Thanks for the help, but....
Help needed AS former residents of Rangitoto and Te Kūiti I’m hoping King Country News readers may be willing to help us with our wee query. My husband Graeme Warriner recently turned 75, the only keepsake he has from his childhood is a baptism/christening certificate from St Luke’s Te Kūiti, on which it records Gordon Brittain Johnson and his wife Beatrice as his godparents. Graeme has scant recollection of this couple and doesn’t recall ever meeting them when he was growing up. We would like to learn a little about this couple who graciously accepted the role of godparents back in 1947. Anyone who descends from or knew them please contact me at carolgraeme.warriner@xtra.co.nz C Warriner Morrinsville
Comparisons WE enjoy your paper the King Country News very much, well done. We were sad to read about the death of Karem Haddad, a horrible way for him to go, after leading such an amazing life, as a loving brother, father, grandfather and friend to many. We enjoyed calling in for a visit when passing through, the good quality farm clothes, and good old-fashioned service. The reading you included in King Country News 22/9/22 P2 ‘The dimming of the brightest light’ was well written. There were a few lines in the second-to-last chapter, that I thought were not correct: eg… “His grace was achieved not by sitting in a palace and waving, but by living a life so bright and joyous, and sharing his humour so generously, that those of us who have been lucky enough to bask in its glow are left blinking, unable to believe the light has gone.” We have just witnessed the outpouring of love for Queen Elizabeth II. I think we saw this love for her, because she didn’t sit in the palace waving, but got out amongst her people, sharing her humour and love for people. She promised to serve her people, and that’s just what she did. Her life was an amazing witness to all. C Turner Kihikihi
Trust leadership query TODAY [last Thursday] I watched with delight, Te Nehenehenui/Maniapoto’s third reading at parliament. I was particularly in awe, hearing how poorly the iwi was treated by the government of the time, stealing billions of dollars in assets and how the iwi have remained resolute and determined to make the Government accountable. Heartened by the fact that redress is on the horizon come December 4 2022, I sought to understand the leadership that would help them move forward based on an experience I believed was not their finest hour. It started from a friend I know from Maniapoto who grew up there, went to university and would eventually return home to a GM role. After a number of years, my friend applied for another CE role at the Maniapoto Māori Trust Board and was unsuccessful. Now being unsuccessful is part of life and I understood that, but I was lost for words when the board chair at the time stated that she was unsuccessful because she did not meet the “criteria”. Now that astounded me as I know this wahine toa is switched-on, highly skilled and intelligent. To support my bias, I know that my friend was successful in her application for another GM role with another iwi only two weeks later. It doesn’t end there, because for the following three years, she would not only transform the tribe she worked for, but she would leave a huge impression by increasing the tribe’s commercial profits and go on to unify the other seven iwi by establishing and co-chairing a charitable trust for them all to collaborate. So this begs me to ask, what was the criteria that the board chairman was using? Now I go back to the beginning again, seeking to understand the leadership for the new entity of Te Nehenehenui Trust. Only an hour after witnessing the third reading in Parliament today from my TV, I hear through the kumara vine that the new trust board, ie Te Nehenehenui Trust, released a statement that they have made permanent executive appointments, this without advertising the roles. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that the governance and leadership here has acted poorly, as they have failed on all levels to institute a transparent process to find the best leader(s). Why wouldn’t you want to go to market to find the best leaders to help Te Nehenenui/Maniapoto get the best start? I believe that my friend has earned the stripes to at least have the chance to apply again to her own iwi. What do you think? Name and address withheld by permission Shining example THERE are people in this world who need to be held up as shining examples in our community. One such as James Marshall. He was witness to a distressing situation for my wife and I last week and the sheer thoughtfulness in his resulting actions simply blew us both away. If there were more people like this, our world would be a better place. I take my hat off to you, James. Te whakaute nui. K Carston Te Kūiti
Cat champions I WOULD just like to take the time to say a big thank you to all those people who leave out scraps of food and leftovers for the dumped and abandoned cats around Te Kūiti. When you listen to the bleating on about how much it costs to have a cat desexed, you realise that people truly are dense considering it’s only once in one to 16 years that a cat gets spayed, depending on how long they live for. In the almost 18 years I’ve lived in Te Kūiti, there have been many cats who have turned up starving on my lawn and I’ve always had a tray of good old chicken necks in the fridge to feed them. This all taken out of my welfare money of course. I know that kind and compassionate people are helping out everywhere and I know these cats are grateful for anything. It’s just a shame that gutless people treat the animals they acquired with heartless mindsets and think other people will take up their slack. All it takes is a bowl of water and enough food for a meal each day to keep them healthy. Perhaps drink and drugs are more important. But here’s to all the heroes who help out there – you truly are champions of our neighbourhood. A Graham Te Kūiti
Letters to the Editor can be sent to editor@kingcountrynews.co.nz, dropped into the offices at 18 King St, Te Kūiti, or Maniapoto St, Ōtorohanga, or sent to PO Box 279 Te Kūiti. The editor reserves the right to abridge, change to suit the paper’s grammatical or punctuation style or correct spelling mistakes. Racist or letters with misinformation will not be accepted. Letters must be under 350 words in length.
