To begin their regional visit to Whakatāne, Dame Cindy and Dr Davies received a warm welcome from Ngāti Awa at a pōwhiri at Te Mānuka Tūtahi Marae. Dame Cindy heard more about the extraordinary history of Mātaatua, a wharenui which is renowned for its large scale and the artistry of the whakairo. It is known as 'the marae that came home', as it was removed by the Government shortly after it was built in the 1870s for exhibition in Australia and the UK. In 1925 it was sent to Dunedin to be exhibited at Otago Musem, and finally returned to Ngāti Awa to be restored and repoened in 2011, as part of their Treaty Settlement. It was originally built as a marae fit for Queen Victoria to stay in should she visit New Zealand. While Queen Victoria never saw it, King George and Queen Mary visited the marae when it was in London. Dame Cindy is the first sitting Governor-General to visit this magnificent marae in its home in Whakātane.
Te Kura o Te Pāroa was the next stop on Dame Cindy’s regional visit to Whakatāne. The kura has a long history in Whakatāne and is a special character school, where approximately half the role of over 300 students are in total immersion classes. Dame Cindy spoke to the assembled tamariki, who honoured her with beautiful performances of waiata.
At the Ngāti Awa Health and Social Services later that afternoon, Dame Cindy and Dr Davies were introduced to the kaimahi who provide extensive wrap-around services for whānau, applying Māori-based solutions to improve wellbeing, while also providing employment pathways and housing. They saw inside one of the new rental houses, complete with fruit trees and vegetable beds, which have been constructed to help whānau who want to progress to home ownership.
Next, Dame Cindy and Dr Davies travelled to Tauranga to attend an investiture ceremony for 19 recipients of honours that acknowledge exceptional services to Hato Hone St John. Dame Cindy and Dr Davies were met by the Chancellor of St John, John Whitehead, Eileen Barrett-Whitehead, and Brendan Wood, Deputy-Chancellor. Before the investiture ceremony, Dame Cindy, who is Prior of the Order in Aotearoa, inspected a parade of local Youth Cadets.
One of Their Excellencies final engagements was a Ngāti Awa tour of the Whakatāne Foreshore, led by Des Harawira. They learnt about the long history of settlement by the peoples of the Mātaatua canoe and their relationship with the off-shore islands, the river, and the sea.
During their visit to Whakatāne, Dame Cindy and Dr Davies also met with Mayor Victor Luka and Councillors Whakatāne District Council, Māori academics and leaders, and Ngāti Awa youth leaders.
To view further images of the regional visit, go to this link Dame Cindy and Dr Davies Regional Visit to Whakatāne.