E mihi ārikarika ki te paepae o te amorangi, ki to tātou Matua nui i te rangi. Kororia ki tōna ingoa tapu.

E mihi ana ki ngā mate maha e takoto atu ana ki o tātou marae maha puta noa i te motu. Ngā mate o te rā, o te wiki, o te marama, o te tau, tae noa atu ki a rātou kua whetūrangitia. Haere atu rā koutou ki o Ipo Kahurangi, ki o Raukura, ki o Manutauhuia. Haere, haere, haere atu rā.

Me mihi ki a tātou katoa ngā mōrehu, ngā mahuetanga iho o rātou mā e noho nei hei tauira mo ngā uri whakatupu arā, o tātou tamariki, mokopuna, ngā rangatira o āpōpō.

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā rā tātou katoa me ngā mihi o te wā Raumati ki a tātou katoa.

Welcome to the first edition of Kōkiritia for 2016. A new calendar year is our cue to enter another phase of setting and achieving goals, refreshed and rejuvenated from our summer breaks with whānau, hapū and iwi Māori.

This week sees the first significant event in the Māori calendar with the 143rd birthday of spiritual leader Wiremu Tahupōtiki Rātana at Rātana Pā.

The Rātana settlement, 25km from Whanganui could swell to as many at 15,000 during the week leading up to TW Rātana’s birthday on January 25, 1873.

Iwi, hapū and whānau Māori from around the motu will visit Rātana Pā to pay tribute to the faith and discuss take affecting Māori Development. People also gather to whakawhanaunga and enjoy a programme which this year focuses on young people.

This event is a forerunner to Waitangi Day – which also draws iwi, hapū and whānau Māori me tauiwi together to foster awareness of a range of take.

In time for Waitangi Day, Te Puni Kōkiri releases its bi-annual magazine Kōkiri. We include in this edition of Kōkiritia a few stories from Kōkiri 33. 

In our Raumati edition, we share stories which give expression to Māori Development and our Te Puni Kōkiri work programme Whakapapa (Identity), Oranga (Wellbeing), Whairawa (Prosperity), and Whanaungatanga (Relationships).

In How the ‘Ania’s’ Got Their Way the Ranga-Bidois whanau share their story fulfilling their dream of building a papakāinga development.

Our cover story introduces Faine Maniapoto Kahia, who aspires to be the first Māori young race car driver to win Bathurst. Faine spoke to Kōkiri following the 2015 AsiaCup Series in Malaysia.

Kōkiri 33 also includes a summary of Te Ture Whenua Māori and an update on the Māori Language (Te Reo Māori) Bill.

The next edition of Kōkiri will be released at Matariki. I look forward to sharing more achievements over the next year, through Kōkiri magazine and Kōkiritia email pānui.

Kia tau ngā manaakitanga ki runga i a koutou katoa.

 

Ngā manaakitanga, Michelle