June 2013 Newsletter



Rehua Marae Pānui | June 2013

Ngā Mate o ēnei Marama

Maureen Reason (Tainui, Ngāpuhi)

Victor Pikari (Tūwharetoa, Te Ati Haunui a Pāpārangi, Ngāpuhi)

From the Chair

Matariki hunga nui – “The Pleiades have many people”

Kia ora koutou, with Matariki in our skies it signifies the start of the Māori New Year – a time for planting and harvesting and new beginnings. It is also a time to celebrate and acknowledge those things that make us unique, but also unite us as Māori and New Zealanders.

At Rehua it has been a time to open our doors to the community and invite whānau in to share and celebrate this special occasion with us. Many hands have helped make this Matariki one to remember, from our kaumātua luncheon, the kapa haka performances to the fabulous range of workshops. We hope you were able to be part of the celebrations – and to all those that contributed to the festivities – we thank you.

It is my pleasure on behalf of the trustees to welcome Maania Farrar to Te Whatu Manawa Māoritanga o Rehua Board. Maania and her whānau have a long association with Rehua and we are excited to have her skills and enthusiasm on the board. Maania attended her first meeting in May. Nau mai, tauti mai e te uri o Waikato.

There has been much to keep the board and the marae management team busy since our last pānui in March. In particular we have been working with the Canterbury District Health Board and Access Health Services to ensure our Kaumātua Services have continuity and the opportunity to prosper. Due to changes in the delivery of health services across the sector and new levels of compliance we have had to make some changes to ensure our services continue uninterrupted.

The kaumātua utilising our services will not notice any changes, but behind the scenes we now have a formal relationship with Access Health Services to fulfill two of the three CDHB contracts. Access is an accredited provider and under their umbrella our long serving staff, Maureen McManus and Sammi Donaldson are able to continue to look after our kaumātua until Rehua is in a position to achieve the new accreditation and delivery standards.

This has provided some challenges, but Rehua has had the full support of the CDHB and Access through-out the process and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude. We have also been assisted by Purapura Whetu Trust in an advocacy role which has proved invaluable. The board believes that ultimately this will create new opportunities to grow and strengthen our Kaumātua Services and the relationships we have in the health sector. There is still plenty of work to be done and we will keep you informed as this progresses.

We are also very pleased that progress is being made to safeguard the Rehua archives that Uncle Terry and Aunty Marlene have done so much work to organise and safeguard. We have an agreement with the Christchurch Public Libraries and the support of the Rehua Kahui Kaumātua to temporarily shift the archives to a safe and secure site where the work to digitise the archives will begin. This is a very generous offer by the library staff and we have every confidence that these taonga will receive the best of care and will be returned to the marae when we are ready to properly care for them for the benefit of future generations. Right now the archives are still at Rehua, but we will be arranging an appropriate way to shift them to their temporary home.

We also want to acknowledge He Toki ki te Rika, Peter McLean and his trainees that have put in many hours of work to help improve the marae and the grounds. Kia ora mai rā.

On behalf of the board I also want to acknowledge the contribution of our kaumātua, those kaikōrero and kaikaranga that take time from their busy lives to whakamana the marae and uphold its tikanga and kawa. Also, we must mihi to our tenants and their staff, Te Puni Kōkiri, Mahaanui Kura Taiao and the Kōhanga Reo that contribute to the unique life and vitality that is Rehua today. Also to our hard working kaimahi Raylee, Elena, Harry and wharekai ringawera who are doing a great job keeping the marae busy and looking pristine and creating a place we can all be very proud.

Noho ora mai
Phil Tumataroa
Chair

Maania Farrar

Born and raised in Ōtautahi Maania Farrar descends from Pare Waikato Pare Hauraki, te waka o Tainui. Maania works for He Oranga Pounamu as the Waka Ora Programme Manager under Whānau Ora. Previously she spent 12 years in the public service sector working under portfolio’s held by Minister Turia. She provided secretariat, advisory and policy support for the Whānau Ora Taskforce from the Ministry of Social Development. In 2011 she was appointed as a Whānau Ora advisor for Te Puni Kōkiri.

Maania’s whānau have a long history with Rehua. Her nanny, Aunty Maera, travelled from the Waikato to Christchurch with Te Puea for the opening of the marae and they have continued to support it since those days.

Kaumātua Services

Our Koroua and Kuia Day Support service has been working with Hagley Community College to run computer courses for kaumātua. Our kaumātua and those being supported by Purapura Whetu Trust have been enjoying a 10 week course every Wednesday introducing and up-skilling them on the world of computers and the internet. On Tuesdays our kaumātua take part in the programme offered by Te Awa o Te Ora which has kindly been supporting our service since the earthquakes, for which we are very grateful. We are looking forward to the day that we will be able to return the day support service to Rehua on a fulltime basis.
If you know kaumātua (aged 55+ Age Related Disabilities) who may be interested in using the service please contact:

Maureen McManus

Phone: 03 355 5615
Mobile: 027 3000955
Email:mmcmanus@rehuamarae.org.nz

Maintenance Report

Since our last pānui we have had a working-bee. Thank you very much to those who were able to come and help, we appreciate your time and support. Though our numbers were small we did a lot of work starting at 8am and finishing at 7pm. We topped and trimmed a lot of over grown trees around the grounds and the following day Harry and I hired a mulcherand

mulched all the branches to spread on the gardens. We plan to have another working-bee later in the year.

