Welcome at Rapaki Marae

Mihi:
E ngā Rangatira Kaumātua o Rapaki Marae
Aku mihi miharo ki a koutou katoa
Me te tautoko I te whaikōrero a Lewis ki a koutou
Kia ora huihui tātou katoa

I then greet everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand, in English, Māori, Cook Island Māori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language—Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the morning (Sign)

May I then specifically acknowledge the Kaumatua, kuia, and members of the Rapaki Marae gathered here today;de Ladies and Gentlemen and children. 

Thank you for welcoming my wife Susan and I, and our party on to Rapaki Marae.

We are here to visit the Lyttelton area, to meet its peoples and learn more of its plans for the future following the 4 September and 22 February earthquakes.

While we have visited the Christchurch and Canterbury areas before, most recently to support and encourage those affected by the traumatic and damaging earthquakes, this is the first time we have made a focused visit to Lyttelton and its surrounding towns.  In recognition of its significance, for local iwi and for Lyttelton, we have made Rapaki Marae our first stop.

This Marae, located at Te Rapaki o Te Rakiwhakaputa, 5km from Ōhinehou, Lyttelton, home to Canterbury’s port, is an important part of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu’s takiwā.

Rapaki Marae holds a very special place, situated in sweeping landscape of Lyttelton harbour, which of course is home to one of New Zealand’s busiest ports. I understand that the epicentre of the deadly 22 February quake was located two kilometres west of Lyttelton, which means it was incredibly close to the Rapaki area as well.

When researching this Marae and its history, I came across the book “Lore and history of the South Island Maori” by W.A. Taylor, where a chapter is dedicated to Rapaki — the pa of Ngati Wheke.

I understand that the original Runanga Hall, was opened by the Hon. W. C. Walker, Minister of Labour, on 30 December 1901.  Among the many interesting things I learned, came an amusing story which I think is important to share, in that it involved one of my predecessors. The story reads as follows:

“When Lord Ranfurly was Governor of New Zealand he visited Rapaki on April 8th, 1904, and received an enthusiastic welcome. A good story attaches to his visit. A member of the Governor's staff posed as a Māori scholar, and to keep up his reputation travelled to Rapaki the previous day and obtained an English translation of the Chief's speech. On the fateful day he duly explained the Māori speech to His Excellency the Governor. His downfall came when Lord Ranfurly requested him to render the speech of the Governor made in English into the Māori tongue as a compliment to Māori. Māori had fired previously a Royal Salute on a small cannon, this together with the bagpipe music must also have assisted in the interpreter's downfall.”

I am confident in saying that my kaumatua Lewis Moeau is not posing in any way and is an accomplished orator on the paepae and could confidently and accurately translate this speech into Te Reo! It is reassuring to know that history has not been repeated.

I am told that the Rapaki Whanui raised about a third of the funding, with supporting grants from local funders, to build this new carved ancestral house.  May I congratulate you all on this achievement, in creating a whare that will serve the Rapaki and wider communities for another hundred years.

A figure well-known to this Marae was influential Māori leader Sir Eruera Tihema Te Aika Tirikatene. Sir Eruera was a New Zealand Māori politician of the Ngāi Tahu tribe and was the first Ratana Member of Parliament elected in a by-election for Southern Maori in June 1932 .
Succeeding him in the role of MP for Southern Māori, again in a by-election after his death, was his daughter, Hon Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan. She was appointed to the Order of New Zealand on 6 February 1993 and was one of only 18 ordinary members until her sad passing late last month .

She was active in a wide-range of educational, welfare, cultural, and community programmes for Māori and the community throughout her life. She was the longest serving woman MP, having served from 1967 to 1996. I know that her passing will be keenly felt by members of this Marae, Ngāi Tahu, and the wider community.

Our connections with Ngāi Tahu began early on in our term. In October 2006, when Susan and I were very new to the Governor-General role, we visited Te Waipounamu House in Christchurch, the offices of Ngāi Tahu iwi. Mark, you will remember that occasion well!
We return to Ngāi Tahu takiwā at the other end of the spectrum, with less than a month left in the role. Over that time we have visited Marae throughout the length and breadth of the country.  It was a great honour to visit and give my Waitangi Day address at Onuku Marae, on the other side of this peninsula, in February 2010.

It was there in 1840 that Ngāi Tahu first signed the Treaty of Waitangi and it was there in 1998, that the Crown apologised for its breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi in its dealings with the tribe.

The passage of the Ngāi Tahu Claim Settlement Act was a significant stepping stone that has allowed the tribe to take a new path and to forge a new future.  It has transformed Ngāi Tahu.  No longer is the tribe a people dispossessed in their own land.  It is the second largest landowner in the South Island and a vital part of the South Island economy.  It has also allowed the tribe to regenerate its culture and assist its people in health and education.

The strength of Ngāi Tahu will be essential in the years that follow, in supporting Christchurch and Canterbury in rebuilding and recovering from the destructive and devastating 4 September and 22 February earthquakes.

The following Māori saying, about working together, seems fitting to recite:

Kaua e rangi-rua-tia
Te he o te hoe
E kore to ta-tou
Waka e u ki uta

The literal translation says that in a waka, we must lift the paddles in unison or we will not reach the shore. But the message behind it is about working together as a community to make things happen.

I am confident that the Ngati Wheke and wider Ngāi Tahu community will display that spirit, in assisting Canterbury and Christchurch in getting back on its feet in the months and years to come. 

Thank you again for welcoming us here on Rapaki Marae.  It has been a special time that we will always treasure.  
And on that note, I will close in New Zealand’s first language, offering greetings and wishing everyone good health and fortitude in your endeavours.  

No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.