Organization Name: Te Johnny Whānau Roopu Johnny Whānau Noho Stylz
Person Name: Tina Mareikura
Location: Te Hāwera Taranaki
These days were created when our father/grandfather/husband died in 2012.
As a family of 4 daughters with an ailing mother still alive, we come together each year to whakawhanaungatanga, manaakitanga, and rangatiratanga our way of being together. We have never felt connected to our turangawaewae, marae, hapū and iwi, so we are trying to preserve the connections to each other in our own whānau to build on this foundation to assist with the sense of connectedness, mana, and identity. Many of our whānau have health and mental health issues and need whānau support.
We hire out venues and bring shared kai, arrange, and set up games and have had sports teams in the Kapiti area since 2005 going under the name of “Fusion.” We weave the Fusion and Johnny Whānau days together. Our dream has been to attend the Whanganui Tira Hoe Waka. We also want to plan more noho marae visits to nurture and support our whānau so we can live our best lives.