CATHRINE TE MIRINGA HOLLAND (MOKE) 

The role of Waipapa Marae Trustees is clearly laid out in the new Charter – “the Trust is committed to sound governance that will ensure the Marae operates effectively and with full accountability and transparency back to its beneficiaries”.  Ordinarily, this means the Trust is responsible for Marae assets that are now valued at around $3m and answerable to its 2,400+ beneficiaries for everything that happens on the Marae. 

Although hugely intimidating, this is not what brought me back to Waipapa Marae, or to the role as a Trustee and now as your Chairman. 

My grandparents are Kiti (Te Uira) and Rev. Paahi Moke. They retired to the Methodist Mission house up on the hill behind the Church although ‘Pop” continued to play an active role in church matters.  Nana is from Tahāroa - Ngāti Mahuta - and Pop from this side of Kāwhia Moana - Ngāti Hikairo. 

My parents are Ruruhira and George Moke.  We grew up in Porirua in Wellington, however for as long as I remember, we made the trek back to Kāwhia for Poukai, tangihanga, weddings and other family gatherings.  These functions were either on Waipapa or Maketū Marae; in 1972, I was married on Maketū Marae. 

In 1979, we re-established our Kāinga on Paringatai and in 1992 we set aside our Urupa, where both of my parents are now buried. 

Today, my contribution to Waipapa Marae is “paying it back” – because I can. More importantly though, my contribution is “paying it forward” because I want to. 

For my mokopuna and the many more in the future, my vision is for Waipapa Marae to be the front and centre of focus for present and future beneficiaries; for it to be a thriving and bustling community that gives not only cultural sustenance and connectivity, but potentially economic wellbeing including education, housing, and employment. 

In my view, this is entirely do- able and is the single reason why I am back on Waipapa Marae. 

Nedracita Rangimarie Dunn (Wetere)

Matua, tama, wairua tapu me ngā anahera pono me te māngai Ae!

Te tīmatanga o ngā whakaaro nui

E wehi ana ki te Atua

Kia whakahonoretia tō tātou Kīngi, a Kīngi Tuheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Te Tuawhitu

E mihi ana ki tōna whare ariki

Oti rā ki te kahuiariki nui tonu

Pai marire

It is humbling to have been elected as a Trustee for our Marae.

I am the third child of six children born to Koro and Girlie Wetere and the mokopuna of William (Bill) and Amy Edwards, my maternal grandparents who raised me on our farm at Ōpārau.

I attended Ōpārau Primary School in the earlier years before moving back to live with my parents in Te Kuiti and Otorohanga. I am married to Craven Dunn (Ngapuhi/Te Rarawa).  We have two boys Tony and Grayson and a daughter, Jaudyn (deceased) who is buried in Waipapa Urupa next to her tūpuna. I have two mokopuna, Ritihia and Brodie who reside in Perth, Australia with their parents, Tony and Lindy Dunn. Their Uncle Grayson also lives in Perth with partner Emma.

My playground was the marae, where I watched and learnt at an early age how important the marae was to my family and extended whānau.  The two driving forces that influenced my life growing up was the Kiingitanga and my belief in the Hāhi Ratana.  My teachers were my grandparents, parents and whānau. Dad instilled in us as children the importance of relationships whether they be with Māori or Pākehā.  Likewise, the values of our Hāhi and the Kiingitanga enriched our lives.  

My Grandfather, Mother and Aunty Penny were Waipapa Trustees for many years, enhancing the message that in order to lead from the front your journey should have started at the back (kitchen).  Their drive was to ensure that the Marae grew and prospered for all to enjoy.

As was their vision for Waipapa, I believe we have the ability to move forward sourcing available resources, to better our future for our Marae and our whanau, working collectively together to achieve that.

We are building something that will be enduring for future generations. I am committed to breathing new life into our Marae so that it is self-sustaining in the long term.

A well-known Whakatauki by the late Te Puia Herangi epitomizes the essence of what I believe we can do as a Marae and people.

Mahia te mahi hei painga mo te iwi.  Manaakitia te iwi, whangaaia te tangata.  Kia mau te aroha me te rangimarie.

E te Iwi, noho iho rā i runga i te aroha o te Atua.

Pai marire.

My goal as a trustee is to grow our marae to be a place where everyone feels welcome and at home.  Waipapa has always been the heart of Ngāti Hikairo and will remain so.  However, we live in unsettling times and the challenge before our generation is to create a Marae environment where our people feel connected, safe and secure.   

I was raised in Kawhia by my tupuna whaea (Lucy Hinga Te Kura Tai). Waipapa was the center of my universe in those days, although so was the local Fish Shop owned by Pat and Tony Adams.  My mother (Crystal Hineketu Matehaere Tai) was a solo parent of one rather spoilt mokopuna. She went to work in Wellington while I lived the good life with my nana and papa (Johnny Manawaiti).   Papa died in 1977, my mum passed in 1980, and I eventually wound-up living with Uncle Stan and Aunty Mere Gilmore in Hamilton from 1981 until 1983.  I am eternally thankful for the love and support I received from my whanau my formative years.    

