collecting kai or spending time … do it well. If you’re on the ave spending your hard-earned money … spend it well. It’s not all kina and spending time for many of us. For some, it’s a stressful time. So look out for one another. Invite your neighbours over for a kai. If someone accidentally cuts you off, instead of pulling the finger, say ‘have a nice day’.

Whatever you do, do it with kindness and do it well. You never know how your actions this Piki Raumati may affect people. Have an awesome one!