Staff from 10 Te Puni Kōkiri offices across the North Island were some of the first helpers to arrive in the wake of the devastating earthquake that hit Canterbury last year. Quickly joining forces with Te Rūnanga O Ngāi Tahu, staff set up at Rehua Marae to assist whānau, open communication lines and deploy help where needed.

Te Puni Kōkiri’s work during the acute emergency was acknowledged at Rehua Marae with staff presented with taonga pounamu by Te Rūnanga O Ngāi Tahu representatives.

“I’m pleased that our staff were acknowledged in such a personal way. From our regional offices across the motu to Head Office, these people volunteered to enter into the fray and help others in a time of disaster and extreme need. It was hard, heart-wrenching work,” said Herewini Te Koha, Te Puni Kōkiri Deputy Chief Executive.

During the early days of the emergency, Rehua Marae accommodated relief workers and Aranui’s Ngā Hau E Whā Marae operated as a Recovery Assistance Centre. Later on it would become an eastern base for government agencies and service providers. By March 2011, Te Puni Kōkiri had 22 staff on the gound working at both marae. Workers were rotated into Christchurch from the agencie’s Head Office as well as regional offices around Aotearoa.

In their latest edition of Karaka, Te Rūnanga O Ngāi Tahu paid tribute to the support of their Te Puni Kōkiri whānau with the words:

Me he manawa tītī me tōna hiringa
Kia hoki anō i te hā o te whānau

Like the courageous heart of the tītī in all its glory
Let the essence of the whānau return