Saturday Brunch

On Saturday, 6th July 2013, Tiare Ahuriri had a branch brunch at the home of our President Dr Diane Mara.  As usual with our Pacific get-togethers there was food a plenty, lots of talking and laughter. We discussed current branch activity like our Working with Pacific Communities Course.  We focused on future directions, and began planning for PACIFICA Central Region Mini Conference on the 3 August 2013 in Wellington.  It was a wonderful day sharing food, drink, ideas and support with PACIFICA sisters.

Welcome to Tiare Ahuriri branch blog. The purpose of this blog is to communicate, interact, and keep both Tiare Ahuriri members, and PACIFICA members informed of our activities. What we have done? What we are doing? What we are planning to do?

Our mission, vision and objectives are:

Vision - Strong and Successful Pacific women

Mission - Support, promote and strengthen Pacific women and their communities in Hawke's Bay

Objectives - Have fun, support one another, support our Pacific community, provide a Pacific women's viewpoint in Hawke's Bay, and reach out to our sister branches in Hawke's Bay, and nationally.

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Feel free to leave a comment, or send an email, or you can go to our PACIFICA Incorporated website for further information and contact details. www.pacifica.org.nz

Otherwise, watch this space, there is more to come!!

What's Happening in 2013

A warm welcome to our in-coming President Dr Diane Mara.  A HUGE thank you to out-going President Caren Rangi.  Although Caren steps away from the President role she takes up the role of branch treasurer.  

2013 is looking like another busy year for Tiare Ahuriri as we continue to deliver our course - Working With Pacific Communities. We are delivering this course as professional development for staff at the Napier Family Centre (NFC), and later this year we will deliver a second Working with Pacific Communities course to the NFC.  It has been fabulous working with  NFC staff  and we look forward to further engagement.

A branch brunch for new and current members is scheduled for Sunday, 6 July 2013.  Looking forward to catching up, eating and drinking (juice on the rocks for me) at Diane's place.

There are more activites coming, so stay tuned.

Aere ra Meagan, he wahine ataahua, he wahine toa

It was with great sadness that Tiare Ahuriri representatives joined with the many hundreds of people who last week farewelled National President of the Maori Women's Welfare League Meagan Joe, who passed away on 27 July 2011, after a battle with breast cancer. Tiare Ahuriri members spent some time with Meagan and her whanau as she lay at Pukemokimoki Marae in Napier, the same place where we had celebrated her investiture as National President in 2008 (see earlier blog article). Tiare Ahuriri President Caren Rangi then accompanied our National President Sally Dalhousie to Meagan's funeral service at Waipapa-a-iwi Marae in Mohaka, Northern Hawkes Bay, along with Tania Thomas, Board member YWCA, and Rowena Phair, CEO, Ministry of Women's Affairs. The funeral service was a beautiful celebration of a much loved mother, daughter, nanny, partner, friend and devoted leader of the MWWL. The respect in which Meagan is held by all attending was clear to see, and was strongly reflected in the eulogy provided by current and past members of MWWL. Our love and thoughts are with Meagan's mother Te Maari (a longtime member of the HB branch of PACIFICA), her partner Mereana, and her daughter Sonya and mokopuna . Aere ra Meagan, may you rest in peace.

PACIFICA Connections in the Community

This article appeared in the July edition of Tamatea (suburb of Napier) community newsletter "Connections"

Tamatea’s Global Connections

Puna and Berry Rangi both come from the Cook Islands and have lived on Westminster Avenue in Tamatea for 37 years since shifting here from Christchurch in 1974. Their two children went to Tamatea Primary, Intermediate and High Schools, and they now have grandchildren attending Wharerangi Kindergarten, Tamatea Primary and Tamatea High. They have seen a lot of changes in Tamatea over the time they have lived here, including the establishment of Park Island, the changes in the Tamatea Shopping Centre, and the development of the Parklands area. However, they have also seen the small suburb character of Tamatea maintained.“One of the things we enjoy about Tamatea is that it has always had good community spirit. We have seen it during our association with different parts of Tamatea – the schools and kindergarten, our Avon business, the Tamatea Community Church, Pirates Rugby Club and Tamatea Country Women’s Institute,” said Berry.And from Puna - “In some ways, it is similar to the villages in which we grew up in the Cook Islands – people are friendly, and you recognise the “Tamatea” faces. And our daughter and her family live six houses around the corner!”

Happy Birthday Diane!

