Hundreds Expected To Gather For Māui Pōmare Celebrations

Sunday, 15 June 2025, 8:07 pm
Article: RNZ

Hundreds of people are expected to gather at the historic Owae Marae in Waitara this month to celebrate the legacy of Māui Pōmare, a 20th-century champion of Māori health.

The Tā Māui Pōmare Annual Commemorations have drawn mana whenua from around the motu to the Manukorihi Pā site in Taranaki since 1936 to commemorate Aotearoa's first Māori Health Minister.

This year's commemorations will be held on 27 and 28 June.

"Tā Māui Pōmare was a local Rangatira and a doctor who was concerned for our people and the infrastructure around how we lived," said Manukorihi Pā Reserve trustee and Marae Kaitiaki Roina Graham.

"This event includes hari mate rā (a ceremony) to acknowledge and honour those who have passed, reo, health, Puanga, iwi, whānau, hapū and political forum discussions, maintaining Iwi relationships throughout the motu and the commemoration of Tā Māui Pōmare."

The event is being being supported with a New Plymouth District Council Community Events Grant.

Manager of community and economic development Damien Clark said the grants supported events that contribute to the vibrancy of the rohe.

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