There was something especially meaningful about seeing our whānau come together for a positive occasion this Matariki.
So often, we gather because something has happened. Because there is grief to carry, a challenge to face, or mahi that needs doing.
Matariki gave us a different reason.
A reason to come together simply to celebrate. To share kai. To reconnect. To remember those we have lost. To laugh, dance, talk and enjoy being in one another’s company.
The evening began with kapa haka performance and kōrero shared about our collective achievements and future plans for Te Tūmatakahuki.
Ko te tangata te hua nui o te iwi — our people are our wealth.
Te Tūmatakahuki Chair, Reihana Adlam (Ngāti Te Au)
Te Tūmatakahuki isn’t simply twelve representatives sitting around a board table. It is our twelve hapū and iwi, our nine marae, and the whānau connected through the whakapapa of Tūrongo and Whatihua here in Horowhenua. Our whakapapa binds us together, and it remains one of our greatest strengths.
Over the past year, we have seen that strength in many different ways. From responding when our environment has needed us, planting rākau across the rohe, gathering on our marae for hui mate and hui ora, and supporting one another through the mahi that comes with protecting the things that matter to us.
And this year, there was something else worth celebrating too — the purchase of the Foxton War Memorial Hall and the opportunity to fill it with our people. To see it full of whānau, tamariki, music, kai and laughter felt significant. It was more than hosting an event in a hall. It was seeing that space come alive in the way we had hoped it would.
After what has been a momentous year, there was something deeply grounding about looking around the room and seeing our people together.
Whānau reconnecting. Generations together. Familiar faces finding each other again. Tamariki enjoying themselves. And space made to remember those who are no longer physically with us, but remain part of us.
Rautī and Whatapōporo decorate their Matariki stars.
The kōrero shared on the night reminded us that we are Tainui people. Ko Tararua ngā pae maunga. Ko Manawatū te awa. For generations our people have been sustained by our awa, our roto and our moana. Those relationships remind us that what we inherit also comes with responsibility — to care for our taonga, strengthen our marae, protect our reo, and leave something stronger for our tamariki and mokopuna.
It is because of the collective efforts of those who stand beside Te Tūmatakahuki, the representatives of our hapū that show up to the mahi, and the whānau behind the scenes helping to ensure our people can show up and contribute to the collective that we are strong.
Thank you to all those that have played a role in the last year.
Manawatia a Matariki e te whānau.
Enjoy the photos from an amazing evening. Thank you to the Hatsell whānau for the delicious kai, Foxton Solar Farms for powering the lighting and tamariki activations for the evening, Dr Pauline Harris for the Matariki Dome activation, Raukawa Trust for supplying the ika, Parlatos Farms for the generation donation of kai, Peanut Slab for the music, and all those that contributed to a wonderful celebration.
