30/04/2026
Tēnā koutou kai te hunga pānui i ngā pitopito kōrero nei.
As in previous years, a common goal in our tari is to strengthen our capability in many aspects of Te Ao Māori. So, some of my mahi has been to help increase the visibility of all things Māori in our space. Within my Rautaki Māori role, this also contributes to the way Healthy Families Rotorua approaches prevention — by supporting our team and those we work alongside to better understand and apply mātauranga Māori in ways that are meaningful for our communities.
Together, we’ve relearnt two karakia and learnt a waiata tahito, which are pinned to the wall in our tari. We have various maramataka on our walls that remind us of the kaupeka (lunar-stellar month) and mata marama (face of the moon) we’re in. While these may seem like small things, they help to build our collective capability and influence how we think about our mahi, our planning, and how we engage with whānau and communities across Rotorua.
I’m currently working with some Mātanga Kōkorangi (Māori experts in astronomy) from Te Takere o Te Arawa on an exciting project titled, Te Whānau Mārama e ai ki Te Takere o Te Arawa, which will be our first edition of an online printable resource that will contain the names of many celestial bodies according to tūpuna who whakapapa to Rotorua and the nearby areas that make up Te Takere o Te Arawa. This mahi is less about producing a resource, and more about gathering and uplifting Te Arawa mātauranga so it can inform and strengthen how we, and others in our network, approach prevention and wellbeing in ways that reflect the knowledge systems of this place.
This reflects the importance of a mātauranga Māori systems return approach within our prevention mahi. By reconnecting with and applying this knowledge, we can support shifts towards approaches that are locally relevant and sustainable, where our communities can see themselves, their knowledge, and their values reflected in the systems that shape their hauora.
Outside of mahi, I've been busy with matua (parental) duties and also assisting my Ngāti Ohomairangi ki te uru side of Raukawa prepare our two kapa, Mōtai Nohoanga Iti and Mōtai Tangata Rau, for Te whakataetae Kapa Haka ā-rohe a Tainui, which was held in Kirikiriroa recently. Although only one competing kapa made it to Te Matatini, the kapa haka capability within Raukawa has grown; we now have more senior kaihaka, pouhaka and pouako kapa haka, which will only benefit our iwi in the coming years. That, along with feeling the aroha and seeing harikoa on the faces of our people, especially our tamariki, rūruhi and koroheke, when we exited the Te Papanui Events Centre after our tū (stand), will forever be more special to me than any win or top placing from the past or in the future.
Kāti au i konei, kia kaha tonu tātau ki te mahi i te mahi hai painga mō te iwi.
- Wharehuia Te Tokoihi, Rautaki Māori
