Te Whare Rangahau o Tokomaru launched
Kua whakatūria a Te Whare Rangahau o Tokomaru (TRC) e Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rārua. Ko tā te Te Whare Rangahau nei he āta whakatōpū i ngā rangahautanga me ngā kōrero taunaki e whai tūāpapa ai te ahu whakamua, me te whakawhānui i te mātauranga o Ngāti Rārua ake. He mea motuhenga ki a mātou te whakatupu i te āheitanga o ngā mema o te iwi ki te mahi rangahau kia tū katoa rā ko te mauri ora, te ohaoha, te hononga me te taiao.
On 31 May kaimahi, trustees and a number of guests gathered for the opening of the Te Whare Rangahau o Tokomaru - the Tokumaru Research Centre - at Te Whare Mānuka in Whakatū.
Established to help increase and protect Ngāti Rārua Mātauranga Māori, the centre will also help embed evidence-based research in shaping our future strategic directions and build research capacity amongst our members.
Milestone event: From left: Eruera Keepa, Renee Thomas, Dr Lorraine Eade, Anaru Luke, Lee Luke, Shane Graham and Dr Ronnie Cooper.
Trustee Lee Luke thanked everyone for their attendance, and said while the opening was a “low key” event, it was acknowledgement of a huge milestone for our rūnanga.
“It’s ten years this year since the signing of our settlement, and these are the kinds of milestones we’ve dreamed of achieving.
“The fact that Ngāti Rārua people are filling key roles in the organisation is exciting,” he said. “It shows you where we are headed as an iwi. We are realising the aspirations of our tūpuna.”
“Working together with Cawthron as partners for the betterment of Ngāti Rārua and our communities and the world that we live in ... it's what our tūpuna envisaged for us, and another step up the ladder towards our definition of tino rangatiratanga, or our tokomarutanga – the summit of one of our tūpuna maunga.”
Long tradition of research
Co-chair and co-director of the Tokomaru Research Centre Anaru Luke said the centre centre will help inform our rūnanga at the decision-making table, but also what we need to do culturally socially, economically and environmentally.
The centre evolved from a long-standing Rārua tradition of keeping up with the times, and there was a history of research through the claims process last century. And when we think research, he said, we think of all of our pou - ohaoha, hononga, taiao, and mauri ora – and the need to capture Ngāti Rārua mātauranga.
Dr Lorraine Eade said the research centre was driven by a passion for change, to better meet the needs of Ngāti Rārua and the wider community. She also paid tribute to the tradition of research, mentioning the foundational work of Arthur Phillips during the settlement process.
Acting Research Leader Ronnie Cooper said the centre was a visionary way to acknowledge the iwi was moving forward. Research would help new thinking, ideas and skills and in the 21st century we need to be prepared for the changes that are coming towards us.
Creativity and innovation focused purposefully around the values of Kia Pai Te noho is about supporting the wellbeing, and the long term sustainability and prosperity of Ngāti Rārua, she said.
Te Tauākī o Te Whare Rangahau o Tokomaru | The Tokomaru Research Centre Declaration
The first piece of work released was the Tokomaru Research Centre declaration.
The declaration is a statement of intent – it secures the past present and future rights of Ngāti Rārua, aims to prevent misuse of intellectual property of Ngāti Rārua Mātaurangā, and sets expectations for organisations using that research.
The declaration was read by Pohe Stephens in Te Reo Māori and Dr Lorraine Eade in reo Pākeha.
Trustee Eruera Keepa closed proceedings with a karakia, before the sharing of kai.
