So it was with much surprise that some of the runaka got the following invite from Solomon:
I would also like to invite you to an open hui that I, as Kaiwhakahaere am calling, to give Ngāi Tahu Whānui an opportunity to discuss the current matters ahead of the Te Rūnanga meeting that starts the following day. The meeting details are:
Taumata Kōrero
Date: Friday 20th March 2009
Venue: Ground Floor Boardroom, Te Waipounamu House, Christchurch
Start Time: 2pm
To support the kōrero that I know will occur this weekend, and because I cannot be at all 16 hui, I have asked all Te Rūnanga Representatives to read a short statement from me as Kaiwhakahaere at each of the hui.
This is an excerpt from one Runanga who wanted to see their tribal leader front at their place. After all its cheaper for one to travel that the representatives of 18 runanga to travel to Christchurch.
You are completely correct, the marae is the place to discuss such issues. It is also appropriate as a leader, and as a person who respects tikanga to respond to an invitation, and to hold true to messages you continue to communicate widely to te iwi whanui.
By conducting such a hui at Te Waipounamu House, you effectively marginalise those papatipu runanga and Ngai Tahu whanui from outside the Otautahi rohe. Are you therefore assuming that the majority of Ngai Tahu whanui live in Christchurch or that those who live outside, have the putea to travel to such a hui?
We agree with them - it is a great show of arrogance yet again by Solomon. It makes him look like he only feels safe on his own turf. We await reports of the Korero around the rohe in the next few days.
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5 comments:
Once again our 'leader'( I use the term very loosely) has effectively cut out the 'grass roots' whanau.
These blatant attempts to stifle the voices of the 'little people' is reason enough to seek new leadership for TRONT and Ngai Tahu whanui.
This invite is little more than 'the spider inviting the fly in for tea and scones'. The Kaiwhakahaere obviously intends to head off any serious opposition by having this hui in a setting he believes he can control.
The ground floor boardroom is not however Mr Solomons Throne Room, he has an equal share in it, just like the other forty thousand or so people registered as Ngai Tahu.
This retreating in to a 'safe' environment is the act of a caward, not the act of a strong leader who has nothing to be afraid of. One does wonder what things Mr Solomon would prefer not be aired in a truly fair public forum. What is he hiding from?
Naku na Hori Boy
Leaked from Awarua? your home patch. About ten days ago Mark made the offer to go to any marae and speak face to face. But as far as I am aware not one marae has taken up his offer. Certainly not Awarua. Now they are bleating.
Richard Parata
The poor communication within the Iwi is very disturbing. If we can't focus on the real issues but continue to harbour emnities against our relatives then we have truely been beaten.
What are the real issues? How about ensuring Ngai Tahu are employed within the tribal organisation, how about fighting erosion of our tribal knowledge by recording/learning it before that knowledge is lost forever, how about empowering and bringing all parts of the Iwi together; specifially the majority of tribal members who don't live next door to their marae, yet who are just as much Ngai Tahu whanui as the next member, how about creating forums on the Ngai Tahu website (so we don't have to get news about our Iwi from the newspapers) where issues can be discussed (am loving your blog BB) and how about taking some of the money and instead of a 50M building put it into paying members to learn our language.
Some may say we are doing all that anyway but I believe we can do 10 times more without even breaking a sweat.
The real enemy isn't your Ngai Tahu relation, however close or distant - it's everyone else!
There are only 42,000 registered Ngai Tahu in the world. We come from wide and varied backgrounds, some are dark, some are pale, some are heroes for keeping the home fires burning and some are heroes for being bought up 'kiwi' and still feeling their Ngai Tahu heart.
We are all Ngai Tahu whanui and the sooner we get better communication to create alignment and timing, the sooner the waka really takes off and delivers us to our rightful place. And at that point we won't be trying to be pakeha or maori because we will be Ngai Tahu whanui and that will be good.
Karawhiua Kai Tahu!
An invite was sent to the Kaiwhakahaere to attend a meeting on the Marae at Awarua. I hear to date this has not been accepted.
It is ammusing to see that Solomon's Marae is 158 Hereford Street, Te Waipounamu House. What does that tell ya about the man.
@ Richard Parata.
I would have thought that it is not a 'leak' to quote an extract from something sent to you, when it was written on behalf of the collective.
Mr Solomon has been written to by Awarua, not once but twice, asking him to meet face to face with the hapū under the koruru carved by Bill Solomon. Is there significance in his retreat to the Hereford Street Boardroom, a much smaller, less accessible venue and having less importance in terms of whakapapa than the whare Tahupotiki.
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