Kia hora te Marino

Kia papa pounamu te moana

Kia tere te karohirohi i mua i tō huarahi tika

 

May calm and tranquility be widespread

May the waters that you sail glisten like greenstone and

May the shimmering light guide you safely on your journey

 

Tēnā rā tātou katoa te whānau, ko Arapeta (Albie) tōku nei ingoa, 

He uri nō te whānau Paikea, nō Ōtamatea Marae                         

 

I am the pōtiki, youngest child of Taaringaroa Te Aroha and Kua Pania Shelford. I was born in Paparoa hospital in 1971 and was raised in the Ōtamatea Te Uri o Hau rohe.

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Marae life was an integral part of my upbringing, spending most of my time there as a young child to this present day. My teachings are that from my ancestors and also from my parents as well as my tukana, Tapihana Shelford.

 

I am also heavily involved in the Rātana church and I am also the Āpotoro for the Ōtamatea Pariha. Over the years I have seen changes that have affected our whānau. Both commercially and environmentally. These impacts also impede on our whānau way of life and our tikanga in terms of marae-based issues.

 

I bring with me a degree in Business Management in supply chain and logistics in the commercial sector as well as a QUT Diploma in Human Resources.

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I know that I can contribute widely to the benefit of the hapū and to the marae of Ōtamatea. I have had further education not only in Australia but also in Dubai studying conflict resolution and consent which I majored in honors.

 

I was born into servitude as were all members of my whānau and I have upheld that responsibility with integrity and passion and I will continue to serve the people and the marae to the fullest of my ability. Personally in the future I would like to see our people and marae have full autonomy of both environmental and cultural matters and a self-governance for the marae and its whānau that would benefit us all.

 

I look forward to what the future holds for us and the journey we will take.

 

Mā te Māngai hei tiaki, manaaki i ngā rā katoa.

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