The Journey
This story is not the beginning and there is no end. This story is about a journey of many people who over time who have tried to create something special, something important.
It was a way of giving back, by attempting to create something that connects us to the past and quietly sustains us into the future. There are no heroes, no egos, just ordinary people working together pursuing their dreams, in their own little way.
As you read this you also become part of the dream and part of the fabric of this journey so welcome aboard the waka.
In order to have some understanding of this journey I will try to document some of the aims, and the aspirations of whanau that I was privileged to be involved with in a small way.
In writing about these events they become part of the historical nature of our marae, part of such a small snapshot of a small point in time.
In the early days of 2000, some of our whanau in Auckland held a meeting to discuss ways of raising funds towards rebuilding and upgrading our Marae at kaingahoa.
Funny that, you can take the child out of the marae, but you can't take the marae out of the child. Anyway Uncle Peter Timoko and his whanau joined the Tipene and Whiu whanau to help make this a reality,
Des Tipene became chairman of a small group who meet once a month at the Manurewa marae, this small group seldom numbered any more than a dozen people but they met and dreamed a dream.
Their first few meetings were more about Whanaungatanga and pretending to know what we were doing,
Things really got scary when we got quotes for our mahi one and a half to two million dollars, OMG!!,at this point we had two hundred dollars in our bank acc Anyway we few a few in house raffles which eventually paid for the hire of a hall for a teenage disco with a Halloween theme.
A really good night was had by every one, but our over generous nature with food meant things ran at a loss, so back to the drawing board and more in house raffles and start again.
Around this time Gloria Hogan invited Dilla Matin and her whanau to join us
. For a while we had up to fifteen whanau members at our meetings and all was good.
Our focus turned to some of the food festivals to raise money. Thank you uncle Paddy for asking our home committee for $3000 dollars as a start up fund to help us to kick off.
The home committee had $6000 of hard saved money put away, so this was a huge gesture on their part. We purchased a couple of collapsible tents and some kai and burnt our fingers at the Ngapuhi food festival. Imagine how happy we were to make a profit of nearly $2000. This helped to restore some of our lost faith in ourselves. (Just under 2 million to go).
Over the next couple of years we did stock taking for the warehouse who paid for our services andwe continued with a few other food festivals around Auckland, North Shore, Manukau and Kaikohe.
Dilla was kind enough to supply us with her big stainless steel Hangi cooker for a couple of pre sold hangi initiatives. Over the next couple of years our numbers ebbed and flowed but somehow we hung tough and kept our little meetings going.
During 2005 we joined hands with Hone Sadler and his Te Hungaiti whanau to put on a few wananga through Awanui Arangi UNITECH.
We needed to register 35 students to qualify for assisted funding. These noho required weekend participation to learn things Tikanga Maori and each one required 100 hours.
As you can see, not only were were slowly developing our fundraising abilities but also trying to appeal to a wider community of our scattered whanau, many of whom donated meat ,chickens and cash for the cause
At these gatherings I was humbled by the perseverance and the amazing efforts of those who helped out.
This was one of the reasons why I have put pen to paper
The quality of our tutors were the very best in the country. We would fly Eru Ruwhiu and Matu Ihaka up from wellington, and Hone Eliott from Gisbourne to do our Wananga. Together with Hone Sadler, we had four of the very best in their fields and we thank them so much. At times it saddens me to think that more of our whanau didn’t take the opportunity to to share what was so freely offered.
With Uncle Peter and auntie Margaret Timokos help we secured. Manurewa marae for our first wananga. Our tutors worked the whanau hard but the personal achievements our whanau were attaining were huge and so rewarding. Each of these noho cost two to three thousand dollars each to put on . As you can see there was a lot of organizing of plane flights, drop offs pickups and so forth, not to mention the setting up of the hall and organising the kai, Thank you Gloria Twinny and Dilla, Thank you Ellen and Harry in trying to muster your whanau along as well.
Sometimes whanau I would feel quit sad when I would see our numbers at the powhiri being so small. I would have a heavy heart and wonder if we could carry it off. One night I was feeling down and sad and the lift I got when two cars pulled up at ten o'clock, Tilly and ten of her whanau arrived from Kaikohe, Oh the joy.
Tilly, Lana ,Wi ,Taka and your whanau take a bow.
You know whanau we are all able to recall some of the heroic journeys of Kupe from the past,and some of the outstanding feats of our long lost tipuna. However I also believe heroism comes in many forms, shapes and sizes. During these times many of our whanau stood up and stood tall.
Because of the $3000 outlay for the cost of the first wananga there were some obvious worries within our group as well as some in the home committee.
