Chairmans Blog - Keep updated
'A Hot August Week'
31 August 2019
Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated Chairman Update (click on each of the pictures to expand)
Well folks.
Here we are sitting on the beach reef of Anga in Upolu Samoa after one of the most enervating, gut-busting weeks for Ngāti Kahungunu since Matatini 2017. If Matatini was ambitious in its magnitude, style, pace and rhythm, then NCIF and Te Reo ki Tua were simply audacious and courageous, not to mention “innonative” - even by our own jealously held high standards! Sure there are those that have and will continue to moan, groan, slam and attack the events and this Iwi's management and commitment; and they did but hey we cracked it! Kaore e kore. No ifs, no buts, no prisoners. It’s remarkable that our team just threw everything at it, our resources, our people, our ideas, our time, our bodies, aptly coordinated by Danielle for the NCIF and Tātere for Te Reo ki Tua, with the twin towers Ruth and Te Rangi on point but all intertwined and seamless.
The Iwi chairs were wooed and wowed by the venue, the manaaki and the facilitation while the huge reo audience were left begging for more of everything, despite a couple of body shots from a presenter or two, “Kahungunu kia eke!” rang true to form.
Our rangatahi stood up…no jumped up and were counted at every session, from Monday to Friday. Kotiro ma tāne ma i whakarite ia wahanga ia wahanga me te aritaritatanga( churr- new word for me - excitement) mai te puna taiohi. Woohoo.
Not surprising during the Tribal Trading session of NCIF there was great synergy and traction amongst the speakers from Indonesia to the Inuits, from Manukau to Mexico, from Dunedin to Dubai from Vanuatu to Vancouver, from Nuie to Ngāti Whātua. Talk went from waka to rockets, Canadian hemp seeds to Mexican bees needs, fisheries mission for iwi fission, food and beverage with tribal leverage and so on.
The second day was spiked by a Tairawhiti walkout of Ngai Tamanuhiri, Rongowhakaata, Te Aitanga a Mahaki and Ngati Porou. On my watch! Could’ve done it at someone else’s hui! They are still members though, they said but choose/chose not to participate anymore. I’m still working through that however. The surprising thing was that no one was surprised and the hui carried on smoothly without a blink.
The third day trumped the second by a discussion/debate between Ministers and Pou Chairs - the highlight being a standoff and stand up between Minister for Children Tracey Martin and Pou Tangata Chair Naida Glavish. It provided a great tension and fitting memory backdrop and curtain drop to NCIF where the mauri was handed on to Te Atiawa our next hosts in Picton in October. Many Chairs said that the venue was fabulous having the multi facilities under one roof, the best manaaki and facilitation yet. Well done us and partners, Clubs Hastings!
Onto Te Reo ki Tua. Wekeneru! Tino-cool-ngia! The rangatahi took it out again! Mai te ao ki te po i nga ra e rua! Jeremy might just squeeze into that group even though he went koroua haere with Wi and Wa!! What a humbling celebration of our matanga reo - our humble champions in te reo sprinkled with world class presenters from the "kia ora" lady to the
"whaka-cool-ngia" princess. The older ones got a bit more serious dismissive and defensive but all in all it was absolutely joyous, funny, unforgiving, unapologetic and innovative-native and creative!
Te mahi ki tua? Well we have to step our reo revitalisation up several notches as urged and pressed by Timoti and others. As a tari there is a flurry of activity to get more conversant; and look at recruiting those who have it. Having around 1000 per day at the symposium says something so we must move up positively and personally. I suppose Uncle Wi Te Tau foresaw this day crossroads coming when he and others composed songs like A E I O U 60 years ago.
Congratulations everyone! Me aro ake ki te mana ahua ake o to tatau tipuna Kahungunu! Whakanuitia!!!
