Te Mātāwai Tumu Whakarae Poia Rewi has announced he will step down as CE in March 2025 after 4.5 years at the helm dedicated to te reo Māori revitalisation by iwi and whānau Māori.
During this time, Poia (Ngāti Manawa, Tūhoe, Te Arawa, Ngāti Whare, Tūwharetoa) has considerably grown the capability and capacity of Te Mātāwai. Starting with just four fulltime staff in 2020 he’s increased this to 38 full time staff today, including nine FTE’s in Pae Motuhake regional roles.
Reikura Kahi, Te Mātāwai co-chair says it has been an honour to have someone of Poia’s high calibre and passion for increasing te reo Māori use.
“Poia is a deeply humble but truly excellent leader who is well-respected across Aotearoa and loved by all his kaimahi. Since starting at Te Mātāwai he has developed our unique community model, which has seen eight Kāhui established, each with a Pae Motuhake board of reo Māori champions,” she says.
This year Poia worked alongside the Board to set a new strategic visionfor te reo Māori illustrated through a waka journey to Hawaiki Tipuna in 2027, with the future destination for te reo revitalisation being Hawaiki Mokopuna in 2040.
“We are grateful to Poia for all he’s achieved as Tumu Whakarae. As a skilled expert in te reo Māori, tikanga, whaikōrero and research we’ve benefited from his immense pūkenga and the direction he’s taken us.
“Most of all though, we’ll miss Poia’s authenticity, his manaakitanga towards all people, and his unwavering commitment to te reo Māori revitalisation all day, every day,” Reikura says.
Poia says although he is sad to leave Te Mātāwai, he’ll continue living its vision ‘Kia Ūkaipō Anō te Reo – restoring te reo Māori as a nurturing first language within homes and communities’.
“I have achieved all the objectives set out for me upon my appointment, and more. Now, I want to spend quality time with my whānau. I also want to support the kāinga, hapori and iwi I moved away from, where there’s still a huge desire for reo and tikanga,” he says.
The search for a new Chief Executive will begin in the new year.
Pānui pāpāho / 17 Tīhema 2024
Ko te Toa Reo Māori, ko Poia Rewi tēnei e wehe nei i tōna tūranga mahi hei Tumu Whakarae mō Te Mātāwai
Kua pānuitia e te Tumu Whakarae mō Te Mātāwai, e Poia Rewi, ka heke ia i tōna tūranga mahi hei te Māehe 2025; kua whā tau me te hāwhe ia e noho nei hei kaihautū i te waka whakaūkaipō i te reo Māori ki ngā iwi me ngā whānau Māori.
I roto i tēnei wā, kua kaha te whakatipuria mai o ngā pūkenga me ngā raukaha e Poia (Ngāti Manawa, Tūhoe, Te Arawa, Ngāti Whare, Tūwharetoa) ki Te Mātāwai. Tokowhā noa ngā kaimahi pūmau i te tau 2020, ā nāwai kua piki te tokomaha ki te 38 kaimahi a mohoa (tae atu hoki ki ngā tūranga mahi pūmau e iwa kei ngā Pae Motuhake o ngā rohe).
Hei tā Reikura Kahi, hoa-toihau o Te Mātāwai, he hōnore nui te piringa mai o te momo pēnei i a Poia i tōna ngākau remurere kia kaha ake te kōrerotia o te reo Māori.
Ko tāna, “He tangata ngākau iti, engari hiranga ake nei a Poia i roto i āna mahi kaihautū. He tangata e kauanuanutia ana puta noa i Aotearoa nei, ā, e arohatia nuitia ana ia e āna kaimahi katoa. Te amohanga ake āna i te urungi i Te Mātāwai, nāna i hua ai tā mātou mahere hapori motuhake, ā, nō konei whakapūmautia ai ngā Kāhui ā-Iwi e waru me ā rātou ake Pae Motuhake e kī pohapoha ana i te toa reo Māori.
I tēnei tau, i mahi ngātahi a Poia me te Poari Matua ki te waihanga i terautaki whakakitenga hou mō te reo Māori mā te whakaterenga o tētahi waka e pae atu nei ki Hawaiki Tipuna ā te tau 2027, ā, kia tau rā anō ia me āna mahi whakaūkaipō i te reo Māori ki tōna wāhi ūnga, ki Hawaiki Mokopuna ā te tau 2040.
“Me mihi e mātou a Poia i ngā mahi katoa kua tutuki i a ia hei Tumu Whakarae. Kua ora rawa atu mātou i tōna mātanga ki te reo Māori, ki ngā tikanga, ki te whaikōrero me ngā mahi rangahau; kua whai hua nui hoki te huarahi nāna tonu i para hei takahitanga mā mātou.
“Heoi, i te otinga atu, ka mokemoke mātou ki a Poia i tōna ngākau motuhenga, i tōna ngākau manaaki ki te tangata me tōna manawa tītī ki te whakarauoratanga o te reo Māori, ao noa, pō noa.” te kī mai a Reikura.
E mea ana a Poia, ahakoa pōuri te ngākau i tōna wehenga i Te Mātāwai, ka pūmau tonu ia ki tōna tūruapō, arā, ‘Kia Ūkaipō anō Te Reo ki ngā Kāinga me ngā Hapori’.
“Kua tutuki katoa ngā whāinga i whakaritea hei whai māku i taku taenga mai me ētahi kaupapa i tua atu. Ko taku hiahia i tēnei wā, he piri kaha ki tōku whānau, he takoha hoki i ōku mōhio ki ngā kāinga, ngā hapori me ngā iwi i tawhiti ai ahau i ngā tau, he hanga e matenui ana ki te whakatipu ake anō i tōna reo me ōna tikanga,” te kōrero mai a Poia.
Hei te tau e tū mai nei ka rapua anō he Tumu Whakarae hou.
-KUA MUTU-
Whakaahua: Kua tata pau te rima tau ia e hautū ana i tēnei kaupapa whakaūkaipō i te reo, ā, kua heke a Poia i tōna tūranga hei Tumu Whakarae. Ka hoki ia ki te āhuru o tōna whānau noho ai hei hoa rangatira, hei pāpā, hei ‘koro’.