Oh what a relief when we tallied up our profits and sent home $6000 dollars for their banking. Only 1.9 million to go.
Over the next four years we held hands with Hone and his Te Hungaiti whanau from Tautoro, trying so hard to do the best for each other. While this was going on we maintained our little local BBQs at Bunnings and the Warehouse which could bring in $600-$800 for a weekend Thank you Margret, Twin, Gloria, Auntie, Margret, Kim, Nahu ,Patrick Jean and your moko's for burning your fingers for the cause, see I told you (hero's), We were also doing the whanau day food festival with Agnes and Mini Cherrington on the North Shore. They were a huge help to our mahi as well.
Even though Te Hungaiti needed a bit of a break, Hone always made himself available for our wananga, another of our heroes. Hone I could never thank you enough for your commitment to the cause. I will never forget a moment in time, Hone sitting in the quiet gloom inside Tumanako. He is sharing the old korero. It is quiet and we listen, and drift back to another age, to the sound of the old open smoky fires, and the warmth of those around us. Simple and pure. To me the essence of the marae.
During this time Margaret Verstoep and her mother Mako joined up with us at one of our Sunday meetings at my home and gave our fluctuating numbers a boost. To reward her for coming, we made her secretary and because she had some good questions we made her treasurer as well ---lucky thing.
By 2013 we had sent home $100,000 dollars; some of our whanau had developed a desire to put on our wananga at kaingahoa. What a huge effort they put in. Thank you Heni Jane for stepping up and organising our wananga up to the present. Yes whanau, another example of dedication and stickability through some tough time. We had some wonderful noho and waiata sessions. I will always treasure the night that Ricky was on the guitar, the beautiful voices of Kera Junie Vennesa and Wally Harmonizing long into the night. These wananga finally took us to our budget target. Such a massive effort. Backing all of this mahi at this time was the backbone of the Whanau, uncle Paddy, Tilly June, Hana, Tepa,Kawhe, Kuini Cindy, Sonny, Te Ao and Wati,Toti, Naahi ,Robin,Wii, Maru, Pauline, Auntie Moe, Pei, Heni Jane, Neater, Pixie Bell, Toko, Delina, Franses Nola, Aunty Bubby, and our Sonia, who helped to steer our waka for a while, and many of our mokopuna and extended families, So the journey continues.
Our marae has been there for the whanau in some pretty hard times. It's been there as a reminder of the strength and love of others who also put in the mahi. It is a reminder of the old and tested values that our tipuna left us. It will be a legacy of the values that we leave to our children and so to their children as well , sharing the love and working side by side, The essence of whanaungatanga.
Over the last few years some of our beloved whanau that we looked to for wisdom and guidance have passed on, Uncle Paddy was one of them. He was the beacon. He dedicated his life to this mahi . He had a dream that he shared with us all. His dream was ignited by his father, and so back to his father in turn, Wiremu Te Korohu who did most of the carpentry on Tumanako the dream was to build a new wharehui and a new kitchen. They believed in the cause and saved hard, one step at a time, almost one dollar at a time. Uncle Paddy took up the challenge, keeping the home fires burning, the water running, the maintenance, the power bills that often chewed into his own pocket,
His service to our marae will forever be a shining example of what we aspire to. I will always remember my visit with him at the hospital, He was unable to speak, with much effort he was finally able to write two words on his little white board for me to read "OUR MARAE" So humbling.
With the wananga that Heni Jane and our whanau did at home last year we have finally been able to initiate the start of our building program. I would also like to tautoko the service and efforts of Jackie (Haki ) Heremaia and his whanau for their work around the marae over the years, keeping it looking so nice and presentable. To Tony, thank you for initiating and excavating the new waterways. To Jennifer and Joe Perana, many thanks for your efforts with keeping our water system functioning and dealing with the hard times.
As I write this we are awaiting feedback from our architects regarding some costings, (feasibility Report) so we can move on and complete our mahi.
There have been many who remain nameless in these pages so many have helped towards the mahi around our marae redevelopment and I know none of them will expect any extra consideration... Whanau I do believe these pages are far richer bearing the names of whanau who passed this way on life’s journey and created a footprint. Over the last fifteen years many of you have stepped up with your own donations some in the AP $2 a week some in the Whanau koha and some in the 400 club. Such a huge effort by you all and I know with much personal financial strain to some of you, so once again thank you. Within this story there are many other stories worth recording. Feel free to share them, so Nathan, my wonderful son can put them down in our writings.
Now, this vision that was started way way back has come to this time --to this place-- where others can put their hands up to serve into the future. As I said whanau there is no ending. It's about the journey, so why not come aboard, no matter where you live we can hold hands and travel together.
Another servant with a pencil.