Kaumatua

Kia ora koutou te whanau

I am pleased to advise that we now have an ex officio Tainui Kaumātua of Renowned standing within the Tainui community of Tamaki Makaurau and highly recognised and respected within Tainui waka. His name is Sonny Rauwhero. Matua Sonny confirmed with me that he would be highly honoured to be kaumātua to the NZSG Inc Māori Interest Group for the Auckland area in the first instance and where he may be able to support us within other areas relevant to the kaupapa and tikanga of Māori identity within whakapapa and the inter connection to genealogy.

 Noho ora mai ra,

Owen

Kaumātua are respected tribal elders of either gender in a Māori community who have been involved with their whānau for a number of years. They are appointed by their people who believe the chosen elders have the capacity to teach and guide both current and future generations. Kaumatua have good knowledge of Tikanga, history, and Te Reo; and their contribution ensures that the mana of the whānau, hapu, and iwi are maintained.  Barlow (1994) refers to Kaumatua as being the "keepers of knowledge and traditions of the family, sub-tribe and tribe".