Issue 3 (hardcopy version).indd

Ngā� Rārua Newsle�er 8 March 2013
Dates to mark in your calendar
Signing ceremony
Saturday April 13, 10am
Parerārua, Wairau Pā, Spring Creek
Should the Ngā� Rārua Deed of Se�lement and PSGE be ra�fied by iwi members, we will hold a signing ceremony
to finalise this. Please mark the above date in your calendar. It would be great to see you and your whānau there.
We will be looking to assist with travel costs and may also be able to assist with accommoda�on for those who
don’t have whānau in Wairau.
Annual general mee�ng
Sunday April 14, 10.30am
Parerārua, Wairau Pā, Spring Creek
The annual general mee�ng for the Ngā� Rārua Iwi Trust will be held on the above date. Please mark the date
above in your calendar. This mee�ng is open to all registered iwi members. It would be great to see you there.
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What is the ratification process?
Before Ngāti Rārua members and the Crown can sign the Deed of Settlement,
there must be a demonstration of support from iwi members. Therefore
Ngāti Rārua iwi members aged 18 years and older are given the opportunity to
vote. This is called the ‘ratification process.’ There are three resolutions to vote on.
If the Deed is given a majority ‘yes’ vote (i.e. ‘ratified’), we will hold a signing ceremony which
you can attend. Once the Deed is signed the settlement legislation will be introduced into
Parliament. After the legislation is enacted the redress will transfer or come into force.
The day this happens is referred to as the ‘settlement date.’
Inside
OUR TUPUNA, THEIR STORIES
In this issue, we will profile some of the
Ngā� Rārua ancestors who played a key
role in figh�ng for our iwi rights during
the 1800s through to the early 1900s. The
plights they faced, and the problems that
caused for their future genera�ons, is
much of the reason why our people took
the Crown to task in the Waitangi Tribunal
and the reason for the Deed of Se�lement
that iwi members will be asked to vote on
this year.
DOCUMENTS NOW ONLINE
Ngā� Rārua Deed of Se�lement
Go online to: www.ots.govt.nz
Ngā� Rārua Se�lement Trust deed
Go online to: www.nga�rarua.co.nz
RATIFICATION TEAM & ADVISORS
TO OUR TRUSTEES
Ngā� Rārua
Ngā� Rārua Iwi Trust
28 Grove Road
PO Box 1026
Blenheim 7240
Free phone 0800 NGĀTI RĀRUA
(0800 642 847)
Fax
(03) 5778408
Email: admin@nga�rarua.co.nz
www.nga�rarua.co.nz
• Anaru Wilkie (whakapapa, registra�ons)
• Arthur Phillips (whakapapa, history)
• Bruce Lock (commercial redress)
• Daren Horne (Google Earth, Ngā� Rārua
iwi observer)
• Lee Luke (cultural redress, nego�a�ons)
• Lorraine Eade (claims history, ra�fica�on
reviewer)
• Rōpata Stephens (facilitator)
REMINDER
Don’t forget to contact us if you want to
have your say on the proposed Treaty
se�lement. More details inside.
Ngā� Rārua have their say!
Trustees hit the road…
Kia ora Ngā� Rārua
Vo�ng has opened on the proposed Ngā� Rārua Treaty se�lement
and while it is s�ll early days, I am extremely happy to report that
within 24 hours of vo�ng being opened that 5% of our people had
already cast their votes.
No doubt more of our iwi members will have their say before vo�ng
closes at 5pm on March 28.
From this Sunday (March 10) un�l March 17, our trustees and ra�fica�on team will hit the road to hold a series of hui. Check out our hui
schedule inside. It would be great to see you and your whānau at one
of these hui.
The purpose of the hui is to describe face to face to our people
what the Crown is offering Ngā� Rārua in order to se�le our historical
Treaty of Waitangi claims. And to also describe the en�ty that we are
proposing to receive the se�lement assets on behalf of our iwi.
We have reached this point in our Treaty se�lement journey a�er
18 years of hard work.
By now you should have received an informa�on package which
outlines what the Deed and PSGE en�ty are about.
This is an exci�ng �me for our iwi and my fellow trustees and I encourage you to join us.
Kia ora.
Amoroa Luke
Chairman, Ngā� Rārua Iwi Trust
Our Tupuna
Mere Rore (need Mead)
She married Hari Rore Pukekohatu, the son of Rore Pukekohatu. They had a
child that died at an early age and she was unable to have further children.
Mere was a gracious and kind lady. She always helped the whānau when there
was sickness or trouble.
