Tēnā koutou e te Whānau Tupu Ngātahi,
As we share this final bulletin of the year, we hope you are enjoying the festive season with your whānau, friends, and Playcentre communities. The magic of Christmas comes alive through the eyes of our tamariki, reminding us of the joy and wonder they bring to our lives.
Submissions on the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi bill
This time of year also provides an opportunity to reflect on our past and look forward to the future. In 1989, at a national conference, we (at that time the New Zealand Playcentre Federation) passed a remit to publicly endorse the Treaty of Waitangi. In 1994, we formally acknowledged Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of Aotearoa. Over the past 30 years, Playcentre has remained steadfast in its commitment to honouring Te Tiriti. In 2012, the adoption of Dr. Whatarangi Winiata’s Two House governance model, a Tiriti-based co-governance framework, provided another tangible step in upholding our commitment to the principles of good treaty partnership.
This November, the Board had presence at several Toitū te Tiriti activations, including the arrival of the hīkoi at Parliament on the 19th of November. We acknowledge that many of our Playcentre whānau, past and present Centre members, tangata whenua and tangata tiriti, also joined more than 100,000 people around Aotearoa to show support for, what we believe is one of the most important parts of Playcentre philosophy and an intrinsic part of all we do. We also acknowledge our whānau who wanted to attend activations but couldn’t – particularly those who chose to remain at Centre, keeping “the doors open” for our pēpi, tamariki and communities.
Submissions to the Justice Committee on the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi bill are now open, closing on the 7th January 2025. The Board will be making a submission strongly opposing the Bill and will seek to also present an oral submission.
We encourage and support each of our 14,000 whānau, 400 Playcentres, Rōpū, Clusters and Hapori to do the same. Below are links to two (of many) sources available to support us to make submissions.
https://togetherfortetiriti.nz/
https://www.facebook.com/koekoeaa24
As the tongikura from Kiingi Tawhiao says:
“Ki te kotahi te kākaho ka whati, ki te kāpuia e kore e whati.” “Alone we are vulnerable, united we are invincible.”
As the year draws to a close, we take this opportunity to express our gratitude. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you for your commitment to your Centres and communities. The hours and energy you invest into building “our village” are deeply appreciated.
Farewell to Hayley Kirk-Smith
Kāore e arikarika ngā mihi aroha, a heartfelt thank you to outgoing Manutaki Maurua, Hayley Kirk-Smith who recently stepped down from the Board, for her outstanding contribution over many years – from her involvement at Centre to her invaluable work at the Board table. Her dedication to Playcentre’s philosophy, Tiriti-based partnership and her visionary leadership have profoundly shaped the future of our organisation. We are immensely grateful for her years of service and commitment.
Welcome to our new trustees
We extend a warm welcome to our new trustees: Nat-Rose Te Hei for Te Whare Tikanga Māori and Ruth Gorinski for Tangata Tiriti. We also congratulate Fran Cowie on beginning her second term with the Board. We value the diverse skills and expertise of all our Board members and are excited to work as a collective, towards a sustainable future for Playcentre.
The Playcentre Aotearoa Board: Andrea, Nat-Rose, Bes, Heather, Fran, Ruth, Peta and Alice.
Kia toi te kupu, toi te mana o te whenua, toi te mana motuhake, toitū te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Ngā mihi o te wā me te Tau Hou,
Alice, Andrea, Bes, Fran, Heather, Nat-Rose, Peta mātou ko Ruth.
Playcentre Aotearoa Trustee Board