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He tokowha wāhine nō Te Arawa kua tukuna ō rātou ingoa ki te ipu whakaairo kia puta ake he tokorua anake e tū ai hai māngai rangatahi mā Te Tatau o Te Arawa.
Me rēhiti te hunga pōti. Kia mātua mōhio mai e te iwi, ka kati ā te rā rima te tuarima o Akuwhata, kāua e māharahara kua tukuna kētia ngā pepa pōti ki te iwi.
Kāore e take ana ki te pōti mō ēra atu o te hunga kotahi tekau mā rua ka mau i a rātou tūre.
Ka nui te whakamihi hoki a Jude Pani te manahautū mā Te Tatau o Te Arawa ki ēnei toa kua kuhu atu ki te mura o te weriweri. He huinga whai mana a Te Tatau o Te Arawa. E noho ōrite nā tōna mana ki te mana-ā-rohe me te mana whenua. E mea ana he waka mātahi pū katoa ngā rōpū.
'Nō reira taku harikoa e rere rā ngā roimata o te ngākau ki ngā kaitono katoa i whakatū ō rātouna ringaringa kia tū hai māngai mō Te Arawa'.
"He tokowha wāhine e tū nei, nō mātou te whiwhi, me te mea hoki he rangatira hoki. Ko Maringi James, ko Tara Sears, ko Te Waiarangi Merito, ko Kahutapeka Ututaonga. He huinga nui te puna mātauranga kai ō rātou ringaringa, nā reira e mana anō ai te pōari. Nō reira e te iwi kia tika rā te pōti, kia kaha rā te pōti'. Hei tā Jude Pani.
He tamāhine a Maringi James nā Lauren me Dean James, otīā he mokopuna nā Linda me Bully (Robert) Biddle me Te Matiti Henare rāua ko Kori(Rawiri) James.
'Ko te tikanga o tōku ingoa he rite ki te wai e pūhakehake kau ana i ngā rangi mokopuna, nō ngā kāwei whakapapa e rua ōku, nō Waitaha, nō Ngāti Kea me Ngāti Tuara hoki'.
I whānau ai i Te Koutu i pakekengia i ngā waiariki hoki o Ohinemutu, kai te ako tonu ia. Ko te kaupapa ture i Te Whare Wānanga o Tamaki-Makaurau tāna e whai ana.
Engari, nō mai, nō mai tana pakiki ki te ao tōrangapū me ngā kaupapa e hāngai ana ki te iwi ki a Ngai Te Arawa. Nōku te whakaaro, e toitū ana ngā waewae ki runga ki te marae, e toitū ngā waewae ki ngā whenua huhua o te ao'.
'Me huri te aro ki tōnga mai o te rā, he rā anō ka whiti, he pitomata anō ka kite"
Nō Ngai Te Arawa a Tara Sears, he ahakoa he rangatahi, ka nui te ngākau whiwhita ki te whakahuri i te māuri o te hau kāinga, kia hahana te ahi. 'me hoki anō tātou ki ngā tikanga o te ao tawhito, kia māori noa te noho ki te mata o te whenua, kia itiiti ai te rāweke i ngā rawa o te whenua, engari me kaha kē te arero o te iwi ki te tēpu whakatakoto rautaki, engari kāua ko te arero kōtahi anake engari me arero rau tātou me kotahi tātou otīā taku wero ki a tātou ngai Māori mā, kia kaha.
He mana nui tēnei huinga motuhake nei a Te Tatau me te kaunihera ā rohe o Rotorua, e hoa mā, kua whai waha ai tātou mēnā kai te tino pirangi koe kia pakari ake te hāpori e ora pai ai ngā tamariki kua tae te wā."
A Te Waiarangi Merito, he Ngāti Whakaue he Ngāti Pikiao hoki ia, kai te kaha aro tōna ngākau ki ngā ara huhua ka pūare ai kia mana ai tātou ki te waha i ngā whakaaro i te korewehi, tētehi anō kaupapa kai te kaha hāngai ki ngā Māmā, kia whai tikanga ōrite ai tātou katoa ki te tiaki me te poipoi i ā tātou tamariki.
He rangatira whakahaere kaupapa mā Te Arawa Whānau Ora, ā, he mātanga rangahau whenua Māori mā Raukura CRS hoki ia.
