Hinauri Mead-Hetet Te Pahipoto, Ngāti Porou Ngāti Awa Register and Communications, Operations Ph 07 307 0760 ext 241 hinauri@ngatiawa.iwi.nz
Having spent the bulk of my life in Wellington, last year brought an opportunity to come home and be part of the life at home. So with my husband and three children we made the move. I’d like to say I’ve been an active member of Ngati Awa, doing what I could from Wellington, but of course there’s nothing like being on the ground at home. It’s funny I’ve always thought of myself being staunch in my Ngatiawatanga, I’ve learnt some of the waiata, I know bit about our history but it’s not until you get home you realise how much you don’t know. It’s just being away gives you a very different perspective on things. Aside from bringing my children home and giving them the opportunity to grow up in their koro’s rohe, it’s given me the chance to lend a hand with what skills I have.
My role at the Rūnanga focuses on two main areas, the first being the Ngāti Awa Register. It’s really important for us, the Rūnanga, to have up to date contact details for our members (we currently have just under 19000). I’m trying to make it easier for our people to not only register but to also keep their whanau details up to date. With our people being so transient and technologically driven we’ve also created a Members Homepage which, for now, shows your personal details. By the end of the year I’d like to see it contain Youtube videos, kōrero and photos from around the rohe.
The second area I coordinate is communicating to our members. My areas are the Rūnanga website, www.ngatiawa.iwi.nz, the Rūnanga newsletter, He Manu Kawe Kōrero and the Rūnanga Annual Reports.
Outside of the Rūnanga I’m enjoying the opportunity to reconnect with my Ngāti Awa whanau and my Ngātiawatanga. I’m continuing my passion for weaving and waiting for an opportunity to learn some of the local korero about nga mahi a te whare pora. My two eldest boys are of the hunter/gathered type so coming from Wellington where boys like them are far and few to Edgecumbe where every second house has someone who hunts and gathers is the perfect environment. As for my youngest well he’s more focused on technology i.e. the TV and computer.
MAY 2010