Reverend Wayne Te Kaawa, Kaumatua
Ko Putauaki te maunga Ko Takanga i o Apa te wai Ko Tūwharetoa te iwi Ko Ngāti Umutahi te hapū Ko Hahuru te marae Ko Revd Dr Wayne Te Kaawa tōku ingoa
4 December 2023
2 November 2020
Tini Whetū ki te Rangi, Marutūahu ki te Whenua
(The myriad of stars is likened to the people of the land)
Manākitanga tētehi ki tētehi
(Unconditional support for everyone)
Ko Tainui te waka
Ko Tikapa te moana
Ko Moehau te maunga
Ko Hauraki te whenua
Ko Walter tāku ingoa
Ko Ngāti Maru te iwi
Tena rā koutou katoa
Walter Searancke hails from Ngāti Maru and is a speaker on Ngāti Maru lands and Tamaterā (iwi/people).
Growing up in the 60’s, Walter’s whānau (family) were part of the hard-working railways community of Wanganui until moving to settle later in Otahuhu.
Walter studied Tikanga for Ngāti Raukawa, later becoming a whānau speaker for his immediate whānau before taking up the honourable role as Kaumātua for Ngāti Tamaterā.
He moved into a Ngāti Maru role as a speaker/representative, being involved in providing guidelines for tangi services, hui such as weddings, whānau iwi / whānau reunions, all marae-based education such as Kōhanga Reo approval and working with struggling families in the local community area with a view to providing good outcomes.
Walter is currently an active Māori Liaison Officer with the Hauraki Māori Trust Board dealing with social services in the Hauraki known as SWISS (Social Worker in Schools) and whānau development for young people aged 0 to 16 years.
A Kaumātua is an elder within society, they hold important roles within the Community to provide guidance and grounded support around Tikanga Māori and display a Māori view.
Kaumātua provide support in areas such as:
Guidance & support for matters concerning whānau and individual well being
Support spiritual aspect of the home life & workplace
Guide and chair public meetings and public forums
Provide cultural awareness and support cultural well being
Insight on good practice from a Māori perspective
Support and maintain inter – Iwi relationships
Provide support in maintaining and developing a Tikanga Process in what we do
Kaumātua involvement in any process is invaluable to support driving the process forward through discussion and actions, whilst remaining true to a Tikanga process and the Treaty of Waitangi.
To bring such guidance and support to Communio whānau is valuable to help them grow, embracing language and Tikanga both personally and for the organisation.