Let me acknowledge the many volunteers who worked for four or five days.
There were teams who were responsible for watching the gates, ticketing, picking up rubbish, looking after the elderly, providing medical expertise, through to our stage team and so on. You are all awesome.
I acknowledge our local organising committee as well, for they have been at the helm of all of this for the past two or three years.
All of our performers, especially, should be congratulated. We are so proud of you all. But, it is time now to put that behind us until we head down to Christchurch for the next festival in 2015.
Census/Maori Electoral Option
Let's turn briefly now to two important upcoming events, namely the Census and the Maori Electoral Option. Every five years, these two events come up hand in hand. I want to encourage us all to participate in both. The census is straight forward - you can just fill out the papers by hand or do it online. The effects of the Maori Electoral Option are also far-reaching. We have just four months to switch from the General Roll to the Maori Roll from the 25th March to the 24th July and if we do not do it then, we are stuck on that roll for the next five years. I encourage us all to get on the Maori Roll because by doing that, we increase the number of seats for Maori representation.
Maori were undercounted in the last census, because many chose not to fill in the forms. What this means is that whanau, hapu and iwi may be missing out on what they are entitled to. The information is used to help decide funding for items like health providers, schools, Maori arts and culture centres, te reo Maori services and services to local communities and recreational facilities. It also affects collective resources and land decisions.
There were 565,329 people who identified with the Maori ethnic group living in New Zealand in 2006 (at the time of the last census). This was about 15 per cent of the population (one in seven people). This was 7 per cent more than in 2001, and I am sure that this will have increased again. It is important to know by how much, so resources are properly allocated. So get to it.
So if you have questions, please drop in to my office at 1489 Eruera Street or call toll free 0508 924 274.
Te Matatini: What a time was had by all
Tena ano tatou katoa.
Te Matatini
Katahi te hui ko Te Matatini! I hihiko te ngakau i te powhiri ki te motu, a, kei te miharo tonu au ki te ataahua i te noho tahi o te iwi Maori, ia ra e matakitaki ana i te kapa haka i tona whanaungatanga. Penei i etahi atu o te kainga, i muri ke aku mahi ara, ko te tiaki i nga kapa, mai i te wa i tae atu ki te Kaitao o Rangipare. I reira, i kite au i nga mea kaore i kitea e te marea, ara ko te pau o te kaha, te mamae o te waewae, te awangawanga te hihiko o te ngakau. Koia ra te ahuatanga o te arotahi o nga kaihaka ki te kaupapa.
Kati, ko taku, ko te tuku mihi ki nga kaimahi katoa ara ki te hunga i whakapau werawera mo nga ra e wha e rima pea. He roopu tonu i nga keti mo nga tikiti, ko tetahi ki te kohi rapihi, ko te tiaki i nga koeke, ko te tiaki i te hunga mauiui, tae mai ki toku ropu i tiaki i te papa tuwaewae, ara noa atu, ara noa atu. Kei tawhiti ke koutou katoa!
Ara ano hoki te komiti whakahaere o Te Arawa hoki, a me mihi ki a ratou ka tika, i te mea, i a ratou te mahi nui i nga rua, toru tau kua hipa.
Me whai wahi ano ko nga kaihaka o te kainga. E hoa ma, kua whakahihi matou i a koutou. No reira, me waiho tera kaupapa ki a moe mo te tau, kia tae ki te wa eke a Te Arawa ki Waitaha.
Te Ra Tatauranga/He kowhiringa Maori 2013
Kati, me hoki mai ki etahi kaupapa nui e rua nei ara, ko te tatauranga a motu tera, ko te whakawhitinga a poti Maori nei tetahi. Ia rima tau ka tu ngatahi nga take e rua ara ko te Census me te Maori Electoral Option. Ko taku, ko te aki i a tatou ki te whai i enei mea e rua. Mama noa iho ko te tatauranga - he whakakiki pepi, he mahi ma te ipurangi engari, he whanui noa atu te panga o te Maori option ki a tatou te ao Maori. E wha marama kua mahue mai ki a tatou ki te whiti mai i te General Roll ki te Maori Roll, mai i te 25 Maehe ki te 24 Hurae ki te kore tatou e neke, kua kohatu te noho mo nga rima tau.
Na, ko taku, he aki i a tatou Maori ma ki te huri mai ki te raranga Maori, no reira, ka nui ake nga turu Maori.
I mahuetia e te iwi Maori te kaute nui kua hipa na te kore whakakiki i nga pepa. Ko te raru o tera, ka mahue hoki nga painga ka riro ki te whanau, ki te hapu, ki te iwi hoki. Ma te kaute nui ka whakatauhia ko ehea o nga ropu ka whiwhi putea, ahakoa Hauora mai, kura mai, ropu ahurea mai, tae noa atu ki nga kaupapa whakaora reo, whakaora hapori hoki. He panga hoki to te kaupapa nei ki nga take whenua.
Kaua hoki e wareware, ka taea e nga iwi te whakamahi i nga akoranga o te kaute nui ki te awhina me te hapai i te iwi whanui mo nga take e hia ke nei kei mua i te aroaro. No reira, mena he patai au mo tenei kaupapa, me whakapa mai ki taku tari, 1489 Eruera Street, Rotorua, waea mai ranei (kore he utu) 0508 924 274. Kati ake mo tenei wa.
