He aituā! Kua mate a Meagan Joe, President Māori Womens Welfare League

He aituā! He aituā!

Oioi te whenua! Oioi te pō! Oioi te ao!

Tākiri manawa ki runga ki te rangi!

Tākiri manawa ki raro ki te whenua!

Ki te ara whano ki te pō!

Te pō nui! Te pō roa! Te pō kerekere!

Te pō tiwhatiwha! Te pō matirerau!

Te whaiwhai ariki!

Ka maranga ki runga o Ranginui, o Rangiroa, o Rangiwheturau!

Takoto mai rā i roto i tō whare taua!

Ka mokaia ngā tai mihimihi, ka pania te iwi e!

Kua mate rā a Laurice Meagan Joe, te perehitīni o Te Roopu Wāhine Māori Toko I Te Ora. Kua roa e pāngia ana e te mate, ā nō te weherua i huri atu ai ki Hokinga-kore-ki-muri tē hoki mai anō ai.

I whānau mai a Laurice (Meagan) Joe i Ahuriri. Ko ngā hapū o tōna pāpā a Dennis Hēnare Joe, ko Ngāti Pāhauwera, ko Ngāti Te Kōhera (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) me Ngāi Te Māhurehure (Tūhoe). Ko tōna māmā a Te Maari Joe, nō Ngāi Tai ki Tōrere, Ngāti Hikairo (Ngāti Tūwharetoa), Ngāti Hineuru ki Te Hāroto me Ngāti Hinepare ki Mōteo.

I tipu mai a Meagan i Mōteo. Ka whitu tōna pakeke, ka nuku mai tōna whānau ki te tāone o Ōtātara nei noho ai. I kuraina a ia i te kura o Taradale me te kura tuarua o Hukarere. Mutu ana, ka haere ia ki Ākarana ki Ardmore Teacher’s College, ā, ka tū nā hei kaiwhakaako, arā, i Pōneke, Pāmutana, Waiōuru, i roto tonu o Ahuriri nei me Singapore, i te New Zealand Forces School.

Kotahi tau te roa o tana noho hei kaiārahi mō ngā mahi o te Roopu Wahine Māori Toko i te Ora. Mai i tērā, ka meatia nā hei Māori Advisor – Inclusive Services Special Education. Nō muri mai, ka riro i a ia te tūranga, Pouwhakataki mō te Tāhūhū o te Mātauranga.

Nō te tau 2002, ka tohua a Megan kia noho hei kaitakawaenga mō Te Roopu Wāhine Māori Toko i te Ora, mō te takiwā o Ikaroa. Ka hipa te toru tau, ā, ka tū nā hei Vice President mō ngā tau e toru. Ka haere, ā, nō te 2008, ka meatia ia hei Perehitini ā-Motu mō Te Roopu Wāhine Māori Toko i Te Ora. Ko ia rā tēnā i te wā nei, ā, tae noa ki tā rātau hui ā-tau ki Ahuriri nei hei te mutunga o tēnei tau.

Nō te tau 2009 a Meagan i tau mai ai ki Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated ki te whakakaupapa i te tūranga Kahungunu Cultural Standards. He tūnga rā tēnei, he mea whakamana tahi e Te Tāhūhū Mātauranga rāua ko Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc. Koinei te Kahungunu Cultural Standards Project, arā, hei whakatutuki i ngā whāinga o te Iwi, arā, kia noho tonu ko ngā hītori, ko te ahurea, ko te reo Māori me ngā tikanga o Ngāti Kahungunu tonu hei tāhūhū mō ngā mahi ako i ngā kura kōhungahunga me ngā kura auraki o te rohe. Ko tōna kaupapa, kia angitū ā tātau tamariki Māori i roto i ngā mahi mātauranga, ā, kia ekea hoki ngā taumata e tika ana. E te tuahine, e te pakihiwi kaha, kāre i ārikarika ngā mihi.

Sadly Meagan Joe, the President of the Maori Womens Welfare League has passed away. She has long been sick and passed away in the early hours of this morning.

Laurice Meagan was born in Napier in 1953. She is of Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Te Kōhera (Ngāti Tūwharetoa), Ngāi Te Māhurehure (Tūhoe), Ngāi Tai ki Tōrere, Ngāti Hikairo (Ngāti Tūwharetoa), Ngāti Hineuru ki Te Hāroto and Ngāti Hinepare ki Mōteo descent.

Meagan was raised in Moteo, Hawke’s Bay. When she was seven years old her whānau moved to Taradale where she attended Primary School and later Hukarere Māori Girls College. She went on to train to become a teacher at Ardmore Teachers College. She taught in Wellington. Palmerston North, Waiōuru, Napier and in Singapore at the New Zealand Forces School.

Meagan worked extensively in the Māori Womens Welfare League. Her roles included Māori Advisor – Inclusive Services Special Education. She was later employed by the Ministry of Education as the Pouwhakataki mō te Tāhūhū o te Mātauranga.

In 2002 Meagan was nominated as the Ikaroa delegate for the Māori Womens Welfare League. She became the Vice President for three years and in 2008 she was elected National President of the Māori Womens Welfare League. Her three year term was due to end in August 2011.

In 2009 Meagan was seconded by the Ministry of Education to Ngāti Kahungunu iwi Incorporated to develop and manage the Ngāti Kahungunu Cultural Standards (KCS) project. The aim of the project is to strengthen the relationship between main stream schools and local hapū to ensure local hapū knowledge is embedded in school curriculums. The KCS Project enhances Māori Education success. Meagan worked tirelessly toward the aims and goals of this project right up to the time of her passing. She will be greatly missed.

Meagan will arrive at Pukemokimoki at 2pm Wednesday 27th July where she will remain until Friday noon. On Friday 29th July Meagan will be taken to

Waipapa-ā-Iwi Marae, Mōhaka, where she will be buried at 11am Saturday 30th July 2011.

Ka waiho ake rā mā tēnei waiata i titoa mōna hei whakatepe i ēnei mihimihi ki a ia:

This song was composed especially for Meagan.

Tērā te rā te kokomea

Ka hoki ana ki te rua

Pūkatokato te ao

Tiaho mai a Rēhua

Kia ui noa ake te ngākau?

He aha nōu? He aha nōu?

Auē tē uruparetia!

Waiwai ana ngā karu

I te tirohanga atu

Tangata ākona i te kāinga

Tū ana ki te marae - tau ana

Kua kore rā tō momo

Tūwhitia te hopo!

Aue, me aha rā?

Ko koe he wahine marae

He wahine rerehua

Tē kitea anō ai

Puritia ngā rau mahara

Inā huri tō waka

E kore rā e mokemoke

Auē, he ao anō kei tua!

Mā te wā anō tātau

E tūtaki anō ai

Ehara tēnei i te haere rā

Kia kī noa ake hei raurangi

Tauhōkaitia ana

Ki reira taukapo mai ai

Auē, hei raurangi e!

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