We would like to thank He Toki ki te Rika (Māori Trade Training) for the work they have done over the last two months around the marae grounds. They have replaced all the old picket fences by the kaumātua flats, replaced rotted palings on the boundary fences and built a “garden shed” at the rear of the marae. It has seating and a built in ash tray – so it’s not unusual to see the odd smoker enjoying the new “garden shed”.

Many of the materials were donated so the work has been completed with very little cost to the marae. Thank-you to Peter McLaren and his trainees for the very good work they have done. We held a luncheon to say thank-you to the He Toki crew and the partners Te Tapuae o Rehua and Hawkins that do so much to support and grow the programme.

The luncheon ended with a performance from the Aranui High School kapa haka group and presentations by two Māori Trade Training old boys from 1954, Ruk Wainohu and Peg Wairau who lived at the Rehua hostel. They talked about their own trades journeys and how Māori Trades Training supported them. It was wonderful to see things turning full circle 60 years on.

Ngā mihi
Bill

Matariki Celebration

Hundreds of people converged on Rehua Marae this year to celebrate Matariki and the beginning of the Māori New Year.

Festivities started with an evening of kapa haka and a presentation on cultural mapping by Takerei Norton from Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. It was a great evening with about 100 people attending.

The following day was one of the highlights of Matariki with our kaumātua luncheon. About 60 kaumātua were welcomed to the marae and then treated to a delicious lunch with a seafood platter for starters followed by a roast and dessert. They were entertained with waiata by Sharon Russell. It was a beautiful afternoon enjoyed by all and a lovely opportunity to spoil our kaumātua.

Unfortunately Thursday night’s planned events – kapa haka and story-telling by the Christchurch City Libraries had to be cancelled due to a tangihanga.

The culmination of the week was on Saturday with a series of well attended workshops including jewelry making, raranga (weaving), mirimiri (massage), māhi toi (art), storytelling and tamariki activities. There were also presentations about Matariki, rongoā Māori, raranga as well as kapa haka performances. The afternoon was topped off with a hāngī and closed with karakia.

A huge mihi to Te Puni Kōkiri and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu who supported with sponsorship. Also Ngāi Tahu Seafood and Hera Maxwell who gave us a generous kaimoana koha for our kaumātua luncheon, Community Public Health Christchurch City Libraries, Ngā Manu a Tāne, Te Amokura, Te Ahikōmau a Hamoterangi and Mareikura and all those others that donated their time and efforts to make Matariki 2013 a wonderful celebration.

Kaumatua Luncheon:

Calendar – what’s coming up!

The marae has solid bookings every week for the next few months with schools, hapū, iwi and whānau hui, including hosting National Māori Squash Tournament in October. Make a note in your dairies for December when we will be having “Carols at the Pa”.

Church Service

Held every third weekend of the month
Next Service: Sunday 21 July, 2013
Time: 11.00am

Kahui Kaumātua Hui

Date: Sunday 21 July, 2013
Time: following Church Service

Marae Bookings

Rehua Marae is the perfect venue for wānanga, hui, weddings, birthdays and celebrations for whānau, community or corporate events.

For all bookings and enquiries contact the marae or call in to the office:

Phone: 03 355 5615
Fax: 03 355 4964
Email:rprice@rehuamarae.org.nz

Rehua old boys, girls and whānau

Rehua is building a database of names and addresses and invites all old boys and girls and whānau to contact us with your details. Your information will remain confidential and will allow Rehua to stay in touch with you and let the community know what’s happening at the marae.

Please contact Elena Gapper:

Email: egapper@rehuamarae.org.nz

Whānau Ora Nurse (0.5 FTE)

Te Whatu Manawa Māoritanga o Rehua has provided a range of services and support to whānau and the local community, ensuring that kaupapa Māori values, beliefs and cultural practices are accepted and promoted as part of the healing and empowering process. An opportunity has arisen and is available for immediate appointment.

The position is:

Whānau Ora Nurse (0.5 FTE) primarily focusing empowering Kuia and Kaumātua to improve their health and wellbeing. The role is Kaupapa Māori based.

This position represents an excellent and challenging career opportunity for candidates with drive and an ability to share our dedication in supporting whānau in the community.

A position description is available and can be obtained by contacting: Maureen McManus (mail to: mmcmanus@rehuamarae.org.nz) or (03) 355-5615 option Kaumātua Services.

Applications close: 5pm, Wednesday 18th July 2013.