Tuia Te Tai Poutini Wānanga at Arahura Marae

Samantha Bergin, Stef Wickes, Mikaere Whitcombe and I attended a Tuia Te Tai Poutini Wānanga at Arahura Marae in the last weekend of the holidays, along with other students from the West Coast. The wananga is part of the rangatahi leadership programme which aims to increase a positive sense of self, identity, and connection as young Maori.

Along with the tuakana leaders they were also supported by a group of Matariki who are traveling to seven significant places in Aotearoa to learn about the place, spend time together, deepen connections, and share learning.

As a part of the wānanga the rangatahi participated in workshops and activities including storytelling, learning waiata, a writing workshop led by Kahu Kutia, a visit to Lake Kaniere, and the Arahura Awa to hear korero about the rohe and whakapapa.

The wānanga was a big success, the students thoroughly enjoyed themselves and gained a lot from the positive experience.

By Frith Johns

At the end of the holidays, I had the opportunity with other Rangatahi Maori students to go on a 3 day Wānanga (leadership course) up at the Arahura Marae. We spent 3 days overnight on the Marae with other students from across the West Coast. Over the course of the trip, we learned about our culture, leadership skills, and discovering ourselves whilst gaining opportunities.

We did many workshops run by a group of youth called Matariki who travel to different Marae around the country. These workshops were very mana enhancing and opened our eyes to the options out there for us. Many of us discovered ourselves a bit more during these workshops. We were fortunate enough to go out to Lake Kaniere and the Arahura river where Tihou (the main organizer) shared Maori stories about our ancestors. While down the river we also got the chance to find Pounamu to keep. It's such an eye-opener and a safe environment for Rangatahi Maori to experience and embrace their culture. For any Maori students, I encourage you to come along as it's life-changing.

By Samantha Bergin