Kāhu ki Rotorua: Mana whenua and airport find common ground

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

See below for English translation

Ko te kaha o te tangata ki te manaaki tangata

WHAKAARO

Ka tukituki hi, ka tuki tuki tonu taku manawa a haha.

E tukituki ana i ngā rangi kua hori kua kite nei aku kanohi i te manuwhiri e hakoke noa i te tāōne, ko ngā kaipuke kawe turuhi tēnei e kōrerongia nei e ahau, ā, kai te hari katoa hoki ngā mokopuna. Kua whiwhi mahi rātau, he wā tū whakangāhau, he wā tū ki te haka ki ngā tini waewae tapu te take. Kāore au i paku wehi i taku putanga ki te hokohoko kame i te rā nui whakahaahara e kīa nei ko te ‘paraire mangumangu’.

Te tini ngerongero hoki o te tangata e hakoke noa ana, engari kāore i tino eke ki tāku i tumanakongia ai. Kāti ka heke ahau ki Te Whakarewarewa ka hari taku ngākau i te kitehanga nōku i ngā tauhou me te mea hoki kua whakakīa te rua taniwha nānā tonu i horomi tētehi turuhi hai kai māna, wheoi anō he waimarie e ora tonu ana taua tangata rā.

He oranga ngākau hoki i taku taenga ki Te Puia. He whakanui i ta mātau hoa kātahi nei ia ka piki ki te whitu tekau o ngā tau. Ehara i te mea ko mātau anake, ara anō ētehi rōpū e hāpai ana i te māuri ora o tā rātau ake tangata.

He whakaaro hoki nāku, he ahakoa kai te mahi te rangatahi me kaha kē hoki ngā pakeke, ara ō rātau rangatira ki te arahi tika i a rātau. Ko te mana nui o Rotorua, ko te kaha o te tangata ki te manaaki tangata, ko te tuku mihi ki te tauhou, ka oti ana ki te kore e tika i a tātau te manaaki i te manuwhiri kai kīa he whare mātao a Rotorua, he iwi koretake he iwi tautauhea.

Nō te whakatūwheratanga o te taunga rererangi nō te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau, e ono tekau mā wha ka tino eke te mana o Rotorua. He mahi tētehi o ngā hua i puta mai i tana whakatūwheratanga.

Tērā anō tētehi kaupapa nui kua oti i a Ngāti Uenukukopako me te Poari o te taunga rererangi tētehi whakaaetanga kua wha tau te roa o tana haerenga kia eke ki tētehi taumata e rangatira ai ngā rōpū nei. Ko te tikanga o te whakaaetanga-manatu, he mea nā Paraone Pirika me Wharangi Cookson i mokoa ko ngā koeke ēnei tokorua e kawe nei i te mana o Ngāti Uenukukopako, ā, nā Peter Stubbs te tiamana mō te RRA, ara te Taunga rererangi o Rotorua me tōna tumuwhakarae a Nicole Brewer i waitohu mō te taha ki te Rererangi. Ko te mutunga iho o te pepa kia mahi ngātahi ngā rōpū nei kia mihia te ao tawhito, ā, mā tēnei e pakari ai te huarahi ki te āpōpō e whai hua ai te hāpori.

Ngati Uenukukopako kaumatua Paraone Pirika at the airport meeting. Photo / Supplied

Mā te wera o te rae kia tūtuki ngā hui, ngā rūnanga, ngā wānanga o ngā tau e wha kua hori nā wai rā ka hua tēnei whakaaetanga-manatu. Hai tā Nireaha Pirika, te tiamana-ā-iwi mō Ngāti Uenukukopako, ' He mana nui tēnei e whakarangatira ai ngā tūpuna o Ngāti Uenukukopako a moroki noa iho nei, me te huhua o ngā huarahi mahi ka hua iho, engari ko te mea nui e pūare ana te waha tieke o te ātea nui e kōrero ngātahi ai ngā rōpū nei, whai hoki, ka ihi nui anō te rohe o Rotokawa’.

Hai tā Nicole, ' Kua tae te wā e tika ana kia mihia te mana whenua o tēnei takiwā me te aroha nui o Ngāti Uenukukopako e whakapau ana i ngā e hia tau kua pahemo ki a mau i a mātau ngā tikanga o te mana whenua, nō rātau te whenua me ngā herenga whakapapa ki Rotokawa otīā ki te whenua e takoto nei – ko te pae tawhiti whakamaua ki a tata, ko te pae tata whakamaua ki a tīna’.

Koia ēnei ētehi o ngā poupou o te whakaaetanga-manatu:

■ Whakapapa – Ko te whakatupu i te māuriora o te mana whenua me te whakatū tikanga e mana ai tēnei māuriora haere ake nei, haere ake nei. ■ Whanaungatanga – Ka whakamōhiongia e RRA ngā tūnga mahi, ngā tūnga tauira mahi hou ki te iwi o Ngāti Uenukukopako ki a whai mahi te hunga rangatahi, ki a whai pukenga hou te hunga rangatahi e whiwhi mahi ai rātau.

