Pānui

Hakihea 17 - 2021

Ka tiu te toroa a uta, ka hoka te toroa a tai
Te rangi pū nunui, te rangi pū roroa
Papaki kau ana ngā ngaru tuatea ki Waitangi
Horahia atu te takapou ki Pā Tangaroa
Tērā te motu kohu ko Wharekauri e takoto ake nei e Hai!

44 degrees south

Tēnā tātou katoa,

We hope you are all well and safe.

With Aucklanders now able to travel, we are all bracing ourselves for change.

To help mitigate some of the real concerns we all have, we are further opening up the channels of communication with you all by sending regular pānui containing useful information on the COVID-19 response to keep you updated and safe.

It is going to be a challenging time leading up to Christmas, but we are all committed to doing the very best for our whānau, so we will get through together. 

In this pānui, we are focussing this week on where to get vaccinated, those in Tāmaki Makaurau getting out, and what impact that has on us, 4G arriving on the island, our legacy project – He Matapihi Nō Mua a window into the past, and an update to our website address.

Vaccinations Available at Medical Centre

Vaccinations are our number one defence against COVID-19.  Whānau who haven’t yet received their first COVID-19 vaccine or those needing their second jab, are encouraged to contact the Chatham Islands Health Centre to arrange an appointment. 

Vaccinations are available free for everyone who is eligible.

The Centre is open 8-4.30pm weekdays, you can get further information by calling reception on 03 305 0035.

More information on the COVID-19 vaccines can be found at the Unite Against COVID website.

The Tāmaki Makaurau Boundary 

The Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) boundary was lifted at 11.59pm on Tuesday 14 December. From  this Wednesday 15 December, those travelling out of Tāmaki Makaurau who are not fully vaccinated will need to carry with them evidence of a negative test result within 72 hours of travel. Additionally, those who are travelling in other parts of the motu with a transport company (eg, Air New Zealand, Interislander Ferry) and aren’t yet fully vaccinated, will also be required to carry evidence of a negative test result. 

Under the new Traffic Light system, no areas of the country are ‘locked down’ and even at the ‘red’ setting, as we have in several parts of the motu, travel is permitted in and out of the area. 

As many holidaymakers get ready to leave Tāmaki Makaurau, we know that their impending arrival on Wharekauri may be of concern for some whānau. We’ve been preparing our COVID Resurgence Plan at the Iwi Trust.  We are in a position to tautoko our medical centre and Māori Health for our whānau in our homes should an outbreak occur.

We are also working to confirm we will have Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs), a fast, non-invasive COVID-19 test, available on the island.  We are working on the logistics of bringing these in and ensuring whānau have access to them. Note, the sale of RATs to the general public for at-home testing will be considered in the New Year as the system develops and the progress of the virus is monitored.

Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi Trust’s priority continues to be safeguarding the health and wellbeing of our whānau. As we move into the next phase of our response, we ask all our whānau to heed the call, vaccinate, prepare and protect each other. Keep up the scanning of the Tracer App and keep mask-wearing wherever possible to minimise the spread of COVID-19 and enable our island to navigate the way through should COVID reach our shores.

Please remind your friends and whānau to get information on COVID-19 and the vaccine from our trusted sources – the Ministry of Health website, Unite Against COVID channels, Karawhiua channels, and the Te Puni Kōkiri ‘COVID-19 Information for Māori’ portal.

For guidance on protecting yourself and your whānau from COVID-19 misinformation and scams, please visit the Unite Against COVID website.

4G Connects Wharekauri 

As of December 1st, the new Rural Connectivity Group network was live and operational, bringing an exciting modern 4G wireless telecommunications network to the island. 

A joint whakatau was held by iwi and the Chatham Islands Council to commemorate this historic development, funded by the Provincial Growth Fund as part of the Government's Rural Broadband Initiative Phase 2. Chatham’s whānau can now use their mobile phones at home for the first time.

