This Waitangi Day will be the first as Kaiwhakahaere of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu for Justin Tipa, who was elected to the role in November last year by representatives of the 18 Kāi Tahu Papatipu Rūnaka.

“I am looking forward to being able to kōrero with those attending our Kāi Tahu Waitangi Day commemorations next Tuesday 6 February at Te Rau Aroha Marae in Motupōhue Bluff and would like to acknowledge Te Rūnaka o Awarua for hosting this important event,” Justin Tipa says.

“Through the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi at Akaroa, Ōtākou and Ruapuke Island, Kāi Tahu became a party to Te Tiriti and entered into an intended partnership of good faith with the Crown,” he says.

“Waitangi Day is an opportunity to reflect on this partnership and reaffirm the reality of iwi rakatirataka and its recognition in Te Tiriti,” Justin Tipa says.

“We are preparing to welcome Members of Parliament, local government, members of our local community and whānau from around the takiwā to Te Rau Aroha Marae on Waitangi Day,” Dean Whaanga, Trustee of Te Rūnaka o Awarua says.

“The day will begin at 10am with a pōwhiri to welcome our guests onto the marae, following which there will be speeches and presentations,” Dean Whaanga says.

“We will be laying a hangi for our guests and there will be stalls for whānau and activities for tamariki during the day,” Dean Whaanga says.

Note: Kāi Tahu is a dialectal variant of Ngāi Tahu preferred by the Southern Rūnaka of the iwi.

Additional information:

Members of the Murihiku community are invited to attend the Waitangi Day commemorations at Te Rau Aroha Marae in Motupōhue Bluff on Tuesday 6 February.

Parking is available on the streets surrounding the marae. A special bus service has been organised to help transport people travelling from Invercargill to Te Rau Aroha Marae for the Waitangi Day commemoration. The first bus will depart from Queens

Park Gates, Invercargill at 9am and the second bus will depart from the same location at 10.30am.

Return buses for Invercargill will depart from outside Bluff School on Onslow Street at 2pm and 3.30pm.

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