Ōnuku
Ngaire Tainui
Appointed 21 June 2010.
Te Whare tipuna Karaweko, tu tonu, tu tono, tu tono ra
Te mauka Te Au Heke, Te Awaiti tena korua, tena korua
Te Ko o Rakaihautu, mai rano i te ao kohatu
Te moana o Akaroa, whakapapa pounamu, whakapapa pounamu
Te whenua potae o Ngāi Tarewa kei te mihi, kei te mihi
Kia ora koutou Ngāi Tahu Whanui
I am a descendant of Amiria Puhirere and Karaweko and the daughter of Bernice and John Tainui (deceased). I have 4 sisters and two brothers.
I live on Te Pataka o Rakaihautu (Banks Peninsula) with my husband Robin Wybrow and between us we have 7 children and 8 mokopuna.
I was raised on the shores of Akaroa Harbour amdist the extended families commonly known as "the Kaik people". My taua Meri, poua Bill Tainui, aunty Arbour (Hilda Rhodes), Uncle Henare, aunty Milly Robinson and of course my mother Bernice have contributed heavily to my upbringing, instilling as a child the value of mahinga kai and the value of taking care of our manuhiri. I am committed to protecting the values of manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga as they are directly related to mana and mahinga kai.
Mahinga kai was the 9th tall tree of settlement and the very core of Te Kereme (the Ngāi Tahu Settlement). I am convinced that if we forget where we came from we are at risk of further losing ourselves and our uniqueness that is Ngāi Tahu.
Ngaire.
Rūnanga Office Contact Details:
Ōnuku Marae
Postal address: PO Box 3189
Christchurch 8140
Phone: (03) 366 4379
Email: onuku@ngaitahu.iwi.nz