Opinion: Marae bring us together in good times and bad

FAREWELL: Mita Mohi's tangihana has been described as outstanding as warriors paid a fitting tribute to the great man. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER

Tena koutou i nga ahuatanga o te wa. Iri te rau kawakawa, iri ki whare aitua. He piki raukura, he kotore huia, ka whatia ka ngaro ki Paerau, ka ngaro whakaoti atu. Apiti hono, tatai hono, ko te hunga mate ki te hunga mate. Apiti hono, tatai hono, ko tatou te kanohi kitea ki a tatou ano, tena koutou.

As I write this I reflect on the trying past few weeks that have been endured by our Te Arawa people with the loss of a number of our pou, our kaumatua, our rangatira.

The passing of Napi Waaka, John Kameta and Fred Whata will be felt for some time by our Ngati Pikiao people, and indeed all of Te Arawa.

Across in Ngati Manawa they are mourning for Hohi Porima, she will be missed by many including the Tipu Ora team she has been a part of for more than 20 years.

And of course, my whanaunga Mita Mohi. There really are not too many things I could possibly say about Mita that haven't already been said.

He has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of young men, I couldn't even begin to put a true figure on it!

Through the work he has done in prisons through to his wananga on Mokoia Island which really have contributed positively to the lives of so many young men, men who have gone on to become adults, fathers, leaders - the impact he has had on their lives is immeasurable.

Mita's final day was outstanding. The weather played its part, and the people came, the ope taua (warriors) who he helped shape paid a fitting tribute to him as he was led down the road towards the urupa.

This tangihanga would easily be one of the biggest held at Awahou, the marae was overflowing, however it coped really well considering the huge pressures put on the facilities.

This gets me thinking about our marae and how they have an ability to bring people together - through good times and bad.

Awahou hosted this tangihanga, and just a week earlier, it catered for a large wedding, in fact it was Mita's mokopuna who was married.

Down in Kaikoura, Takahanga Marae opened its doors immediately to take care of the many hundreds if not thousands of stranded tourists and locals who had no accommodation following the earthquake.

The marae took in anyone who needed somewhere to stay, to wash, to do washing, to eat - manaakitanga - caring for all.

So for those of us who may not frequent our respective marae all that often, we really must do all we can to help them out when they are not under the pump, so that they can respond in the best way possible when needed.

Get in touch with your marae and offer to go on a lawns roster, or see if there are any items needed that you might help with.

Check if you can make a regular financial contribution - whether small or large. At some point in our lives, most of us will end up back at the marae, so why not koha while you are able in whatever way you can.

In closing, I want to remind everyone that White Ribbon Day was on the weekend just gone, and once again a wonderful whanau day was held at the Village Green organised by Rotorua Safer Families.

We need to do more to stop the domestic violence that is occurring in our neighbourhoods, amongst our whanau.

E hoa ma, we must stand up for those who are in vulnerable situations, we must call the police or step in if we know of someone who is suffering at the hands of her partner.

We simply cannot leave it for others to act. There are plenty of people out there willing to help.

The White Ribbon website has a range of tools available to men who think they may need help https://whiteribbon.org.nz/toolbox/ and for wahine or tamariki who don't know where to go, always remember that it is okay to ask for help. You can call 0800 456450 to get advice or visit www.areyouok.org.nz.

I welcome your feedback. Email mpwaiariki@parliament.govt.nz. Phone 0508 924 274.

Te Ururoa Flavell is the MP for Waiariki.