“Ka kuhu au ki te ture, hei matua mo te pani”
I seek refuge in the law, for it is a parent to the oppressed
Nā Te Kooti Arikirangi
The proverb above set the tone for this year’s Hui-ā-Tau for Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa. Two of our solicitors, Hiria-Te Kauru Green and Marree Kereru, attended the conference this year. They share their thoughts on the Hui-ā-Tau below.
This year’s Hui-ā-Tau was both inspiring and good for the wairua. Whilst we took something from every session we attended, our highlights included:
- The wāhine plenary session. A panel of three wāhine toa Māori shared stories and gave advice on navigating through the legal profession not only as wāhine Māori but also as māmā. Their pearls of wisdom were appreciated by all.
- Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa “OGS” (Originals) plenary session was also a highlight (many struggled to find a seat as the whare was packed to the rim for this one!). The kōrero about the humble beginnings of Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa and how far we have come since then was both inspirational and refreshing. Through the kōrero we heard about the struggles to get Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa off the ground and their hopes and dreams for the hunga moving forward.
- Moana Jackson’s “dreams from a garage” kōrero matua was uplifting and left us thinking about how we as Māori practitioners can effect positive change in our profession. We now know that our “telegraphic eyebrows” can be more than just a “hello”.
We left the Hui-ā-Tau with our kete full of korero and knowledge that will help us navigate our way through the profession as Wāhine Māori.
Marree also left with mahi in front of her after being elected as the Tairāwhiti Representative for Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa executive 2019. Ka mau te wehi Marree!
