Kia kotahi mai ki te ao nei
Kia kotahi mai ki te whenua nei
Kia kotahi mai ki nga wai e rere nei
Kia kotahi mai ki te hauora
Ko te whakakotahitanga a te hāpori o Kaitaia, te kaupapa o te rā, anei e tū ake te whakatinanatanga o te moemoea
Te whare e tū nei, tēnā koe.
- Be as one with the universe
- Be as one with mother earth
- Flow as one with the sacred waters
- Breathe as one with the winds
- You, the community of Kaitaia
- worked as one to realise
- his vision for all.
Thank you all for the wonderful welcome, and thank your Worship Moko for inviting us to be here today. May I also congratulate you on being amongst the five winners of the One World Young Politician of the Year Award in 2023, and for recently being voted New Zealand’s most popular mayor.
I always look forward to coming to this complex. In particular, this circle of poupou that so beautifully conveys pride in the diverse cultures of your region, while at the same time affirming kotahitanga and a shared vision for the future. It is the perfect place to begin our final day of a very memorable official visit to Te Tai Tokerau.
Haami Piripi saw this building as realising the dream of our Māori, Pākehā and Dalmatian forebears to co-exist peacefully and work together to achieve common goals. He said: ‘In order for us to be successful and prosperous, we must all beat with one heart’.
Te Ahu both perfectly expresses and embodies that goal and has itself become a beating heart for the Far North.
The kuaka above us remind me of a recent visit to Pukorokoro on the Firth of Thames, where I saw many thousands of these birds congregating on the mudflats, in preparation for their long journey to Alaska.
Like these remarkable birds, we each have long journeys over the world’s oceans embedded in our histories. And like them, we too face challenges, and find strength from those who support us on our life journeys.
In Te Tai Tokerau, we are blessed with warmer weather, as well as picturesque harbours, sweeping Pohutukawa, native bird and fauna and stunning beaches. The region also experience the realities of extreme weather events with drought and flooding, infrastructure demands, employment and housing gaps.
This week we have met people in Whangārei, Kaikohe and Whangaroa who are using their energy and talents to take on some of those challenges and serve their communities. We are looking forward to seeing more of such good work in Kaitaia today.
When one of my predecessors, Sir Jerry Mateparae came here to celebrate the opening of Te Ahu in 2012, he agreed to fire a replica mortar. No doubt he did so with great aplomb – given his military training.
Firing mortars isn’t really my thing, and so I am delighted to be planting a kauri tree instead.
On this, our final day of our official visit to the North, I want to thank everyone who has given up their precious time to be with us.
We will not forget your manaakitanga, or your passion and commitment to nga iwi me nga taonga o Te Tai Tokerau. It has been our privilege to be here and spend time with you, and I look forward to catching up with you on my visits home in the future.