Do you know your Whakapapa?
Ko wai tō iwi? If you are interested in registering with your iwi, whether you whakapapa to one or many, Ms Amy Mete can help you!
Nei te mihi maioha ki a koutou katoa
Ko Te Whakapunake-a-te-matau-a-Māhui-Tikitiki-a-Taranga te maunga tipuna
Ko Te Wairoa Hōpūpū Honengenenge Matangi Rau te awa tapu
Ko Takitimu te waka ariki
No Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa ōku tīpuna
Ko Iwikatea te hāpu
Ko Ruataniwha te maraē
Ko Amy Mete tōku ingoa
It wasn’t till I was in my 30s that I was able to truly discover and appreciate my whakapapa. My mountain, Whakapunake, is where Mauī’s hook connected when he fished up the North Island. My iwi is the third largest in Aotearoa. I can trace my heritage all the way back to Tamatea Ariki Nui, the chief of the Takitimu waka, circa 1350. A lot of this only came about after I connected with my iwi, Ngāti Kahungunu. Prior to this all I knew was that my iwi was on the southern part of the east coast of the North Island.
Not only have I connected with my marae, whanaunga, and iwi, I have also become more aware of all things Māori, that once upon a time I took for granted. The biggest benefit of all is being able to pass my knowledge on to my son. While most of you are a similar age to him, there is no greater gift than the knowledge of your own whakapapa. This is something I would love to help you discover! Discovering your whakapapa and registering with your iwi can be quite the journey as you often have to go back a few generations to find the relevant information to confirm your heritage. It is also incredibly interesting to find things out, I never met my grandfather whom it turns out was born in 1912!
Most iwi in Aotearoa have benefits for their members such as gifts for new babies, job opportunities and internships, korowai (cloaks) for special occasions, and financial aid and scholarships. Financial aid and scholarships can help towards the cost of secondary schooling and tertiary education up to a postgraduate level, you just have to be registered with your iwi.
If you are interested in registering with your iwi, whether you whakapapa to one or many, I can help you! Please email me or come visit me in H1 and we can have a kōrero!
If you want to start investigating some of the things I’ve mentioned, here are some websites you may find helpful:
Archives New Zealand - Whakapapa search
Scholarships for Māori Learners
Kia pai tō rā whakatā