New Board – flying start
The new board has already held a board meeting by tele-conference to attend to some urgent matters. The board has set down a three day board meeting in November to thoroughly review the board’s total operations, to induct new board members and to undertake an intensive training course with well regarded governance facilitators Tania Simpson and Shane Te Ruki from Oceania Training Group. Each staff member and the Board’s key advisors will present on their specific area of responsibility within the organisation and the board will begin a review of the board’s strategy for the next three years; an important meeting.
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Elections praised
All Maori Trust Board elections have to be approved by the Minister of Māori Affairs. This is not a rubber stamp. Officials from Te Puni Kokiri at every stage scrutinise the process; the preparation of the rolls, the selection of an independent returning officer, calling for nominations, issuing ballots and the counting. The Minister in confirming the election result praised the board for having run “a robust election process”. As our election is as big as some local bodies and this is the first time most divisions have had an election we think everyone did well; our returning officer, the staff who worked long hours, the candidates – all of them – and then you the voters.
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Registration
One issue the election highlighted is the need for all beneficiaries to be registered: even after the ballot had been closed the Trust received requests from people asking for a ballot who have never registered. Registration is a legal requirement. We are a statutory Trust. If you know anyone who did not get a ballot, it is because they are not registered. Registration is now streamlined and easy. Just fill in the form on the website and send it in. Scholarships, grants, dividends all require registration. The staff will help Tūhoe who are uncertain of their whakapapa but we cannot help beneficiaries who have not registered. It is simple – if you did not get a ballot – you are not registered. Register today go to www.tuhoe.iwi.nz
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Te Ahi Kōmau
 Entertainers Te Kapa o Waka Huia, Colleen Walters, Te Rurehe Rangihau and Kawata Teepa are all performing in a special fundraising concert to support Te Kura o Rūātoki on 31 October. The school suffered a devastating fire that ravaged five class rooms and the school hall. Insurance covers the structural damage but not the new haka uniforms, new tracksuits and the school’s sports equipment lost in the fire. If you can provide entertainment, help back stage or front stage or just come along for a good day it will help support our kura.
Photo courtesy of Mihihea Exclusive Design Ltd.
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Iwi Development
As part of the Trust’s long term commitment to tribal development the Trust is initiating a project to investigate sustainable land based enterprises. In September Alan Groves, a research and development consultant made a visit to meet with Tūhoe community groups in Waiohau, Ruatāhuna and Lake Waikaremoana. He was accompanied by Blair Walters who is an expert in sustainable micro energy plants. They discussed with the community a number of exciting potential enterprises from the possum industry to traditional medicine and alternative energy. There was a lot of interest in the presentations and the Trust tribal development manager Karlite Rangihau will be following up on the proposals.
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Kaumatua Flats: Rūātoki
 The Trust has approved a redevelopment of the Rūātoki Kaumatua pensioner flats. The flats were first built in 1973 and are now 36 years old and are a little tired. It is a total renovation. Each flat will get a complete “facelift” with new heat pumps, aluminium windows and doors, new carpet, new bathrooms with new toilets, new vanities and new built in shower units. The flats will have a new roof and will be repainted inside and out. They will be units we can be proud of and will be ready by Christmas.
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New Cowshed
This year Te Manawa o Tūhoe Trust purchased Hatupere South dairy farm to add to its existing farm. A new modern 40 unit cowshed has just been completed for the milking season. The old cowshed took five hours twice a day to milk the herd. The new unit can milk more cows in half the time. The cows have more time to eat grass which means more milk and that means more income. An underpass for cows has also been built under Reid Road joining the farms so the cows can walk to milking without disrupting traffic.
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Know Your Board
 Every newsletter we are going to feature a board member starting with the new members elected last month, alphabetically we start with: Clifford Akuhata, a new board member for the Maungapōhatu/Waimana division. Clifford is a self employed painter living in Waimana. He has a long involvement in his hapu being the chairman of Te Waimana Kaaku Marae Tribal Executive committee. Clifford is also representing Waimana as a trustee on both Te Kotahi a Tūhoe Trust and the Tūhoe Establishment Trust. Clifford’s goal is to “promote unification and consolidation of our iwi”. It is a goal that must have resonated with the beneficiaries as he was runner up top polling candidate in his division.
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