Ngāi Tahu travel south for Hui-ā-Iwi 2019 in Invercargill

Thursday, 21 November 2019

Hui-ā-Iwi committee chairman Cyril Gilroy who had been working on Hui-ā-Iwi 2019 since the start of the year.

Many hotels in Invercargill are booked out as Ngāi Tahu members from throughout the South Island travel to Southland for its biennial hui.

Hui-ā-Iwi 2019 will be held during the next three days at Stadium Southland and will feature the launch of numerous projects by Ngāi Tahu.

This will include a digital archive of Ngāi Tahu photos, oral histories and visual content, along with a runaka-wide youth project and a short film on the Waituna wetlands.

Hui-ā-Iwi committee chairman Cyril Gilroy said he expected 500 whānau would be at Friday's opening with about 800 or more attending on Saturday and Sunday.

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Although there would be an open forum on Friday to allow people to ask questions about Ngāi Tahu activities, the event was less about politics and more of a family friendly gathering of Ngāi Tahu Iwi, Gilroy said.

'This Hui-ā-Iwi is about having fun so we can enjoy whakawhanaungatanga, which is the gathering of our people all into one area.'

The hui was being hosted by the four runaka in Murihiku, Ōraka Aparima, Awarua, Hokonui and Waihōpai, and they had been working on the event since the start of the year, Gilroy said.

The theme of the Hui-ā-Iwi was the Tītī mutton bird, which was part of the whakapapa [tradition] of Murihiku Māori.

Tīti mutton bird hunting was one of the oldest Māori customs to still be going in New Zealand, he said.

Those attending the hui would also be able to take part in activities including a charter trip to Ruapuke Island, an art exhibition on Tītī mutton birds, a hikoi around Waituna wetlands and a rides on the Shotover Jet on the Ōreti River.

Invercargill Licensing Trust marketing and sales manager Angee Shand said all of the ILT's accommodation was fully booked.

Ascot Park Hotel executive manager Bryan Townley said they had been booked up for this weekend for several months.

When the conference was announced, a lot of bookings were made, and Townley said he had noticed a lot of accommodation providers in the city were full, which was good for Invercargill.