Twenty offenders in Hamilton helped out at the tangi of the well-known and respected kaumatua Hare Puke.
The offenders spent five days at the Hukanui Marae. The Hamilton Service Centre was one of many organisations asked to help out at the tangi. Schools, other marae and government organisations also assisted. They all looked after about 2,000 guests, among whom some very distinguished.
Taking good care of the guests appears to have brought out the best in the offenders, according to the whānau of Hare Puke.
“The 20 offenders we selected for the job not only had to have tikanga Māori experience but also had to be familiar with the Hukanui Marae,” says Senior Community Work Supervisor Storm Powell.
“We requested a readiness to abide to the even stricter code of conduct at the tangi as well as their full commitment to see the event through.”
Highly respected
Hare Puke’s whānau asked for assistance from the community work centre. Storm says, “Hare was one of the first people we spoke with about nine years ago when the idea to do community work on and around this Waikato marae first arose, starting the first pā harakeke (flax plantation) in 100 years.”
The help the community work offenders and all the other helpers provided at the tangi lightened the load of the Puke whānau.
Hare was highly respected which meant that many guests across the country were expected to arrive for the duration of the tangi. Not knowing exactly when the guests were going to arrive added to the complications of the whānau.
Ringa wera
The community work offenders and many other helpers provided refreshments and snacks to guests waiting to be called onto the marae. Sheer numbers meant many waited outside for two hours, often after spending hours travelling to the Waikato.
Once guests were welcomed, the offenders assisted with feeding them. They helped prepare kai, clear tables and reset them again for the next group. These catering tasks earned the offenders and their supervisors Wayne Tukiri and Warren Smith the name of ringa wera, or hot hands.
All the efforts of the offenders were greatly appreciated by the Puke whānau. ”They were fantastic,” says Kirika Proffit, Hare’s niece and one of the tangi organisers.
“My uncle had specifically asked for the support of the community work offenders. I know most of them as they have done a lot of work around the marae. So I thought it was a great idea to involve them in the tangi.
“The offenders and supervisors also joined the male guests in performing the haka for Hare when he left the marae for Taupiri Maunga. It was an impressive farewell…”
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ISSN 1178-1327