Reunion 2008

Thank you	Reminder of floods in 1998	Friday night
Catering	Saturday Activites	Saturday dinner
Preparation for the reunion	Sunday Church Service	RSA Honours Board Unveiling
Logo Explanation

St Isaac’s Church 110 Year Wharenui 10 Years

The reunion was Labour Weekend - October 2008

Contact: Dale and Hank van Engelen
E mail: whakapara@xtra.co.nz
Phone: 64 09 4337026
Address: 448 Apotu Rd, RD1 Kamo, Whangarei 0185, New Zealand

Whanau who came to the reunion - a day in history to remember.
This photo and other whanau photos will be available for people to
purchase. For details contact Hank and Dale van Engelen (see contact details at the beginning of this reunion site).

Thank you
The reunion is over and we would like to say thank you to everyone who helped make the weekend a great success. People came from Australia, returned from England and from many parts of New Zealand. For many this was the first time they had been to Whakapara and for others they had not been for many years.

RSA Honours Board
Thank you to Te Puni Kokiri for the koha to support the RSA honours board project. Your contribution helped to make our reunion all the more memorable with the unveiling of the honours board.

Whanau Koha
Many whanau members contributed things like money for printing Bellas book and the RSA honours board, kai (a beast, fruit, vegetables, oysters), skills (painting, carving, administration), resources (printing, cutlery) and time and effort (cleaning, painting, gardening, cooking and lots more). Nga mihi nui kia koutou katoa - a big thank you.

Thankyou to LJ Hooker for the use of four of their sun shades free of charge. These were a great help for our reunion.

Reminder of floods in 1998

On Friday afternoon we watched as the weather started to turn to rain and wind. The weather forecast was for a storm. We remembered the opening of Te Ihi o Nehua which was marked by the worst floods for over 50 years. Was it going to happen again?

On Friday we invited whanau to bring photos of loved ones to hang in Te Ihi o Nehua. Whanau gathered with their photos and as the call went out the rain started. It got heavier as the evening progressed. Once the photos were hung however it eased off.

By Saturday morning the sun started to shine, only a few scattered showers. It was a reminder from above about the opening ten years ago and a tribute to our loved ones.

floods in 1998 opening of Te Ihi o Nehua
Floods 1998 opening of Te Ihi o Nehua

Friday night 24th October 2008

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Friday Night
It was a great night even with the rain. The powhiri to open the reunion and a chance to bring photos of loved ones.

people waiting with their photos
On Friday evening the powhiri was to welcome whanau to bring photos of their loved ones who have passed away to hang on our tupuna wall and to open our reunion. It was a moving experience to see the tamariki and their whanau bring their photos into the wharenui. This is a memory that many of the tamariki will cherish for many years to come.

Hanging the photos
Everyone helped to put the photos on the wall. It was a time to remember and talk about loved ones and to make whanau connections.

Catering

Moeawa Hall organised the catering for the reunion. She had a small team who did a superb job with the Saturday evening dinner and the Sunday hakari. Saturday lunches were catered for with BBQs steak sandwiches and a canteen - these were fundraisers for the kids playground and marae.

Ka pai te haere a muri ra ka pai te haere a mua - if things go well in the back, then things will go well in the front. Ki atu ra ki koopu tena koutou katoa - we thankyou all those people who kept us well fed.

Moeawa Hall, Colleen Shelford, Wally Edwards	Wally Edwards about to enjoy his kai	Everyone enjoyed their meals - good food and good company

Saturday Activities

Saturday registrations, memorabilia room, whakawhanaungatanga in the wharenui, kids programme, stalls - there was a lot going on but mainly getting to know everyone. Lots of korero.

The memorabilia room was a popular attraction with photos, stories, memorabilia from early Whakapara days.

Phones
The old phones were a great hit. The phone number competition created a lot of discussion - can you remember aunty's phone number, what was the ring for 16K? Winners of this compeition were Doreen Anderson and Huia Notton - of course they both worked at the exchange so maybe had a bit of an advantage. Pauline (neeMenglberg) Edwards organised the competition and is seen here giving the winners their prize.

winners phone comp

Whanau around the world
We had a map of the world and of New Zealand and people could show where their whanau lived. There are many descendants of Eru and Tawaka who live in many parts of the world.

Kids Programme
Kristi Henare was the main organiser for the kids programme and along with all her helpers the kids had a great day.

Kim Rogers and Sharon Davis in the registration tent - they were here all day and did a great job	Wally Edwards and Mengelberg whanau Josh, Michael, Wayne catching up - lots of stories to tell	Stall selling trees, most people bought them to plant at the marae along the rivers edge to help with soil / water management
Kathy Shaw selling her grandmothers book - Bella's Story - about growing up at Whakapara early 1900s	Ngati hau stall - this was a great way to raise funds and to teach about our Ngati Hau hapu connections	Old Whakapara identities Ra Edwards and Harry Shelford - it was a great time of reminiscing for many and to catch up about friends and whanau
Doreen Anderson and Tepora Kauwhata putting up whanau names on the world map	This youngster has probably never seen a phone like this one - the phones were a great hit	The memorabilia room provided people with an opportunity to learn and talk about Whakapara and whanau history

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Saturday Dinner
It was alcahol free all the way but that didnt stop people from enjoying themselves. Even Uncle Harry Shelford was heard to comment - he didn't even miss the pub.

