Rehua Marae

E aku Rangatira o Ngaitahu, Mihi mai, whakatau mai, Ki ahau me taku hoa, a Janine. Mihi mai ki tā māua hui tuatahi, Hei Māngai mo Kuini Irihapeti, Ki waenga i a koutou. Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.

I acknowledge the welcome to me and my wife Janine from the Chiefs of Ngāi Tahu.  I also acknowledge your welcome to us as we join you for the first time, as representatives of Queen Elizabeth.  I also wish good health to all of us who are gathered here.

I specifically acknowledge: Mark Solomon, (Kaiwhakahaere, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu); Sir Tipene O’Regan, (Upoko Rūnanga, Te Rūnanga o Awarua); Rakiihia Tau, (Upoko Rūnanga, Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga); and Dr Terry Ryan, (Kaumātua, Rehua Marae) – tēnā koutou.

Thank you for inviting me, my wife Janine and my party to Rehua Marae.  This is our first stop, in a visit to Christchurch focused on the year that has passed since 22 February – a day which will live on in our memories as one of the greatest tragedies our country has had to face. 

From a personal perspective, I’m honoured to be welcomed as the representative of the Queen of New Zealand to Rehua Marae by Ngāi Tahu.  Today is four days short of a decade since Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was welcomed here by you as part of her Golden Jubilee tour.  2012 marks Her Majesty’s 60th year of reign – her Diamond Jubilee.

Can I declare up front my omission in not coming here sooner?  I trust you will understand.  I know it is appropriate that we come here to greet Ngāi Tahu early in our term as the Vice-Regal couple.  As tangata whenua you hold the mana of Te Waipounamu.  However, you also know well the impact that the traumatic event on 22 February 2011 had, and continues to have, on Christchurch and the communities in Canterbury.

I acknowledge and thank you for offering Rehua Marae as one of the critical hubs, providing welfare support in the days and weeks following the catastrophic earthquake that claimed the lives of more than 180 people.  We’ve heard of the “Student Army” and the “Farmy Army”, perhaps I can acknowledge the “Iwi Army”.  I know that in the immediate days following the earthquake, the Minister of Māori Affairs held a meeting here attended by iwi leaders, Māori wardens, whanau, and government agencies to establish and co-ordinate a Māori response to the disaster .

Turning to the hurt done by the earthquake, I note that despite the damage to Whatu Manawa Maoritanga o Rehua, you opened your doors as a shelter for all.  The many kaimahi working out of this Marae must have felt comforted and at ease.

I want to thank you too for ensuring the support offered in those initial days has not stopped.  You continue to play a pivotal role in supporting the recovery of this region.  In September last year when you opened your doors again to offer free health checks for Māori following the many aftershocks is an example of the on-going support.  I also acknowledge the people in the relocated Ngāi Tahu headquarters out at Wigram who have played an important part in those support efforts.

I acknowledge Ngāi Tahu’s role in the South Island community.  “Mō tātou,ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei: For us and our children after us”.  That vision lays out your commitment to New Zealand and, more specifically in the context of our visit, the commitment to the people of Canterbury.

For some it’s been for two hundred years, for you it has been for many hundreds of years.  Since the settlement of your Treaty of Waitangi claim in 1998 Ngāi Tahu has been a central force in the economy and welfare of the South Island and its people.  With your focus on the future, Ngāi Tahu has worked for the prosperity of this region by seizing opportunities, rather than being delayed by obstacles.

In my view, the strength, resilience and work of Ngāi Tahu has never been more important in rebuilding and forging a prosperous future for future generations in Christchurch and Canterbury. 

In conclusion, as Governor-General and representative of the Queen of New Zealand and all New Zealanders, I want to extend heartfelt thanks for the significant contribution that Ngāi Tahu has made to the Canterbury community in the year that has passed.  As an iwi you have provided support and strength to those who were struggling and in shock.  In the most crucial of moments you have shown what being a community means – standing alongside one another in unity and devotion, serving your community in the good times, and in the sad times. 

Finally, as the representative of the New Zealand family, I can say that the 4 million others of us will stand alongside you and the people of this region in ensuring that Otautahi and Christchurch rises from the rubble, and reclaims its distinction as a beautiful garden city. 

Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.