Murihiku Marae

E ngā rangatira katoa e huihui nei, Ngāi Tahu whānui, Ngā Mātāwaka ,E kui mā, e koro mā, Tamariki mā, Aku mihi māhana, Kia ora tātou katoa.

Distinguished guests, the kaumātua and kuia of the Ngāi Tahu Papatipu Rūnanga—Waihōpai Rūnaka, Awarua Rūnanga, Hokonui Rūnanga and Ōraka-Aparima Rūnanga—and the kaumātua and kuia of Ngā Hau e Whā Marae and Te Tomairangi Marae—warm greetings to you all.

I specifically acknowledge: Michael Skerrett JP, Upoko of Waihōpai Rūnaka and Murihiku Marae; Rino Tirikatene, MP for Te Tai Tonga; Eric Roy, MP for Invercargill and Deputy Speaker; Darren Ludlow, Deputy Mayor of Invercargill—tēnā tātou katoa.

Thank you for welcoming me, my wife Janine and my party on to Murihiku Marae this morning as we begin our first official Vice-Regal visit to Southland.  To return your courtesy, it’s probably appropriate that I can explain the purpose of our visit drawing on our history.

Purpose of visit
Over the next few days we will be meeting many different people from many different organisations in Southland.  We have come to hear of your plans and aspirations for the future.

From Milford Sound in the north-west to the Rakiura-Stewart Island in the south, Southland is a region of great beauty and while it makes up a relatively small proportion of New Zealand’s population, it contributes much to our nation’s prosperity, through industry, agriculture, trade and business, education, the arts, and tourism.

We have made Murihiku Marae our first port of call.  It is the second Ngāi Tahu marae I have visited, having been welcomed at Rehua Marae in Christchurch, the day before the first anniversary of last year’s devastating earthquake.

Our call here is both a proper courtesy, and recognises your manawhenua status in this rohe and your place among the runanga of Ngāi Tahu.  It acknowledges your resilience, and the place of this marae as a centre of strength for your people and your growing contribution in the community.

Whakapapa
Let me speak briefly of my whakapapa.  My heritage is of Te Arawa waka and specifically Ngāti Tūwharetoa.   I am also a descendent of Tākitimu waka and Ngāti Kahungunu.  My mother’s family had connections to Tūhoe.  And my father’s family had connections to Whanganui.  I am also a descendent of immigrants who arrived at Wellington, on the sailing ship, Katherine Stewart Forbes, in 1841.  
For 38 years I wore with pride the uniform of Ngāti Tūmatauenga—the New Zealand Army.  Today, however, I stand as the Governor-General of New Zealand, the representative of Her Majesty, the Queen of New Zealand, and of all New Zealanders. 

The Treaty—Ti Tiriti and Ngāi Tahu
It was in the name of Her Majesty’s great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria, that my predecessor, Lt Governor William Hobson, signed the Treaty of Waitangi—Te Tiriti o Waitangi with more than 40 rangatira on 6 February 1840. 

Later that year, three signatures were gained from this area, when the HMS Herald called on Ruapuke Island.   On the basis of these and a handful of other Ngāi Tahu signatures, Hobson’s deputy, Major Thomas Bunbury, claimed sovereignty of the entire South Island.

In the years that followed many transgressions were committed.  Iwi lost their land and suffered great economic, social and cultural hardship.  Ngāi Tahu became virtually landless within its rohe.

Even so, you retained your mana and you remained steadfast in your call for justice.  That commitment was recognised 15 years ago when the Crown signed a Deed of Settlement with Ngāi Tahu to settle your claim.  And the following year on 1 October 1998 my predecessor, Sir Michael Hardie Boys, gave Royal Assent to the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act.

Since the settlement, Ngai Tahu has protected and significantly enhanced its putea, and has launched initiatives to regenerate its culture, its language, the health of its people, and the educational opportunities available to them.

Ngāi Tahu has become a fundamental pillar of the cultural, economic and social fabric of the South Island.  That has become even more apparent in the aftermath of the earthquakes that have caused so much devastation to Canterbury in the last two years.

Waihopai Runaka and Murihiku Marae
Waihopai Runaka and the establishment of this marae illustrate further the strength and resilience of the people here.  Decades before the settlement process was even mooted, fundraising began in the 1960s to fulfil the longstanding dream of Waihopai Māori for their own turangawaewae.

With the Waihopai Māori Committee being incorporated in 1979, and the first buildings being established soon after, the pace of progress has never slackened.  That work culminated in 1990 with the opening of this magnificent whare tipuna, named after the great chief Te Rakitauneke.

Since the settlement, you have been able to further invest in this marae, to invest in your community and to invest in the well-being your people, both young and old.  This marae stands proud as a cultural centre for you, and as hub for economic development and many other services. 

To conclude, I congratulate you on your initiative and your focus on the future.  You give real meaning to the vision: “Mō tātou, ā mō kā uri ā muri ake nei—For us and our children after us.”  It is a vision for us all.  Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.