Being old is not the same as being a kaumatua.
That’s one of the findings of the Kaumātua Futures study done for Ngati Whakaue by Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga in partnership with The Family Centre social policy research unit.
Research lead Teorongonui Josie Keelan says the experience of the Te Arawa iwi will resonate with iwi, hapū and whānau across Aotearoa.
She says many older Maori become distant from their marae because of their lack of cultural knowledge.
More support is needed to develop the next generation of marae-skilled kaumātua, with critical skills including karanga, whaikorero, waiata whakapapa, history and stories of a hapū and iwi.
“Not one person holds all of those things, but as a roopu, and as a tira as one of the kaumātua said, they are able to perform at the very best for their whānau, hapū, and iwi,” Dr Keelan says.
A key finding was that kaumātua who willingly engaged with their marae did so because of a sense of “giving back” to their communities.
