Whakarongotai Marae Trustees | Te Puna o Te Aroha

Every year on 6 February, Aotearoa marks the signing of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi) in 1840. The date is an important marker in this country’s history and is often celebrated by Iwi, communities, and individuals to mark the day in new ways.

In recognition of 184 years since the Te Tiriti was signed, Whakarongotai Marae Trustees invited the Kāpiti community to celebrate on our Marae in Waikanae on Saturday 3 February 2024. The day was aptly named, Te Puna o Te Aroha (The Wellspring of Love) which in essence was about kotahitanga me whanaungatanga. The key objective of the day was to unite whānau, hapū, iwi katoa with the local community in a day of celebrations and to commemorate our tūpuna.

We were extremely excited to see a huge turn out and as per tikanga, our Kaikaranga proudly welcomed a large ope of manuhiri which was followed by a mihi whakatau. We appreciate all the performers and kaimanaaki who contributed to the success of the day which included, kapa haka, live and solo entertainment, historical storytelling, high tea, hāngī, stalls and activities for tamariki. We were super thrilled to provide a space on the Marae for our mokopuna who held pop up shops. Investing time and resources into these young budding entrepreneurs is a positive influence for the future of our Iwi.

The Marae is the rightful place to remember stories passed down from our tūpuna. It is equally important for us to create more memories for the next generation as this forms part of our succession plan. Standing strong on our turangawaewae, we remembered our tūpuna commitment to the partnership underpinning Te Tiriti and how important this partnership was throughout their lives inspiring us to do the same. Through this shared history, the partnership with Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai, Te Manatū Taonga (The Ministry of Culture) and Kapiti Coast District Council was reflected in their commitment to support our event through the planning, resources, volunteer support and the kawa o Te Paepae.

In conclusion, we united as whānau, worked side by side supporting each other, as we sang, danced, laughed, perspired, and shed the odd tear together. Through this togetherness, we were able to provide our community with a day filled with joy, united with a clear understanding of the importance of our partnership which is encompassed in the following whakatauki:

Ma te kotahitanga e whai kaha ai tātau.
In unity, we have strength.

We would like to acknowledge whānau who forwarded photographs and videos of the day.  These taonga shall be held dearly on file for future reference. We have included these for your viewing and if for security reasons whānau would like us to remove these from public viewing, please feel free to contact Janine at the Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai tari, email:  kaiwhakahaere@teatiawakikapiti.co.nz.

Ngā mihi nui, nā

Lois McNaught

Te Poumanukura o Nga Poutiaki o Whakarongotai Marae