LOGIN:
Ka haehaea te manawa
Ka hotu, ka tangi
Maria, kei te rei kura o Aotea
Bubba, kei te whatukura o Awarua
E hanatū kōrua ki te Pūtahitanga o Rehua
Ki te pō oti atu e…
Today I acknowledge the passing of two beautiful souls who have contributed so much light to their families and wider communities.
Maria Hema (Te Āti Haunui a Pāpārangi) was a daughter, sister, wife, māmā and a teacher to so many throughout her career.
Maria passed away doing what she absolutely loved, paddling on the ocean surrounded by her friends and whānau. She was farewelled today at Te Whānau Tahi and the cheer and brightness that she emanated will certainly be missed.
Tomorrow, the whānau from the motu will farewell Bubba Thompson (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu) at Awarua Marae.
Bubba was a master storyteller and was the epitome of manaakitanga. His tragic passing will certainly be felt for a long time and our thoughts, prayers and aroha are with the families of both Bubba and Maria at this time.
Kōrua, haere, haere atu rā.
Our thoughts, prayers and aroha are with the families of both Bubba and Maria at this time.
As we start to see applications come in for Tama Ora, our joint fund with Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa, kaimahi Mihi-Rose Tipene joined the He Oranga Poutama National Hui ā Motu hosted by Mataatua Sports at Te Maungarongo Marae in Ōhope this week.
He Oranga Poutama is a workstream within Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa that seeks to support Māori wellbeing through play, active recreation, and sport. Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu is the He Oranga Poutama provider for the South Island.
Our partnership with Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa began on July 1, 2021, and it is wonderful to see their continued commitment to improved outcomes for Māori.
Thanks to their support, we have been able to address a gap identified across the motu in terms of engaging our tamariki and rangatahi Māori in physical activity. We decided to use the funding to create a programme that would remove barriers to participation, and so Tama Ora was born.
Chris Majoribanks (QSM), current chairperson of Mataatua Sports, shared with us the origins of He Oranga Poutama and the whakapapa of the Mataatua rohe. It was uplifting to hear about the vision for the future of He Oranga Poutama and we thank both the Sport NZ team and Mataatua Sports for the invitation.
Applications for Tama Ora close at 12pm on Friday, June 16, 2023.
Reece Papuni (Ngā Rauru, Ngāi Tahu, Ruawaipū) is the first to acknowledge his 25-year boxing career helped make him into the man he is today. Now, as founder and head coach of Papuni Boxing Ōtautahi Academy, Reece and his whānau are able to share those same important lessons with the rangatahi that join the academy.
“Our kaupapa is not just about teaching the physical aspects of boxing. We want to create a safe, supportive environment where rangatahi can learn key values and life skills that will enable them to take care of their own physical and mental health and wellbeing.”
Learn more about Reece and Papuni Boxing Ōtautahi here.
On Monday, Te Taumata and the General Partner Limited Board (GPL), which provides operational governance to Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, met at Te Whenua Taurikura. We often meet online, so it was great to see most of the representatives in the office ā kanohi. Pictured at the front, from left, are Co-chairs Gena Moses-Te Kani (Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kuia Trust), Molly Luke (Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rārua) and Taku Parai (Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira). Middle, from left, are Janis de Thierry (Te Rūnanga a Rangitāne o Wairau), Caroline Palmer (Ngāti Koata Trust), Hinemoa Conner (Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō Trusts), Nikki Jones (Ngāti Tama ki Te Waipounamu Trust) and Jymal Morgan (GPL). At the back are Ron Riwaka (Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui Trust), Tā Mark Solomon (GPL) and Renata Davis (GPL).
Last month, we welcomed three new Commissioning Advisors to the team. Jasmine Taipana is a familiar face and until now has been doing an incredible job in both the RUIA and WAVE spaces. We are thrilled to have Jasmine take on this new role in the Wai Ora team. Also joining us as Commissioning Advisors are Makyla Brown and Tony Waho, pictured, left. Makyla has come to us from ARA, where she led Māori Capability. She has a wealth of experience in vocational education and business. Tony has an extensive background in training and development, and staff management and is passionate about whānau, community and fitness/hauora.
Commissioning is a key point of difference for us, and we continue to innovate in this space and seize new opportunities. To this end, we have appointed Mihi-Rose Tipene as Senior Commissioning Advisor. Mihi-Rose was seconded for a year as Kaitaki Whakatipua ‑ Capability Development Lead. With that secondment now at an end, we are excited to be able to retain Mihi-Rose’s experience, knowledge and passion for everything Whānau Ora.
There are exciting days ahead in the Commissioning space and for Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu generally as we continue to serve whānau and promote the Whānau Ora approach.
First Aid Training is a vital part of any workplace, but also brings spin-offs for our own whānau and the wider community – you never know when those skills might come into play. Twelve kaimahi spent a full day with the lovely Shayne from Hato Hone St John on Thursday, graduating with their First Aid Level 1. Thank you to those staff who have committed to being ‘first aiders’. Your time and willingness to learn is appreciated by all.