The network will provide us with access to the 111 Emergency and 105 Police Non-Emergency numbers, and will also support the economic development and social and cultural needs of residents as we can now use 4G wireless broadband services, 4G mobile voice, data and text services provided by Spark, Vodafone and 2degrees, as well as any wholesale partners of those companies. 

Whānau that haven’t already contacted one of the service providers are encouraged to do so to get set up with broadband and check if their mobile phone is capable of 4G calling.

Mayor Monique Croon was one of the first to use the new 4G calling, placing a call to Minister David Clark on her mobile to thank the government for the service on behalf of all Chatham Islanders.

“We are so excited to have the new network switched on with fast broadband and mobile services available for residents and visitors to Chatham Island.  Being able to keep track of our tourist operations and keeping people safe as they travel the island is a huge advantage, saving time, resource, improving efficiency and ultimately enhancing the visitor experience. Our whole health and safety approach on the island is now enhanced because of the new network, and now 111 Emergency calls can be made from mobiles, as well as landlines, which will improve our response times for incidents,” says Mayor Croon.

For Further Information
The three mobile network operators now offer 4G rural wireless broadband packages and 4G mobile services to residents in coverage on Chatham Island.  
Spark - https://www.spark.co.nz/shop/internet/wirelessbroadband/
Vodafone - https://www.vodafone.co.nz/broadband/rural/
2degrees - https://www.2degrees.nz/broadband/rural-broadband/

He Matapihi Nō Mua
Expressions of Interest

Join us on an exciting journey of discovery! As part of He Matapihi Nō Mua we are planning a visit early next year for a small group of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri uri to learn more about researching and how archives work. 

Archives New Zealand and the Alexander Turnbull Library will provide us with expert support, the opportunity to look at rare collections and training in how to do searches.

Expressions of interest are now open for whānau who are:

• Passionate about our history and stories
• Willing to learn and share your akoranga with others
• Interested in supporting this mahi
• Able to commit to 4-5 days in Wellington in late February or early March 2022 
• Able to commit to participating in all the learning activities at this time

Priority will be given to Wharekauri based uri who wish to participate, and we are seeking a diverse mix of whānau.

Email iwitrust@nmow.co.nz or digrennell@nmow.co.nz if you would like an Expression of Interest form. 

What is He Matapihi Nō Mua?

He Matapihi Nō Mua is a legacy project that aligns with our strategic direction, especially our education and reo strategies. 

The project has four main objectives:

• To research, document, and record the writings of Ngāti Mutunga tūpuna ‘nō mua’.

• To develop and publish reo learning resources based on the recordings of the tūpuna voices.

• To train Ngāti Mutunga uri to find and archive tūpuna reo writings and images, so we can share their reo and understand their world.
• To identify taonga, images and writings appropriate for our archive or the Chatham Islands Museum.

Our whanaunga, Di Grennell, is helping us with this mahi. We have found several documents written in te reo by our tūpuna that are publicly available, in collections such as letters to Governor Grey and Bishop Selwyn. We will be exploring these and other document sources in different museums, libraries, and institutes around the motu including Te Reo o Taranaki.

This project is funded by Te Mātāwai. COVID-19 protocols will apply to all visits and activitiesassociated with this mahi.

Office Closure

The office of Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi Trust will be closed from 4.30pm on Tuesday 21st December 2021 and will re-open for the New Year at 9am, Monday 10th January 2022.
 

Mere Kirihimete! 
Wishing you all a safe, sunny holiday period!

Our Website Address

The website for Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi Trust, is a great place for whānau to access information about the activities of the Trust and about the history of our iwi. 

Please note - the address of the site has changed and can now be found at nmow.iwi.nz.

Whānau can also stay in touch via our Facebook page.

Ngāti Mutunga o Wharekauri Iwi Trust

PO Box 50, Waitangi, Wharekauri RAPID 300 North Road, Te One, Wharekauri, Chatham Islands 8942
 

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All Rights Reserved.