Te Whānau o Rangitāne with the framed Keelan Walker picture that will adorn the walls of the Manu Ora Clinic in Blenheim
Kia ora e te whānau,
Another week has flown by – it was nice to see the sun shining in the Wairau yesterday, after a week that has seen many days comprising all four seasons!
Last week, I got to relive some of the anxieties from my school days as I sat an exam for some professional development training I’ve been doing. It was a timely reminder for me of the pressures that one feels in that exam environment, and I felt it was particularly relevant, given that a number of our rangatahi will soon be getting underway with their NCEA exams. Coupled with exam pressure, these settings also look and feel different with the added complication of COVID-19 restrictions. To all of our whānau who will soon be sitting exams, kia kaha – give it heaps!
This morning, our team had the utter privilege of attending the official opening of Manu Ora – a collaboration between Māori health and wellness provider Te Piki Oranga and GPs who work in the practice. Too often, we see the effects of inequitable health outcomes for whānau Māori, who struggle to enrol with a General Practice, to get an appointment, or who struggle with the cost of accessing primary care services. The whare, which will be the home of the Manu Ora practice, was the home of Jim and Violet Walker, who bought the building from Māori Affairs around 1959 and the whare was home to all nine of their children until 2016.
This morning, we were able to hear about some of the stories of the Walker whānau. It is fitting that the whare, which was a true reflection of Māori values (such as manaakitanga, kotahitanga and whanaungatanga), will now be used to facilitate better health outcomes for our community. Rangitāne has been proud to support the establishment of Manu Ora. We have provided a donation of $20,000 to support Manu Ora through its first year of operation and we will soon be providing a touchstone to go near the entranceway of the clinic. Fittingly, with the support of our cousin Keelan, we were also able to present a framed picture that he had taken of the Wairau Bar. That framed picture will now hang proudly in the Manu Ora clinic, a whare that Keelan and his whānau have, and continue to have, a strong connection to.
In other news, last week I had the opportunity to continue to strengthen the relationship we have with the Ministry of Education. Dr Peter Meihana is our representative on the Te Tātoru o Wairau Project (the co-location of Marlborough Boys’ and Girls’ Colleges, and the relocation of Bohally Intermediate School), and last week I was able to be briefed on some of the work that is underway around planning for this exciting development. You can read more about the project here.
Last week, we held a further wānanga on the Molesworth Cultural Values Statement that we have commissioned as part of the ongoing review of the Molesworth Management Plan (a review that is being led by the Department of Conservation). A big mihi to those of our whānau who took the time to participate and share their whakaaro about the Molesworth.
All the best!
Ngā mihi,
Corey Hebberd
General Manager
PS: we’ve got some exciting initiatives underway – if you’ve missed them, I encourage you to have a look at the links below:
- The Marlborough Lines Tertiary Scholarship for Māori is now open for applications. Click here for more information.
- 4 November 2021: Te Hui Arotake o Tangata Rau Reo Kotahi
- 12-14 November 2021: Wānanga Ahurea ki Wairau
- Whānau Maara Kai at Home Project. Click here for more information.