Tēnā koutou te whānau whānui o Ngāti Rārua,

Firstly I take this opportunity to acknowledge our whanau who have passed, as well as the whanau who have supported the many tangi throughout the motu. Ka tangi te ngākau nei i te ngarotanga e tau ana kei waenga o tātou.

All of our hopes of getting out and about to celebrate significant events in our iwi history were scuppered by COVID-19 this year. We are hopeful that we can move forward with our hekenga celebrations in 2022 but for now our utmost focus is on ensuring our whānau remain safe and healthy through the Christmas-New Year period and we will review things after that.

I encourage whānau in Te Tauihu to access support and guidance to navigate the COVID-19 environment from Te Kotahi te Tauihu Charitable Trust and for whānau elsewhere you can always contact our kaimahi who will put you in touch with the right people. Contact details can be found later in the pānui.

I wish you all well this Christmas and hope you enjoy a break with your whānau to recharge and remember the ōhākī of Te Tana Pukekohatu:

Kia atawhaitia i te tangata i muri i a ahau, kia pai te noho

Be kind to all peoples, live well

Nō reira, āku mihi ki a koutou katoa

Nā
Olivia Hall
Board Chair