The Unauthorised Updated Version of the History of Te Kāhui Tāwharautanga o Ngā Rongoā And Te Kāhui Rongoā (Trust)

Hui Tanguru 2013

It has been over a year now. Time sure has flown since Te Kāhui Tāwharautanga mo Ngā Rongoā made her first appearance. Panguru Marae and November 2011 seem such a long time ago… well it is really. Her entire life time!

Proud parents, Ngā Ringa Whakahaere o Te Iwi Māori and Te Paepae Matua mo Rongoā still hover over their precious pēpe. Like all doting parents it will take time before they will be ready to let her fly solo.

It has been a while too since Nga Ringa and Te Paepae were united. A shotgun wedding it may have been but oh so many rewards.

Aaaah rewarding it may be but it hasn’t been an easy year. So many things to do….. so little time…

Finding the right warriors in whom to place her trust has been an exciting journey.

For six looooong months iwi across the motu from Nga Puhi Nui Tonu in the far north to Ngai Tahu / Kai Tahu in the Bluff deliberated, discussed, debated even disputed the need to convene election hui to find the right whanau to nurture, protect and help her grow.

Kaore e kore during those six looooong months, many, many marae throughout the motu came alive in the name of Te Kāhui Tāwharautanga mo Ngā Rongoā.

Nga Puhi Nui Tonu sent two of their finest warriors, Te Iwi Puihi Tipene (Percy to us) and Tohe Ashby. Not to be outdone Tainui sent Robert Wehipeihana and Carl Hakaria and Te Tairawhiti sent Albie Stewart and Huhana Rokx-Potae to champion her cause.

Ka mau te wehi!!

A, ka haruru ana te whenua i Ngati Kahungunu a, ka puta mai ko Te Maari Joe raua ko Frances Smiler-Edwards. Fine champions indeed.

Ka taupatupatu nga whanau maha o Waiariki a ka tukuna mai o ratou wahina toa a Marie Stewart and Rita Tupe.

Tau ke!!

Now don’t forget Te Kāhui Tāwharautanga mo Nga Rongoa was already imbued with the wisdom and wonder of her ancestral past and her main goal back then was to surround herself with a whānau e matatau ana ki ngā mahi o tēnei ao hurihuri.

She watched excitedly from the sidelines as one by one her champions were selected from each rohe to form a whanau that she could trust to bring her into the twentieth century.

There were still five rohe left to send their toa tane me o ratou toa wahine to her side.

And so Kereopa Ratapu and Sean Delaney proudly took their place in the whanau as mangai for the eight roopu of Te Tau Ihu o te Waka a Maui.

A, ka piupiu haere te hiku o te tohora, a ka puta mai a Ramari Oliphant-Stewart raua ko Muriel Johnstone, a, ka menemene haere a Kai Tahu.

Now this left only Te Taihauauru to choose their warriors. Well …. they decided to combine their resources mai i te Maunga teitei o Taranaki, tae atu ki te Awa Tapu o Whanganui nei, a, tae noa ki te Upoko o Te Ika.

You see they were clever. They ensured that their many whanau throughout the three rohe knew exactly what was needed to fulfil the role of champion for rongoa Maori and Te Kāhui Tāwharautanga mo Nga Rongoa.

They organised hui, after hui, after hui, after hui.

Te Upoko o Te Ika hosted three of those hui mo rongoa. Ka rawe! We talked rongoa, we sang rongoa, we ate rongoa and at the beginning of Pipiri last year Te Upoko o Te Ika proudly presented Sharlene Maoate-Davis and Fred Allen to Te Kāhui Tāwharautanga mo Nga Rongoa.

Proud parents Ngā Ringa Whakahaere and Te Paepae Matua could see that their pepe would be well looked after.

Ka pukana atu te maunga teitei o Taranaki ki nga toa already chosen throughout the motu, a ka whakaaro ko nga wahine toa a Colleen Tuuta and Ngaropi Cameron would be the ones to carry His aspirations for rongoa and His iwi.

Ka rawe!!

Kotahi noa iho te rohe kei te whakaaro tonu a, ko matou o te Awa o Whanganui.

Aue! Aue! Aue!

Now come on!! Christine and I were soooooo busy helping our Taranaki whanau and our Te Upoko o Te Ika whanau that we were left to last.

Oooooo!!

Awwww!!

And soooooo after several attempts to make way for others Christine and Marilyn were asked to represent to tatou Awa Tupua i te taha o Te Kāhui Tāwharautanga mo Nga Rongoa.

He honore!

A, ka menemene haere Te Kāhui Tāwharautanga mo Nga Rongoa.

A smile as wide and as long as our beautiful country.

At last she felt safe in this ao hurihuri. She watched as her whanau, Te Kāhui Rongoa rallied together to instil the foundation for her future in this ever changing and challenging world.

Not an easy job by any means.

Awwww!!

And so 10 years of hard work culminated in the celebration of Rongoa, in all His magnificent diverse forms, at Tunohopu Marae in Rotorua last month. For four days 200 representatives from 10 rohe bathed in karakia, in korero, in waiata, in karanga, in katakata and whanaungatanga.

What more could you ask for in a rongoa hui?

“Tū mai ra e Te Kāhui Tāwharautanga mo Ngā Rongoā hei whakaruruhau mō ngā Taonga Tuku Iho”

Thank you Aunty Olive for the many legacies you left behind for us on the awa and beyond.

Moe mai ra!

And now the work begins.

1 Authors prerogative (The male version of this pakiwaitara can be simply attained by changing all reference to ‘she’ and ‘her’ to ‘he’ and ‘him’) E&OE MNV 0213