Te Whanake - Our Blog
It's here...Ohu Maatu 2017
On 28 April your whānau and the descendants of the Ngāti Rārua Ātiawa Iwi Trust will gather to celebrate Ohu Maatu 2017, in your homelands in Motueka for a special weekend of reconnecting, learning and celebrating.
The hui-ā-tau (annual general meeting)
Ohu Maatu also includes our hui-ā-tau (annual meeting), where registered owners gather to address the governance requirements of the Ngāti Rārua Ātiawa Iwi Trust. This is held on Saturday morning 9am – 12pm. While the weekend is full of fun activities and plenty of chances to catch up with whānau, the hui-ā-tau is the most important part of Ohu Maatu. It’s a chance for you to have your say to ensure your whānau is represented and connected with the business activities of the Trust. Learn more or watch a video about the history of our hui-ā-tau here.
This year we’ll also be having a live-stream of the hui-ā-tau, so any registered member that cannot attend in person, can still be involved in the decisions.
Email info@nrait.co.nz for the live stream password and then click here to register to watch it on the morning of Saturday 29 April.
A fun filled weekend of activities
During the hui-ā-tau tamariki will have organised activities to keep them busy, but they’re not the only ones having fun.
On Saturday afternoon we have waiata, sports, and carving and weaving workshops. We then regather to go to the movie night where we’ll be premiering the NRAIT music video trailer and video from the day’s events.
Connection and kōrero
At dawn on Sunday morning there will be a fire ceremony at Te Uma. We’ll light the fire cauldron to welcome the new day and mark Ohu Maatu 2017. Lighting the fire this way is how our tūpuna used to communicate with other iwi across the land. Our tūpuna specifically did this atop our maunga, Pukeone.
The morning celebrations continue to Te Āhurewa, our historic and much loved church on Te Āwhina Marae, for a service.
Every year we do a tour of the rohe to share the kōrero of our heke, our whenua and the struggles along the way. This year we have a unique opportunity to travel to the Motueka Provincial Museum to view the exhibition Mai i Hawaiki Te Ahi Ka Roa, a story about our ancestral homelands to our home fires of today.
Check out the programme here and if you haven’t yet registered, there’s not much time left, so register now.