Ko Kahutapeka Ututaonga nō te kāinga hoki tēnei wahine toa, he pou awhina, pou rangahau ki Te Kooti Whenua Māori o Rotorua, wheoi ano hai tāna, he māmā hoki ia e hapū ana i tā rāua pēpi tuarua, kai Ohinemutu e noho ana. Kua tae ki ahau te hiahia ki a matika anō hei māngai rangatahi mā Te Tatau o Te Arawa.
Nōku te whakapono ka whia kē ngā māunga me ngā pari kua horo i a mātou i ngā tau e toru kua hori. Me tō mātou kaha ki te nanao atu ki ngā wāhi hauora huhua, ngā wāhi reo Māori, me ngā kaupapa nui pēnei me te Tuia, te Paepae me ngā kaupapa Rangatahi wānanga.
— Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori
Four young women have put their names forward for two rangatahi representative spots on the board of Te Tatau o Te Arawa.
Voting by registered Te Arawa members closes at midday on Friday, August 5, and packs have already been sent out.
No voting is required for the other 12 roles as candidate numbers did not exceed the number of vacancies.
Te Tatau o Te Arawa manahautū, Jude Pani, acknowledges all the candidates who put their names forward for this, the third triennium election. Te Tatau o Te Arawa is an acknowledgement of the partnership between local government and mana whenua.
"Thank you to all our kaitono pōti (candidates) who put their hands up to represent Te Arawa by standing for the board," she says.
"We are honoured to see four wāhine rangatahi seeking nomination for the board this triennium.
The four candidates are Maringi James, Tara Sears, Te Waiarangi Merito and Kahutapeka Ututaonga. They all hold a wealth of mātauranga (knowledge) that the board would benefit from.
We look forward to voters identifying who they want to see elected," says Jude Pani.
Maringi James, is the daughter of Lauren and Dean James, mokopuna of Linda and Bully (Robert) Biddle, and Te Matiti Henare and Kori (Rawiri) James.
"My name means overflowing into beautiful days, it derives from both sides of my whakapapa, Waitaha and Ngāti Kea Ngāti Tuara."
She was born and raised in Koutu and Ōhinemutu and is currently studying towards a degree in Law at Auckland University but has always had a keen interest in governance and kaupapa relating to Te Arawa.
I have always held the view that if you can stand strong at your Marae, you can stand strong anywhere.
"Me huri te aro ki tōnga mai o te rā, he rā anō ka whiti, he pitomata anō ka kite" – "Let us turn our heads to the engulfing of the sun where tomorrow lives, where potential awaits."
Tara Sears is a proud Te Arawa rangatahi, passionate about sparking change within our iwi.
"I am particularly passionate about finding ways to live a more sustainable, indigenous lifestyle and to do this, Te Arawa needs to have a strong voice in the decision-making process of where our community is heading.
This strong voice needs to come with a strong understanding of our community, the environment and most importantly, Te Ao Māori. The partnership between Te Tatau o Te Arawa and the Rotorua Lakes Council is our opportunity to create a community that WE as MĀORI want to grow and raise our children in.
Te Waiarangi Merito (Ngati Whakaue, Ngati Pikiao) is committed to opportunities of advocacy, as a Māmā, passionate about ensuring equitable outcomes for our tamariki.
She is a project co-ordinator for Te Arawa Whānau Ora and Māori Land Researcher for Raukura CRS. Kahutapeka Ututaonga is a Case Manager/ Researcher at Te Kooti Whenua Māori o Rotorua; a māmā hapū with my second child; and I reside in Ōhinemutu pā.
I have decided to stand again as a rangatahi representative on Te Tatau o Te Arawa. I believe I have achieved a lot for our local Te Arawa rangatahi over the past three years by supporting their engagement in numerous health, wellbeing, reo Māori and tikanga kaupapa such as Tuia, Paepae and Rangatahi wānanga.
An election was not needed for the Te Tatau o Te Arawa Board as the number of candidates did not exceed the number of seats.
Members are: Kiri Potaka-Dewes representing Koeke; Andrew Te Amo and Rawiri Waru(Land trusts and incorporations); Lani Kereopa and Rangitiaria Tibble (Ngati Whakaue); Roku Mihinui (Pan-Te Arawa entities); Potaua Biasiny-Tule, James Hamiora, Aroha Bray, Dr Kepa Morgan, Mariana Vercoe, Te Taru White (Te Arawa iwi/hapu).
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