Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga commemorated 72 years since the passing of Te Rangihīroa and the extraordinary legacy he left with us. The kaupapa kōrero was a celebration of the educational legacy of Te Rangihīroa and our ongoing relationship with Otago University, with an emphasis on how his example continues to drive transformational change for our people.
This year we had a focus on our special relationship with Otago University. Earlier in the year we supported the opening of Te Rangihīroa residential college a project we were involved with from conception.
Presentations were made by the Māori unit staff from the University of Otago about the new college, the support and wellbeing services and the educational journey some of them have taken. It was inspiring to hear how our people will have these opportunities thanks to the scholarships that will be available for them later this year.
On Friday night we heard from Pounamu Skelton who spoke about food sovereignty and the workshops she is currently running with iwi members. We also heard from the publishers of the reprinted Vikings of the Sunrise book written by Te Rangihīroa.
However it is people that make this event special and we were privileged to have Te Upoko o Te Runaka o Ōtāko Edward Ellison with us and our whanau from Wharekauri along with the Otago University staff along with our own iwi members.
Te Rā o Te Rangihīroa is one of our anchor events and an excellent opportunity for our iwi members to reconnect as we run this event every year on the last weekend in November.