I enlisted in the Army in 1984 having been selected as a Regular Force Cadet.   I served in a variety of administrative and governance roles throughout my career both within NZ and overseas while on operations.  One of the benefits of a military career is that you are trained to lead and manage in difficult situations. The Army also promoted adult education to complement military training. The Army funded my tertiary education which culminated in a Masters Degree in Public Management (with Merit) in 2009 from Victoria University of Wellington. I retired from the Army in the rank of Warrant Officer Class One with a clutch of medals, awards and many great memories in my kete.  

 
Following my military career, I accepted a role with the United Nations Relief Works Agency in Jordan.  My wife (Amy) and daughter (Crystal) and I lived in Amman for three and half years.  Our son (Brandon) spent a year in England while we were in Jordan.  He returned to Wellington to study commerce and management at Victoria University.  Today, Brandon is a business development manager at NZX (the stock Exchange) while Crystal is with Kiwibank as a business banker.  Amy and I have made our home in Upper Hutt where we have been very happy since our return to Aotearoa. 

Since the opening of Te Maru o Hikairo, I have become immersed in mahi involving both the rūnanga and our marae.  Balancing work, rūnanga and marae mahi was time-consuming so I opted to make our Marae my priority. I was approached by various iwi and whānau members to stand as a Marae trustee which was a humbling and pivotal moment in my life.  In accepting their tono, I recalled some of the last words my nana spoke to me before she passed in 1991, 

(1) To always support the Kiingitanga,
(2) Remember our karakia, Te Paimarire, and
(3) Aroha ki te iwi.   

Nō reira, i roto i ēra whakaaro, kei konei ahau, tā koutou mōkai e mihi ana, e mahi ana, i roto i nga tikanga i waihotia mai e rātou e te hunga kua wheturangitia.  Pai Maririe kia tātou e te iwi, me haere tahi tātou i runga i te waka o tō tātou Kiingi, ka puta ki te whei ao ki te ao mārama. Tēnā koutou katoa.  

I agreed to stand as a marae trustee to get the new wharekai project back on the table and the first task was funding. I approached cousin Muff Marshall to come and guide Waipapa through the huge funding challenges she achieved with the refurbishing of Auaukiterangi. Within months she had funders, bankers, builders and Waipapa trustees all sitting at the same table.  Her wero to her people at Waipapa, “I’ll guide you, but you do the work”.

We all worked closely with Kruger Wetere our project manager for the build and Anton Spelman who made sure we were accountable for government funding, we almost lost because beneficiaries took us to court for the alleged mismanagement of marae funds. However, their efforts were to no avail.

Kruger was the ears and eyes for the trustees and the Iwi and Hinga (Porima) paid our bills on time.  Kruger's  Facebook posts each week resonated with our marae beneficiaries who all became part of the journey.  Kruger endorsed the importance of communication, an issue raised in court by the judge who felt the lines of communication between trust and beneficiaries seriously needed revamping.   

Today, our website launch is an integral part of our communication strategy in conjunction with the Te Puni Kōkiri MARAE Connectivity Package.  This includes free WiFi, free Security Cameras and a modern teleconference facility for Waipapa.  Now, our marae website is linked to our Waipapa Facebook Page as the official avenues of communication as directed by the court.  

It's clear as to see in hindsight.  But at the time, it seemed to me that when we were in the middle of the court case battle, it was challenging to figure out to what extent the wharekai build was the will of the people and what wasn't.   Hindsight is gained through experience and looking back at the situation I have a much clearer understanding of how things could have been done better. Today, it's water under the bridge and the trust continues with it's Annual Plan, managing and developing the assets of the marae.   

Hindsight is 20/20!

“ As a trustee, my goal was to make sure our bank accounts were all up to scratch 24/7 especially before, during and after the wharekai build.”

Hinga has been treasurer of the Waipapa Marae Trust for the last 4 years and has made sure all of our marae bills were paid on time.  Since 2017 she has nailed thtree financial audits.  During her time as treasurer, Hinga has guided us through the build of the new wharekai,Te Maru o Hikairo. 

Off the marae, Hinga is a staunch supporter of the Kāwhia branch of the Māori Women’s Welfare League and the local branch of the Methodist Church.

Hinga is the eldest daughter of Uncle Fred and Aunty Bessie Porima.  Hinga and Hano have raised  three boys and are the proud grandparents of their nine mokopuna.

Hinga resides in Kāwhia with one of the ‘to die for’ views of Kāwhia Moana, Kāwhia Kai, Kāwhia Tangata.

“I believe in the physical and spiritual health of our people and as a trustee I believe the marae is a pivotal part of the vision.”

Jack is one of our long serving trustees who has spent a lot of his time setting up marae initiatives for Ngāti Hikairo. Health has been a huge focus for him over the years working with tribal health services to benefit the iwi. 

In the field of arts Jack has never been far from his guitar to strike up a waiata during a lapse in a marae hui.  His range of music has also extended from modern song to the revitalisation of our traditional mōteatea where he’s created a YouTube library of waiata for the Iwi to learn from.  However, his most recent project was a winner with the Iwi growing fresh vegetables for the marae which have also made their way to the local market at Omimiti.

