In October 2022, our Kaitiaki, Kaumātua and whānau travelled to Pōneke to welcome home our tūpuna kōiwi from Vienna Austria in a taimaha yet powerful ceremony alongside our whanaunga o Te Tai Tokerau to be a part of the pōwhiri along side whanaunga Moriori, Ngāi Tahu, ngā iwi o Whanganui.
Our pall bearers had the privilege of carrying our tūpuna from the wahi tapu and up onto the Marae, where they were met with te reo tuatahi o ōku kaikaranga kaumātua. All of the korero in the Marae was very moving and emotional. When the ceremony concluded, our pallbearers carried our tūpuna back to the wahi tapu in Te Papa until their return to our kāinga.
The kai hakari was delicious, the waiata from Te Papa Kapa Haka were wonderful and the korero shared from those involved in the kaupapa was very informative and well received. We had the privilege of hearing from Hon Kiri Tapu Allen, Associate Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage which was very empowering and motivating. We also heard from Guest Speaker, Professor Dr Sabine Eggers from the Natural History Museum in Austria who has played a key role in helping this kaupapa get to where it is today.
We mihi to all our whanaunga who travelled to Wellington to be part of this kaupapa, and to all of those who said karakia and sent their blessings to ensure a safe journey there and back.
Further korero is occurring soon about what happens next, and to also fill us in on some of the research that has happened so we can understand more about the journey of our tūpuna. We will keep you updated via FB and email.
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