She wrote le�ers on behalf of whānau to Māori MPs rela�ng to queries on
their behalf, regarding the land and terrible condi�ons they found themselves
in. She ac�vely tried to support healthier condi�ons from the con�nual flooding
that inundated whānau land by sinking a well. From this a water pump ensured
there was fresh water for whānau to draw from through the periods they found
their lands under water. Mere and Hari also took in and raised Werawera Stafford. When Werawera had a son called Hare Rore Stafford, Mere and Hari began to raise him as their own.
When Mere realised her husband was seriously ill she tried desperately to have a lawyer draw up a will in
Hare Rore’s favour, because he had not legally been adopted, but her husband passed away before it could be
completed.
Mere con�nued to ensure the protec�on of young Hare by officially adop�ng him at the age of 9.
Mere received a life interest in the Rore estate from her husband, which then reverted to Kerei Pukekohatu’s
children on her passing, but she had ensured that her inheritance to her land in Motueka would go to Hare.
Tinirau Piripi
The whakapapa of Tinirau Piripi, through his father, Tauru Piripi, was to
Piripi Te Ngaohe, one of the ranga�ra who par�cipated in the raupatu
across Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka a Maui.
Tinirau’s mother was Karoraina, the daughter of Kerei Pukekohatu, whose
father was Tana Pukekohatu. Tinirau was the first boy from the Wairau Pā
to a�end Marlborough College in Blenheim. He was sent by the Ngā� Rārua
ranga�ra and kaumatua to learn the English language.
From this he began to record the whakapapa of Ngā� Rārua. He then
became the scribe for the Ngā� Rārua people and kept the records of meetings, hui, whakapapa, historical events and everyday life given to him by the
ranga�ra and people of Ngā� Rārua. He became the secretary of the Nelson
Tenths owners commi�ee and presided as the scribe for many hui conducted by Ngā� Rārua in rela�on to
land. From these mee�ngs he also wrote le�ers to the Crown on behalf of iwi across Te Tau Ihu in rela�on to
land grievances. He also wrote on behalf of whānau to Government ministers and departments on a myriad
of issues.
He kept copies on Ngā� Rārua ac�vi�es and ac�ons in hand wri�en manuscript books now known as the
Ngā� Rārua manuscripts, from the 1920s up to his passing in 1970 at the age of 77.
Tana Ruka
His grandfather was Te Kauwhata, younger brother of Hotungaue.
Tana married Roka Kerei Pukekohatu, the eldest daughter of Kerei
Pukekohatu, thus making her the great granddaughter of Hotungaue.
Tana became an influen�al ranga�ra amongst his Ngā� Rārua people and
was an ac�ve member of the Wairau Pā School Commi�ee.
He was a trustee for the commons land in the Wairau and was one of the
ranga�ra on the Powhiri Commi�ee, that brought representa�ves from
the different iwi beneficiary owners of the Nelson and Motueka Reserves
together, in the Wairau on 6 May 1924 to discuss their various grievances
with the Crown over their land. When the ditches were dug on the Māori
Reserve in the Wairau he worked beside his grandchildren and other Ngā� Rārua people to ensure that the
ditches were clean of weed to allow the flood waters to empty quicker from the Wairau Pā and was one of the
ranga�ra who distributed food packages and clothing to the Wairau Pā families when houses succumbed to
flooding.
As a young adult, the Methodist Church made him a lay reader to take the Sunday services in the whare
karakia at Wairau Pā for the people. On 26 April 1931 he officiated at the tangi of Tapa Harepeka, an infant son
of Ruka Tapata at the Māori Island cemetery. All of Wairau Pā a�ended along with the Waikawa Pā people connected through whakapapa. Tana was born in 1854 and passed away in 1934 at the age of 80. He is buried with
his Ngā� Rārua people at Māori Island.
Treaty roadshow meetings - join us!
The following Treaty information meetings are open only to Ngāti Rārua
iwi members. Assistance with the costs of travelling to the hui will be
considered on a case by case basis at each hui.
If you know of iwi members who
are not registered with Ngāti
Rārua Iwi Trust, encourage them
to connect with us no later than
March 18 so they can have their
say on this Treaty settlement
package.
Furthermore, if you are registered
but haven’t received your
information voting pack, that may
be a result of us not having your
most up to date address or date
of birth.
Please contact us urgently.
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Sunday March 10 (start 2pm) at Oparure Marae, Te Kuiti.
Monday March 11 (start 6pm) at Grand Chancellor Hotel, Auckland Airport.
Tuesday March 12 (start 6pm) at Russley Golf Club, Christchurch.
Saturday March 16 (start 1pm) at Te Awhina Marae, Motueka.
Sunday March 17 (start 1pm) at Parerārua, Wairau Pā, Spring Creek, Wairau.