January 26, 2022
Rātana hui adapts to Covid restrictions
This year’s Rātana birthday commemorations have been restricted to mōrehu only, but the movement isn’t giving up its political ambitions now it can’t draw the politicians to its matua marae.
Rātana Apotoro and former Labour MP Mita Ririnui says a lot of that activism is moving to the local level.
He says rather than travelling to Rātana Pā this year, adherents from the Bay of Plenty and Waikato gathered in Tauranga yesterday for prayer, celebration and debate on the issues of the day.
“We’re an organisation that has resisted change over the last 102 years but now it is upon us. We are going to have to accept the way we do things is going to be different. This is the time for us to capture the opportunity and reinvent ourselves so we can come back and be a powerful impact on politics and religion,” Mr Mihinui says.
He says Covid has also forced changes within Waitangi commemorations and the Kiingitanga programme, showing the adaptabilty of Māori institutions to meet new challenges.