Tena Koutou Katoa

Firstly Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi-O-Ngāpuhi and  as a whole suffered a great loss in April with the sudden passing of Ben Mathews at a Hui at Te Kotahitanga  Marae, Kaikohe. Ben was not only a strong advocate and spokesman for his Hapū and chair of his marae he was also a loving husband and father who has left his mark on the hearts of many.

Ko tenei te mihi Aroha ki te whanau pani, ki a koe e te rangatira Ben, i katohia nei e te ringa kaha o Aitua... takoto i roto i te whare o Io Te Matua, a Matangirei o mataotao.kaati, moe mai i roto i nga ringa atawhai a Io Te Matua. Ka nui te Aroha, ka kino te mamae, ka kakati matou  mou kua wehe nei i te ao kikokiko.

Tens  of  thousands  of  people  converged  at Waitangi  this  year  to celebrate  the  169th Anniversary  of  the  signing  of  Te  Tiriti  o Waitangi.

Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi-O-Ngāpuhi Chairperson Raniera Tau says celebrations this year were a huge success, very organized and an event that New Zealand should be proud of.

This year saw the largest contingent of waka taua and waka tete kura and  kaihoe converge  at  Te  Tii  Bay  in  Waitangi  in almost 20  years.  700  kaihoe  from Ngāpuhi nui  tonu, Tainui and Te Waiariki impressed a  huge  crowd  with  their  unique  haka  and display  of  strength  and  stride  in  their  hoe around the bay.

Throughout the Ngapuhi Festival 2010 people who attend will encounter an array of arts, kai, entertainment and performances guaranteed to enthral.

Performances will include Local Kapa Haka groups as well as an exciting line up of nationally and internationally recognised and extremely talented Maori performers. The talent line up includes Anika Moa and her soulful sound while the hit new reggae sensation Sweet & Irie who have become familiar faces at the top of the New Zealand charts with their hit singles “My Gurl” and “Sweet & Irie” are sure to get the crowd moving.

1814 have made a name for themselves in New Zealand and overseas and this talented home-grown, 8 piece roots reggae combination will also take to the stage. Ruia Aperehama, Big Belly Women, Herbs,  Souljah, Akareta and the Boys are just some of the amazing talent who have signed up to perform and support this auspicious event.

To top it all off a well known widely loved hot group that is taking the world by storm will close off the festival with a memorable performance and to add a bit of excitement they chosen to remain a mystery until the festival hits town.

Staying true to promoting the tikanga of Ngapuhi a variety of Wananga Matauranga will be held throughout the festival which will look in depth and be delivered by those truly skilled in the reo, tikanga and matauranga tuturu of Ngapuhi.

A series of Wānanga on the theme of ‘Te mita o te reo tuturu o Ngāpuhi’ will see Kaumatua and Kuia sharing their wealth of knowledge with workshops and debates that promise to be entertaining and informative.

To cater to the tai tamariki a stage and area will be set up specifically focusing on events and activities they will lead and enjoy this is sure to keep them entertained and enthralled throughout the event.

A variety of stalls selling everything from kai, to kakahu to kete will be operating throughout the festival and Ngapuhi, Maori from around the country and manuhiri from all over the world are invited to attend the event and make it something truly meaningful and worthy of the iwi it will represent.

Ngāpuhi will decide which path to follow in settling the Crown breaches against Te Tiriti o Waitangi, in the coming months.

The Ngāpuhi Te Tiriti o Waitangi iwi consultation hui held throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand and Sydney – during April and May stimulated healthy discussion and debate among the people of New Zealand’s largest iwi

The hui, led by te roopu o Tuhoronuku were funded by Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi-O-Ngāpuhi to share information and hear the views of the Ngāpuhi nation in regards to the Settlement pathway.

Spokesperson  for Tainui Raahui  Papa  says  the  iwi met  and  discussed  all  the  events  at Waitangi and were elated they played such a large part in celebrations this year.

The contingent of Tainui kaihoe and kaitautoko of Kingi Tuheitia was so large in fact that 2 separate whakatau had  to be carried out  for  them,  the first group a sea of blue Tainui members who escorted  their waka  to Te Tii. While another huge crowd  followed Kingi Tuheitia onto Te Tii Marae the next day

The  attendance  of  such  a  huge  contingent  came  with  the  first  appearance  of  Kingi Tuheitia  as  the Maori King  at Waitangi  celebrations  along with his  esteemed manuhiri Princess Pele-Levu of Tonga who gifted fine tapa mats to Te Tii Marae in thanks of their warm welcome.

Iwi dealing directly with the Prime Minister and those responsible for the decision making in treaty settlement processes was just one of the many issues put to Prime Minister John Key at an Iwi leader’s forum held in Waitangi this year.

Over 30 iwi representatives and leaders gathered to discuss issues of importance to iwi around the nation and the outcomes of those discussions were presented to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Maori Affairs Doctor Pita Sharples and Senior members of the National Government.

Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi-O-Ngāpuhi chairperson Raniera Tau says iwi leaders at the hui unanimously agreed that they were tired of the beaureucratic processes of Treaty settlements of the past. Leaders wanted to continue the momentum started by the Labour government in dealing directly with iwi to reach swift and fair Treaty of Waitangi settlements.

Iwi leaders from around the nation have united in a bid to help find and support more effective ways of preventing domestic violence. The Iwi leader’s forum hosted by Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi-O-Ngāpuhi Te Runanga o Ngati Whatua and Te Runanga o Whaingaroa saw huge support and agreement to putting more power behind putting an end to violence of any kind in our families.

At the hui Toby Curtis of Te Arawa highlighted his own families devastating experience with domestic violence after the involvement of some of his whanau members in the death of Nia Glassie. With strong support from Ngati Whatua ki Kaipara Chairperson Naida Glavish he sought and gained unanimous agreement from the iwi leaders present to work together and seek new, more effective ways of dealing with domestic violence, as well as provide more support to successful initiatives already in place among iwi around the country.

Social Workers in Schools also known as SWIS workers of Ngāpuhi Iwi Social Services took a leading role at the Fourth International School Social Work Conference held at Auckland this year.

Te Puu Ao stood proudly for the first time at Te Matatini this year to represent Ngāpuhi nui tonu. First established in 2007, Te Puu Ao has come a long way since its inception and was the first group to perform at the Nationals in Tauranga. Te Puu Ao was established by the Kaka, Ruka and Morunga whanau based in Whangarei and spokesperson for the rope, Ralph Ruka says the vision of Te Puu Ao is to “foster world champions and inspire magnificence without fear or failure”.