“E pari te tai, e timu te tai, e ngunguru nei te moana, kua huri te tai!”

“The time and tide waits for no man, and the tide has turned with Bayden Barber being elected as the new Chair of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated”.

“Myself as the Chair for the last 26 years deem it an honour and a privilege to have served our people through all their ups and downs, ins and outs, from whānau to hapū, to iwi to waka, to mataawaka, to indigenous peoples around the world, to serving our country as well. I am proud to have been able to do that off the mana āhua ake of Ngāti Kahungunu, the absolute uniqueness of Ngāti Kahungunu, to manaaki all people”.

“I have no regrets about the decision made and I wish Bayden Barber all the best. I will be supporting him, but from the background because he needs sunlight to grow and to thrive, and to prosper with his own mana, his own ambitions, and his own trajectory. I congratulate him and his whānau for their good effort. I had said to Bayden earlier that I was not going to give it to him, that he will have to come and take it, and he did”.

“There are challenges in front of us. We have so much to celebrate. Here on, I wish Bayden and all the team, well”.

“Mere and I are young enough to start again in any adventure we wish to undertake”.

“I’d like to thank all of the associates and our partnerships, who have endured with us over the past 26 years. The Mayors, the Chairs, the Premiers, from whānau, hapū, iwi, to the country. Your leadership has been inspirational and will be passed on to the new regime. I have no regrets of what we have done through the years. We have tried and we have taken huge risks on behalf of our people, but time and tide has caught up with us and now it’s time to move on”.

Good luck and God Bless,

Haumi e, Hui e, Taiki e

Tihei Kahungunu

Ngahiwi Tomoana

© Scoop Media