Wairewa Rūnanga
Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu was created as part of the Ngāi Tahu Settlement Act 1998, to manage the collective assets of the tribe to support rūnaka in a way that allows each of them to exercise rakatirataka. Wairewa Rūnanga is one of the 18 papatipu rūnaka of Kāi Tahu that make up the iwi known as Kāi Tahu. Wairewa Rūnanga represents the interests of the people of the Southern Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū/Banks Peninsula.
Our whānau
In 1849 a census was done of Kāi Tahu people living across the Kāi Tahu takiwā. Today this is known as the Blue Book. Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and its Papatipu Rūnaka use the Blue Book as an evidence base to validate iwi membership. Each Papatipu Rūnaka has identified tīpuna within the Blue Book who affiliate to their hapū and anyone who is able to prove that they descend from those people are able to register to Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and the respective Papatipu Rūnaka. There are approximately 75,000 registered Kāi Tahu members today and 15,000 of those are able to whakapapa to Wairewa. However, we only have approximately 1000 that are registered with the rūnaka and fewer still that are actively engaged in marae or rūnaka activities.
Wairewa Rūnanga
We organise ourselves through an incorporated society (Inc.Soc) structure which is a legal entity of 15 or more registered members that associate for lawful purposes and not for the financial benefit of the members.
Incorporated Societies must have a constitution (set of rules) that state our purpose and how we will operate. There are several mandatory operations requirements including such things as financial controls, membership management, meeting procedures and a management committee. We call our management committee Wairewa Executive Committee.
Organisational Structure
The Office of Wairewa Rūnanga manages the activities of the rūnaka and drives the initiatives to support the outcomes of the strategic plan. The activities of the office are both strategic and compliance-based in nature.
Three full-time staff are employed by the Office of Wairewa Rūnanga and are supported by whānau volunteers and contractors.
