Whaea Rowyne comes to visit Te Whanau Awhina

Ko Whaea Rowyne te teina a Mä Cynthia

Ko ia tëtahi kaitiaki mö ngä whenua me ngä wai Mäori o önä hapü, iwi ränei. E 5.5 putu tönä täroaroa. He ataahua tana wairua.  

He tino pai te körero ki a mätou ko Te Whänau Äwhina i tönä mahi manaaki ki te whenua, me te wai Mäori hoki.  E toru ngä rauemi tino pai ki ai ia.  Ko te tuatahi te aroha, tuarua te manaaki, tuatoru te moemoea. 

He aha te kaha i tana mahi?  Ko te mea nui i kitea e ia te taniwha tino ataahua i roto i te wai kei te whenua i önä tüpuna.  He nui te taniwha, he roa tana whiore, he ataahua önä karu.  Pënei tana körero a Whaea Rowyne.  He tohu tënä ki ai ia.  Ko wai i manaaki te whenua me te wai o önä whänau? Ko täna whakaaro ko au i manaaki te whenua me te wai Mäori o önä whänau, hapü, iwi Mäori kätoa. 

Na mätou te mihi ki a Whaea Rowyne mo tana korero tino hohono rawa.

 

Na Te Whänau o Kereru.

Whaea Rowyne is a younger sister to Mä Cynthia and has 5 tamariki.  She is one of the many kaitiaki who help to look after the lands and waters of her whänau, hapü and iwi.  She is 5.5 feet tall and has a beautiful wairua. 

Whaea Rowyne believes there a three ingredients that have helped her most in her life.  One is love for one another, support for each other, and to have a dream. 

What inspired her to do the work she does?  She referred back to a time when she and her cousin were at the marae and after visiting the sacred house with four doors she went to the river with her dad.  There she saw a taniwha who shone like diamonds in the water.  He was huge and he had a big long tail.  She was 8 years old at the time but remembers him so vividly in her mind. 

“Look Dad there’s a taniwha?” said Whaea Rowyne. 

“Where?”, said her Dad. 

“There!”, she pointed into the river.  But still her dad could not see the taniwha. 

Whaea Rowyne believes that this taniwha inspired her to do the work that she does today.  A message from when she first saw the taniwha a kaitiaki of the river back home when she was only 8, believes he would have said to her how will you help to look after the land and waters of our whänau, hapü and iwi?  Today she works for her whänau, hapü and iwi Mäori looking after the lands and waters of her people and loves the work she does every day. 

Te Whänau o Kereru would like to thank Whaea Rowyne for coming to share her work and her life with us and will never forget the inspiring story she gave about her taniwha the kaitiaki of her awa.

Nä Te Whänau o Kereru