"One day I hope they will invent technology that records meetings and print outs of what’s being said, even when people speak over each other."

As the trust secretary, my job was to minute the meetings and keep an accurate record for the court.  It’s challenging when everyone is speaking at the same time.  Here’s my advice to my marae:

1. Don’t all speak at once, speak one at a time or shut up.
2. If you’ve got something to say, don’t yell
3. Say what you have to say and sit down – Me ngu!

“My goal as a trustee was to develop the marae so that our people feel welcome and at home, able to take pride in being connected to Waipapa and confident that there is a place for their contribution to our life together.”

Tony has been one of the longest serving trustees among the current contingent after taking on the reins having been invited by Kingi Porima and Hinga Whiu to get involved many years ago.  He has witnessed our marae go through many intergenerational changes culminating in leading the trustees through the build of the new wharekai Te Maru o Hikairo.  Tony invented his own funding matrix to ensure the money from three separate funders for the wharekai were directly linked to eleven stages of the wharekai build.  The level of financial accountability Tony’s wee invention created, kept the trustees secure with all of our building providers and government accountants.

Tony has also dedicated as much time if not more to Te Rūnanganui o Ngāti Hikairo.  Recently retired, he has taken back the name he was always given in the family - ANTON. “Tony” arrived when he changed schools at age 10 and it seemed to stick around during his working life. Now in”retirement” he is going back to his roots and his family are pleased to give him back the name they have always known him by.  While Tony has retired, Anton will still cast his vision across both the Rūnanganui and Waipapa as his experience is second to none.

Coming from the Forbes line (Te Whānau Pani and Ngāti Ngāti), Anton, together with his wife Ruth, have four children.  They are the proud grandparents of five mokopuna currently with a sixth on the way. 

Ngā mihi nui ki a tātou katoa i tēnei wā
Korōria ki te matua nui i te rangi
Maungārongo ki runga i te mata o te whenua
Whakaaro pai ki ngā tāngata katoa
He mihi ki a Kiingi Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero te Tuawhitu
Te pou herenga waka
Te pou herenga tangata me te kāhui ariki nui tonu 
Paimairie
Tēnei te tū ake
Ki te mihi atu, ki a koutou
Te whānau o Waipapa Marae Committee
Ko Pirongia-te-aroaro-o-Kahu rāua ko Aoraki ngā maunga
Ko Kawhia rāua ko Te Ara Kiwa ngā moana
Ko Ōpārau rāua ko Waimakariri ngā awa
Ko Tainui rāua ko Takitimu ngā waka
Ko Ngāti Hikairo rāua ko Kai Tahu ngā iwi
Ko Waipapa rāua ko Te Rau Aroha ngā marae
Ko Te Whānaupani rāua ko Kāti Mamoe ngā hapū
Ko Whakamarurangi rāua ko Tahu Pōtiki ngā tāngata
Ko Tiki Porima-Ryan tōku ingoa
Nō Kāwhia ahau.

MY ASSOCIATION:
Kāwhia Māori Women’s Welfare League
Te Puru Hikairo Trust (Interim Trustee)
Waipapa Marae Committee 
Waipapa Poukai Committee
Kāwhia Methodist Church
Trustee for Waipapa (Interim Trustee)
Ngā Marae Toopu

MY RESPONDSIBILITIES:
Treasurer for Waipapa Poukai & Marae Committee (2014- 2020)
Treasurer Kāwhia MWW League (2018-2020)
Interim Treasurer Te Puru Hikairo (2020)
Interim Treasurer Kāwhia Methodist Church (2020)

MY COMMITMENT:
Waipapa Poukai & Marae committee been a treasurer
Poukai Rounds  
Kāwhia MWW League with Maniapoto Pact Trust Mirimiri
Kāwhia Methodist Church assisting Tumoaki Diana Tana with Holy communion.
Waiata and Mooteatea with Haki and Whetu.

MY SKILLS:
Tikanga (Matauranga Māori) (Level 3) 2017
Certificate in Art (Māori)/Kāwai Raupapa 2017
Ngā Kete Mātauranga Rorohiko
New Zealand Certificate in Computing
(Intermediate User) (Level 3) 2018
Ngā Kete Mātauranga Rorohiko
New Zealand Certificate in Computing
(Advanced User) (Level 4) 2018

As the deputy chair I believe everyone has a right to speak because they’re recorded for a court of law.  I wasn’t like the chair, he had his style and I had mine.  You misbehaved on my watch, “Ka hāmamahia ōu taringa, kia noho!” 

As the deputy chair I believe everyone has a right to speak at trust meetings because they’re recorded for a court of law.  Like Marlene says once you’ve had your say, sit down and shut up.  Let someone else have their say.  We’re all important and we all deserve to be heard.  The days of mouthing off are gone.  Me wahangū!

E Meto, i reira koe a-kanohi nei i te whakatuwheratanga o Te Maru o Hikairo, katahi ka riro atu koe i te ringa kaha o Aituā. Kua tae ki te huringa o te tau, hoki wairua mai, e hoki!  E hoki i te ara takitini, i te ara takimano, i te ara ka rere kore ki muri.

Moe ma i tōu moenga roa!