■ Wairuatanga – Ko te taha ki te ao Māori kai ngā ringaringa o Ngāti Uenukukopako. Mā rātau te taunga rererangi e arahi, e poipoi.

■ Manaakitanga – Ki a noho rangatira ngā rōpū nei. A Ngāti Uenukukopako me te RRA. He whakawhiti kōrero, he rūnanga e mārama kehokeho ai ki ngā hiahia, ki ngā whakaaro, ki ngā kaupapa nui ka pā ki ēnei rōpū tokorua nei.

Kia rangatira te whakaaro, tētehi ki tētehi. Kai te tarouma o Rotokawa ki te taha wai o Te Rotoruanui-a-Kahu te taunga rererangi e tū ana, ia rā, ia rā, kai te rere atu ētehi, e rere mai ana ētehi mai i Tamaki Makaurau, i Pōneke me Otautahi.

Kāua e wareware he taha ki te kawe tangata ki tūā whenua hoki. He mana nui tō tēnei taunga rererangi e hono atu ai tātau ki ngā tāone kē atu o tēnei motu, ki ngā pākihi o wāhi kē atu otīā ki ngā tini whānaunga o te motu, nō reira e tika ana ki a tiakina tēnei taonga e tātau. Kāti he mea e whakahaerehia ana e te Kaunihera o Rotorua, ara, te ( CCO) ka whakahaerengia motuhakengia e tētehi pōari.

—Na Raimona Inia i whakamaoritia tenei purongo

English Translation

OPINION

Have you noticed that the heartbeat of Rotorua is starting to gain momentum?

In the past month I have noted the return of cruise ship tourists and our mokopuna are happy they are being paid to guide and perform kapa haka. A shopping excursion during the Black Friday celebrations was not as scary as I feared.

There were plenty of people at the Central Mall but not nearly as many as I expected.

Going across the bridge at Whaka I was pleased to see so many visitors and overjoyed that the hole which opened under a tourist some weeks ago has now been filled in.

It was also pretty cool going to Te Puia for a 70th birthday to see that our party was one of three at that time.

One observation I have is that while it’s great to see so many young people working, their supervisors should give them some training.

Rotorua is famous for our manaakitanga and a smile or show of interest from wait staff, guides and drivers go a long way in making people feel welcome.

We want to be remembered for the pleasant experiences people have in our city.

The people of our rohe have long benefitted from hosting manuhiri and as we are centrally located we are easily accessible from many parts of the country.

Since it opened in 1964 Rotorua Airport has been key to development. It has offered a range of jobs and an agreement signed recently by mana whenua Ngati Uenukukopako and the airport board was the culmination of four years’ work to formalise their relationship.

Ngati Uenukukopako me nga mema o te poari o te Taunga Rererangi O Rotorua.

The memorandum of understanding was signed by Paraone Pirika and Wharangi Cookson on behalf of the koeke of Ngāti Uenukukōpako, and for the Rotorua Regional Airport (RRA), the chairman Peter Stubbs and chief executive Nicole Brewer signed the MOU following the airport AGM. It formalises the hapū and airport’s desire to work closely together to recognise the past, while building a strong future that provides positive outcomes for everyone involved, including the immediate surrounding community.

Over the past four years, both parties have focused on ensuring better ways of working together, including regular hui to provide updates on developments and a platform for further discussion.

This work has culminated in the MOU agreement.

Nireaha Pirika, Ngāti Uenukukōpako Iwi Trust chairman, says the agreement is an important acknowledgement for the iwi and will help to open doors for Ngāti Uenukukopako whānau.

“It offers us many opportunities to work together. Most importantly, it ensures an open and ongoing dialogue between Ngāti Uenukukōpako and the airport which will ultimately result in greater engagement and knowledge sharing, which will benefit the wider Rotokawa community.”

Nicole says the MOU is the next step in recognising the significance of Ngāti Uenukukōpako and their relationship to the airport.

“Ngāti Uenukukōpako has deep ancestral connections to Rotokawa and the land underlying Rotorua Airport,” she says.

“We are looking forward to working more closely with iwi representatives on development opportunities at the airport that create a thriving community, mutual economic benefits and a sustainable environment.” Rotorua Airport Chairman, Peter Stubbs, says the MOU forms the basis of a solid future for the airport.

Integral to the MOU is the commitment to a high-trust relationship founded on four key values:

■ Whakapapa: To grow the understanding of mana whenua and ensure processes are put in place which respect this position today and into the future

■ Whanaungatanga: RRA will make Ngāti Uenukukopako aware of internships, work experience and employment opportunities at RRA, so their rangatahi (young people) can gain skills that lead to employment and business opportunities

■ Wairuatanga: Ngāti Uenukukopako will provide cultural advice on matters that affect the airport

■ Manaakitanga: Ngāti Uenukukopako and RRA undertake to ensure that all communications between the parties are honest, respectful and guided by kindness

Sitting at Rotokawa on the shore of Lake Rotorua, Rotorua Airport has daily, direct services to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. It also caters for international charter flights. The airport plays a pivotal role in Rotorua’s community and economy, connecting locals, businesses and manuhiri with Rotorua and beyond. Rotorua Airport operates as a Rotorua Lakes Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) with an independent board.