For our final noho for 2024 we headed to Ashburton to work with Hakatere Multicultural Council in organising a stay at Hakatere Marae on the 10th of August.

After the pōwhiri, manuhiri were provided with an historical overview of Ngāi Tahu iwi and tales of the legendary figures Māui and Kupe before learning about te ao Māori (the Māori worldview), the pre-European Māori way of life. After kōrero on Māori cultural concepts and the impacts of colonialisation, there was a group discussion on identity and how best to foster better connection between tangata whenua and migrant communities.  

Sunday was a time for personal reflection, and it was here that one participant summed up the kaupapa of the MNZ noho marae initiative better than we ever could: "My family and I arrived in New Zealand more than a decade ago. For the first time, I visited Hakatere Marae and was received through a pōwhiri. It was a very moving ceremony. It felt as though the tangata whenua were calling me to finally come into the land my family and I call home. Before that day, I was physically present in the land but not mentally or spiritually. For years, I felt that something was always missing, and I never felt that I belonged. The citizenship ceremony and the certificate I received did not evoke the same feeling. I never felt at home until that day when we were welcomed by the people of the land."