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He tangata pōti ahau, nō mai, nō mai anō tēnei hiahia nōku ki a rangona ai ōku whakaaro.
E hoki ana ngā mahara ki te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau, e ono tekau mā iwa te tau i whakahekea te tau o te hunga pōti mai i te rua tekau mā tahi ki te rua tekau.
Nā wai rā, ka taka iho ki te kotahi tekau mā waru te tau nō te Akuwhata o te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau, kotahi tekau mā wha.
He rautaki tēnei e pana ai te Pirimia o Reipa ko Norman Kirk. Atu i te tuku pōti mō te mema o Paremata ka rere hoki te pātai me he tangata tautoko, me he tangata whakahē rānei i te poropeihana.
He pōti tautoko i te poropeihana nāku nā reira i riria ahau e ōku whānaunga.Ka kī atu ahau ki a rātau, he mōhio nōku ka whakahēngia te poropeihana e te nuinga o te iwi, wheoi ko tāku he tautoko i te tokoiti nā reira taku pōti tautoko.
Hai te kotahi tekau mā wha o Ōketopa tū ai te kōwhiringa pōti, ā, ko timata kētia ngā tohetohe. Hai te terenga o Matariki ā te kotahi tekau mā wha o Hūrae ka timatangia te wā tuku pānui, koia tēnei te wā whakatutū te pūehu.
He ahakoa e whakatata mai nei te wā o te pōti me ū ngā rōpū ki ngā tikanga e mea nei me turaki ngā pānui i mua o te toru tekau o Ōketopa.
Ka kati hoki ngā whakaingoatanga ā te Paraire te kotahi tekau mā rima o Hepetema.
Kia mātau ai te hunga ki te rahi o ngā pōti e tika ana kia mātau hoki ai ki te rahi o te tangata e noho tangata whenua nei ki Hawaiki Tautau. Ka whakaritea e Te Tari Tatauranga o Hawaiki Tautau te tuawhitu o Maehe ko te rā kautetanga. Ko te tikanga nō taua pō tonu kua oti i ia whānau i ia tangata he pepa kaute. Ko te rā kapi i ngā pepa kua tau.
I kaha ākina ngā Māori, otīā ngā tāne Māori ki te whakaoti i ā rātau pepa kaute, me te mea hoki he wā tēnei e tāea ai e rātau te whakawhiti pukapuka pōti. Me ka tae te hiahia ki a rātau.
I puehu pai ana ā mātau pepa kaute i te wiki ati, ki te kore au e tere oti i ngā mahi ka oma atu te hoiho ka tere hōhā hoki ahau, nā wai rā ka tau te kohu ki te rae o taku roro.
Kua tū mai a Te Arawa Lakes Trust ki te akiaki i te iwi ki te pōti, ki a noho mātua ki te rae te kōwhiringa pōti. Hai tā Te Ururoa Flavell, kua pae te wā mēnā kai te hiahia te tangata ki te whakawhiti pukapuka pōti mai i te pukapuka Māori ki te pukapuka whānui e tū ai he Kawanatanga hou, kia kaha rā, e pōti.
“Ko te mana o te moutere nei otīā te Kawanatanga kai te kamunga ringaringa o tātau te Māori. Ko te mana o te pōti Māori kai kōnā e kitea ai e tātau me ka noho tonu te Kawanatanga rānei ka uru mai he Kawanatanga hou.
“Mēnā kai te kōhanga reo, kai te Kura Kaupapa, te kura ā Iwi, mēnā kai te kura auraki, ngā karapū porohīanga, te karapu whutupōro, te karapu rīki rānei, he ahakoa kai whea te tangata e hakoke ana me noho tēnei kaupapa ki te poti o te arero kia kaha rā tātau e hoa mā”.
Ko Te Ururoa, he taniwha oreore, he Ika-ā-Whiro ki te ao Torangapū, kua takahia e ia te whāriki o te Whare Mīere, kua tu hoki ia hai pou mō te Waiariki, ko ūhia ki runga ki ōna pokowhiwhi te taitara, Minita mō te Whakawhanake Māori, Minita mō Whānau Ora me te Minita tuarua mō te whakawhanake ohaoha. Wheoi anō kai te tuaruangia āna kupu e ōna hoa taratī.