PACIFICA members joined with Dr Diane Mara, her son Henry and friends recently to celebrate her 60th birthday. Much laughing, eating and reflecting took place! Diane is enjoying her new role as Academic Leader, ECE Pasifika, School of Critical Studies in Education, at University of Auckland - but no, she has not deserted the sunny Hawke's Bay for the City of Sails! Diane remains living here in Napier, and commutes to Auckland each week to undertake a job she finds both enjoyable and rewarding. Happy Birthday Diane!

2011 - a busy year so far

Branch Report Central Region Mini Conference 9 July 2011, Hastings Prepared 6 July 2011 by President, Caren Rangi

Warm Pacific Greetings ladies of the Pacific!!! Well another busy year in Hawke’s Bay, and here are some of the highlights from the activities we have been involved in with our Pacific communities and the community of Hawkes Bay.

2010 End of the year Branch Get-to-gether Tiare Ahuriri had a fun evening at Branch President Caren Rangi’s place on 21 December 2010 to celebrate another year in the life of the Napier PACIFICA branch.

PACIFICA AGM Due to extremely hectic lives at the beginning of 2011 Tiare Ahuriri were unable to attend the PACIFICA AGM in Tokoroa. We wish to extend our sincere apologies.

Supporting breast and cervical screening

Member, Berry Rangi was involved in two initiatives aimed at improving the health of Pacific women in the Hawke’s Bay.

1. Putting a Colourful Welcome into having a Mammogram.

A focus on strategies to improve poor breast screening rates for Maori and Pacific women by the Hawke’s Bay screening team saw Pacific Health Promoter, Berry Rangi push for the provision of the pareu as an alternative to using a patient gown in examination rooms. Berry received strong support from local Pacific women for the introduction of this concept. This resulted in a recent gifting ceremony of korowai and pareu to local breastscreening service Hawke’s Bay Radiology. Well done to the Hawke’s Bay screening team and especially our own Berry Rangi.

2 Health Promotion
In consultation with the Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints Church Women’s group and the Tongan Catholic church in Flaxmere, Berry Rangi planned and ran a health promotion event for breast and cervical screening on Friday 10 June 2011. It focused on Pacific women in Hawke’s Bay and included healthy lifestyle activities like healthy and economic cooking demonstration, hand massages, heart foundation health promotion and preparing for disaster and emergency survival kits. The event was attended by 41 Pacific women and resulted in 2 women enrolling for breast screening, and 13 women requesting appointments to have cervical smears.

Pacific Health in the Hawke’s Bay
Tiare Ahuriri President Caren Rangi has been given the opportunity to collect information and prepare a report for the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board on the views of Pacific Peoples in the Hawke’s Bay on good health, and actions to increase the health of our Pacific communities. Caren has been assisted by fellow branch member Maryanne Marsters, as well as Samoan Community Leader Talalelei Taufale . This work is an important step in the continuing effort to get a coordinated focus on improving Pacific health here in the Bay.

Introduction to Pacific Island Language – Adult Community Education (ACE course)

In 2010 Tiare Ahuriri in collaboration with Te Manga Maori, Eastern Institute of Technology, delivered an ACE programme ‘Working with Pacific Communities’. As a result of this course, discussions with local Tongan women, and Te Manga Maori, Tiare Ahuriri are working on delivering two language ACE programmes. An Introduction to the Kuki Airani Language and an Introduction to the Tongan Language.

Pacific Cultural Training, Support staff at EIT

Last year one of the spinoffs from our successful WPC course was a request to contribute to the Pacific Cultural Training for the NZ Police. Spinoffs have continued and 2011 have resulted in two 3 hour WPC sessions delivered to EIT students. A 3 hour WPC session was recently requested for EIT support staff to be delivered in October 2011.

New Members

Next month we will welcome two new members – one is Ligi Talagi, Niuean who is shifting to HB from Auckland to work at CYFS, and the other is Gese Talaga, Samoan, wife of our new EFKS Minister Rev Afa Talaga.

Josephine Tiro

On 17 June 2011, we (Caren Rangi, Berry Rangi, Diane Mara, and Maryanne Marsters) of Tiare Ahuriri travelled to Wellington and joined with our PACIFICA sisters from other branches to celebrate the life of our friend and staunch PACIFICA member Josephine Tiro (Newtown Vahine Orama branch). We were all moved by what family and friends shared about Josephine. Our Central Vice President Loau Seinia Fruean spoke at the family service of Josephine's time in PACIFICA. including her term as Loau's predecessor. The love for Josephine, and from Josephine shone through all who spoke during the family service and the funeral. We love Josephine and will keep her in our hearts and mind always. Aere ra e maine, na te Atua koe e tiaki mai.