Office opening of Te Rau Aroha Trust

Hon Tariana Turia

Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector

Thursday 2 September 2010; 11am Speech

Office opening of Te Rau Aroha Trust and Risk and Insurance Ltd
331 Rosedale Road, Albany, Auckland

There is probably none better than the words of the late Hone Tuwhare to remind us of the purpose for which we are gathered today.

Death was not hiding in the cold rags of a broken dirge
Nor could I find her in the cruel laughter of children
The curdled whimper of a dog

But I heard her with the wind crooning in the hung wires
and caught her beauty by the coffin muted to a softer pain—
in the calm vigil of hands; in the green-leaved anguish
of the bowed heads of old women… ‘

In his beautiful poem entitled simply, Tangi, Tuwhare conveyed the expression of love, of beauty, of strength, of faith, we find at such times.

It is in the grief of the bowed heads of old women; the muted pain of mourners standing in silence, waiting for the haunting lament of kuia to subside.

Tangihanga can be the best and worst of times; the tears flow in the tragic loss of a loved one and the laughter resonates as we recall tender memories of a life well lived.

But for some, tangihanga can be marred by the tension of bills yet to be paid; expenses unable to be covered. The opportunity to mourn is compromised by the constant anxiety around costs.

Today, Te Rau Aroha Trust, brings a new dimension to the experience of tangihanga.

Te rau aroha, conveys the process by which the rau – the leaf of peace – is laid before the manuhiri in the powhiri coming on to the marae.

The leaf of course links, to the greenery worn by mourners. For Whanganui the ultimate expression of our grief will be seen with the wearing of the koroki – the sash of greenery worn across our chest, but of course more usual will be the maimai, the wreath in one’s hair.

Te Rau Aroha, therefore, is the offer extended to whanau; an offer of free tangihanga insurance for Maori and Pasifika persons aged from 55 years upwards.

At the time of the claim, within 24 hours of a death being confirmed, the kaumatua roopu from Te Rau Aroha will visit the whanau pani and provide them with a koha of $15,000.

But Te Rau Aroha goes further – and then distributes up to $200,000 to the hahi, marae, ture whenua Maori organisation, runanga or trust that the person has identified before their death.

And this is where this programme is so innovative.

Because the focus of Te Rau Aroha is in giving life to the aspirations of our people to give back to their community.

In essence, when someone signs up to register for this initiative, they agree that the $200,000 that will be released upon their death, will be distributed for charitable purposes – and the person themselves nominates the particular organisation of their choice.

I want to mihi to the trustees of Te Rau Aroha - Tapihana Shelford (Chair), Waimarie Ratu, Charles Tepere Connelly, Naida Glavish and Druis Barrett. Each of you has embraced the concept behind Te Rau Aroha as helping to support our whanau; many whom we know struggle to cope, financially, with the impact of tangihanga.

I want to also commend the Trust Administrator and Director of Risk and Insurance - Cameron Smith who has played such a significant role in establishing this programme on such a steady footing.

You have done your work well. I am told Te Rau Aroha Trust became registered with the Companies Office in 2009 and was recently approved by the Charities Commission for charitable purposes.

A vital factor in the partnership is the relationship Te Rau Aroha has entered into with a registered insurance company to underwrite the policies – and so I also acknowledge AIA New Zealand for the initiative you have taken in this venture.

But probably the most important news I have today – is to announce that Te Rau Aroha currently has three hundred beneficiaries registered in your trust.

That is - 300 beneficiaries who have gone through the process and have been approved by the insurer AIA New Zealand. What that means is peace of mind for at least three hundred families who may not have otherwise had this type of insurance to satisfy funeral expenses during times of loss.

He kaupapa aroha tenei; he kaupapa manaaki mo te whanau.

This is an investment that three hundred beneficiaries have made for their whanau, so that when the time comes, they will not need to worry.

There was, however, one moment of sadness when I heard that while three hundred beneficiaries had been approved for insurance purposes – just as many again had their application declined as they were not able to fulfil the standard conditions set by the insurer.

It was, therefore, very pleasing to learn that Te Rau Aroha is also working hard to put options in place, to ensure that clients who have ever been declined or deferred will at some stage be able to receive a benefit of some sort – and so I guess it is a case of ‘watch this space’.

I want to thank you, Tapihana, for the honour of opening these offices.

I remember someone once saying that death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies within us while we still live.

Today, Te Rau Aroha offers whanau hope and faith, that when the time comes to say farewell to their loved one they will be able to honour them with dignity, with strength and with the calm certainty that they can cope with all that may come their way.

The peace of mind provided by this initiative is another aspect of our whanau wellbeing.

I congratulate you all on the investment you continue to make in our whanau, hapu and iwi; and I am delighted to be a part of this special day.

ENDS