United Ngāpuhi Whānui ki Murihiku

E rau rangatira mā, tēnā koutou katoa.

On behalf of the Ngāpuhi whānau ki Murihiku roopū based in Waihopai Murihiku, thank you for the Ngāpuhi t-shirts. Last month our roopū participated in a community event in Invercargill called ‘Te Whare Tū, Te Whare Ora’. The event celebrated marae, iwi, whānau and the wider hapori and expressed these connections through the medium of kapa haka. The theme for Te Whare Tū, Te Whare Ora, is a call to action to strengthen a strong cultural identity in the prevention of suicide.

This was the first time a Ngāpuhi roopū based in Murihiku has taken part in this event; we performed a small bracket of purely Ngāpuhi waiata on the ātamira. The kaupapa of Te Whare Tū, Te Whare Ora provided an opportunity to engage more whānaunga to become part of the group and to reconnect our whānau to their whakapapa. Thank you for the sponsorship of the Ngāpuhi t-shirts. When we attend and support events like this, we can stand proudly and united as Ngāpuhi Whānau ki Murihiku.

E kore e mutu ngā mihi

Raiha Johnson  (Ngāpuhi ki Murihiku Whānau)

[Published in E Mara E-Pānui 5 October 2017]