Kia Tū Mōkai Pātea.

Kia Tū Mōkai Pātea!

Tēnā koutou katoa te iti me te rahi.

He mihi kau atu tēnei ki ngā Mōkai o Pātea kua hora te manaakitanga o ngā Iwi ki mua te Kāhui Rangatira arā Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi i riro mai ki roto Mōkai Pātea.

He tika kia maumahara ki ngā mate maha i runga i a tātou i ēnei rā o te Taraipiunara. Haere atu rā.

Ko ngā whānau hoki – Ko Peretini, Ko Chase, Ko Halbert, Ko Hawira-Pickering nei rā te mihi tautoko aroha atu kia koutou.

Heartfelt thanks must go to the whānau, hapū and Iwi of Mōkai Pātea who came together on the week of the 12th September for our Kōrero Tuku Iho.

Many streams of work were pulled together, by our many whānau, across our various Marae, to provide a comfortable and memorable week for our manuhiri to Te Rohe Pōtae o Mōkai Pātea.

Our hosting venues, including both Community halls and Wharetūpuna, were suitably adorned with the tohu rangatira of our Tūpuna.

To our patient and accommodating kaimahi in the kitchens and at our Marae, who continued the manaakitanga of our old people and provided nourishing hearty meals at all times.

Ngā kaikōrero o ngā Iwi, both on the Marae in united welcome, and in the kōrero tuku iho sessions across the four days, delivered strong and confident messages. Especially, to our Wāhine Toa, who were able to hold the Tribunal members in respectful silence for long periods.

To our charismatic Master's of Ceremonies across the four days, that ensured everything was running to plan and to our hīkoi drivers and kaiawhina who got us to where we needed to be, at the right times, and with appropriate banter to ensure our manuhiri felt comfortable (and safe) at all times.

To our background technicians who put in long hours behind the scenes; working on our presentations and editing the drone and helicopter footage. We are the ‘Drone people’ (in the best sense of the word of course) and we are the people of Tamatea Pōkai Whenua!

To our own claims kaimahi and kaiawhina, administrators and facilitators – Southern and Northern - who kept our organisation tight and disciplined, ka haere tonu ngā mihi.

Huri noa ki te tīmatanga, Ko Mōkai Pātea. To our people who assisted not only in the mahi but who attended the Kōrero Tuku Iho presentations to give the tautoko of ngā iwi to the mahi of the Mōkai Pātea Waitangi Claims Trust. Ngā tino mihi.

E Tū Mōkai Pātea!