E ai ki a Geoff Rolleston kai te tautokongia ngā kupu a Te Ururoa me puta tātau te Māori ki te pōti e pai ai tēnei whenua. ' E ngā hau e wha o te motu, kai ngā whānau, ngā hapū me ngā iwi huhua kia kaha te kōrerotia tēnei kaupapa me te akiaki i a tātau katoa ki te pōti’.
Kai kōnei ahau e mātai ana i te ātea whānui o te ao torangapū. Ka nanaohia hoki e ahau te aka i tukuna mai e te Lakes Trust ki ahau ki a noho mātua tēnei kaupapa te pōti ki te ihu o te tangata.
E pai ana ki a tahuri kē ngā kanohi ki kaupapa kē atu i te waipuke me te kaha o te marangai kai whare e pēhi nei i a tātau katoa. Ko te wā noa ki a tātau, he tataku haere, he tataku haere.
— Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori
OPINION
I have always exercised my right to vote. I wanted to have my say.
The voting age was reduced from 21 to 20 in 1969 and then to 18 by the end of August 1974, in time for the Sydenham by-election to replace the Labour Prime Minister, Norman Kirk, who died in office.
As well as voting for their Member of Parliament voters were asked whether they supported or opposed prohibition.
I voted for prohibition which left many of my whanau incredulous.
I told them I knew the majority would vote against prohibition so I thought I would give it my vote for the under-dog.
This year’s election is set down for October 14 and the jockeying for position has started.
The celebration of Matariki, July 14, is when the regulated period for advertising expenses begins.
That’s when the hustings and the like come out.
The tempo is upped as voting day draws nearer but the advertising signs must come down by midnight on October 13.
Candidates’ nominations close at noon on Friday, September 15.
To know how many votes should be expected it was necessary to take a population count which would also determine the number and position of the electorates.
Stats NZ set March 7, 2023, as Census day and every person in Aotearoa-New Zealand on that night was required to complete a Census form.
Today was the last day to submit the forms either on line or physically. There was a marked campaign encouraging Maori — and particularly Maori men — to complete the forms: To take the opportunity to change rolls if they so wanted.
Our household completed and returned the forms within the first week of delivery.
I find I have to do things at the time or I will be rushing at the last minute to complete the task because I had forgotten all about it.
Our main Te Arawa entity — Te Arawa Lakes Trust — is urging all Māori to make politics and Election 2023 a front-of-mind conversation.
Te Arawa Lakes’ trustee Te Ururoa Flavell said the option to switch from the General Roll to the Māori Roll placed Māori voters in a pivotal position to determine the next Government.
“Tangata whenua are politically influential, our whānau, hapū and our iwi are pivotal and have the power to decide who our next Government will be. The Māori vote could and should determine the next New Zealand Government.
“In Kōhanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa, Kura ā Iwi, Schools, Sports Clubs, Rugby, League, Netball, the Marae, the Car Ride, Tangihanga, Hui Marae, the Supermarket, the Doctors – the conversation needs to be an every day topic, and that’s what we are wanting to encourage.”
Te Ururoa held numerous key roles throughout his political career, including Member of Parliament for the Waiariki electorate, Minister for Māori Development, Minister for Whānau Ora, and Associate Minister for Economic Development – and his message is being supported by fellow trustees.
Trust chair Geoff Rolleston said they supported Te Ururoa’s strong message to ensure Māori are in the right position to be able to play an influential role in Aotearoa New Zealand’s principal decision making system.
“We encourage whānau, hapū and iwi to be proactive in encouraging conversations about the Māori power to vote, across all sectors of Māori society. Māori voters have a distinct identity and by asserting their right to participate fully in political decisions, they can shape their lives and communities.”
I’m keeping a close eye on the political landscape and will take advantage of the Lakes Trust invitation to have further korero on this matter.
Cyclone Gabrielle and other torrential rain events have had such a huge physical and psychological impact on Aotearoa that it will take generations to recover.
It will be nine months on from Gabrielle but then there has been wicked rain since in Tairawhiti since then, so it is difficult to predict what the voters will do.
Just surviving is the thing so in the meantime, we just keep going.
Hīkoi mō te Tiriti is just the start of the call to action, organisers say.