Every whanau line got up and performed for their tupuna line cake. There was a range of talents displayed - Maori, Australian, English themes all came through. The haka was performed with great gusto by Hone and Tita lines and Rehutai's line were enthusiastic with their waiata a ringa. For those who were a bit timid there was great support from other whanau lines - whanaungatanga was the kaupapa for the evening.


Aunty Emma Edwards receiving the Wiri cake	Hone's line giving it heaps	Not to be outdone by Tita's line who gave their all

Preparation for the reunion
There was a lot of work before and during the reunion to get things ready.
Pre registration administration and T Shirt orders, setting up displays, tents, kitchen, wharenui, cleaning, clearing grounds, painting the church and wharenui, cooking, cleaning, butchering, shopping and the list goes on.

At the working B's prior to the reunion some of our tamariki did a great job helping to clean the cemetery and marae grounds.

Nga mihi nui kia koutou nga whanau nga kai mahi - thank you to all the whanau who came and helped. It was a big job but it got done.

Working B to paint Te Ihi o Nehua - Hoskins and other whanau	Painting St Isaac's Church and many whanau came to clean the tupuna stones and graves	Lou Davis Jnr at the working B to get grounds ready
A working B to cut up the beast that was donated - thanks to Lou Davis Snr for his knowledge and Hank, Lou Jnr and Hemi	Moeawa Hall and Ngaire went on the great shopping expedition - it is no easy task to shop, unload and set up	All hands on deck to put up two tents - thanks to the Whakapara Pony club who hire their tents

RSA Honours Board Unveiling

We were blessed to unveil the RSA Honours Board to recognise our whanau who fought to defend our country.

It was unveiled by Michael Mengelberg and Boy Edwards who both fought in conflicts for New Zealand. The service was conducted by the RSA chaplain and RSA members Chas Neho, Wati Cooper and Archie Dixon attended to support the ceremony.

After the unveiling Archie Dixon from the RSA made a speech and the floor was opened for people to share their stories about loved ones who fought overseas. It was a slow start but after a while many stood to remember and pay their respects. The last post and the recitation concluded the speeches.

Chas Neho offered poppies for people to lay beneath the honours board. Aunty Emma Edwards was the first to go up followed by whanau.


		It was a moving ceremony and it is a great privilage to have this honours board in our wharenui.

Sunday Church Service

It was a lovely service. The Anglican Bishop was able to come at the last minute, Reverends Thelma Conner and Betty Fyfe also conducted parts of the service. Aunty Emma Edwards and Thelma Gardner two of the oldest serving members of the St Isaacs congregation gave a special reading for the reunion and then everyone was invited to partake of communion.

Outside, the cemetery had been decorated with balloons (the tupuna colours)as part of the celebrations.

Photos to come

Bishop and two ministers Thelma Conner and Betty Fyfe getting ready	Thelma Conner conducting the reunion service - a special day 110 years celebration	Thelma Gardner and Emma Edwards - a special reading
		Merilene Horsford playing the organ and Thelma and Betty conducting the communion

balloons galour

The cemetery was festooned with balloons to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the opening of St Isaac's church.

Logo Explanation

Whakapara is known for its flora, fauna and waterways and its people are known for their hard work and sense of aroha and manaakitanga (sharing and caring) for whanau, friends and whenua. The leaf design symbolises these attributes.

The leaf shape represents the native forests (Kauri, Totara, Puriri), and the vegetation such as harakeke that Whakapara is well known for. The leaves also symbolise the continuation of life, the past the present and future – as they fall to the whenua they help to nourish and regenerate the new plants that come through.

The Waiariki falls (also known as the blue waters) flow from the top of Puhipuhi to the bottom – this is represented by line that flows from the top of the leaf to the bottom. The blue in the design represents the water and the tuna Whakapara is well known for.

This line also represents Te Ihi o Nehua the thread that runs through us and binds us together- this is the name of the wharenui.

Eru and Te Tawaka are represented by the two larger koru shapes in the centre of the design – they are at the centre of our marae, of our church, whanau; of Whakapara. The four smaller koru represent the descendents of Eru and Te Tawaka –now scattered to the four winds nga hau e whä; the nine segments our tupuna lines.

The two sections of the leaf represent the church and marae – these were gifted by Eru and Te Tawaka for their descendents to connect to their turangawaewae at Whakapara. Eru and Te Tawaka also developed close relationships with the other people of Whakapara through the church and the marae – community connections.

The leaf in its entirety represents the whole community of Whakapara.

The ripples inside the leaf is the wairua that emanates in and around us - to guide and protect us and to remind us of those things that are important – Mana Wairua, Mana Whenua, Mana Whanau – Mana Whakapara.

Page last updated 20 Feb 2012