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February 20, 2025
Ride for Talei reaches Taranaki for Te Matatini
Atereano Mateariki
Posted On February 20, 2025
Download AudioLater today, the Ride for Talei peloton will enter Taranaki in anticipation of Te Matatini o te Kāhui Maunga next week.
Ride for Talei is part of Smear Your Mea, a kapa haka-based cervical cancer awareness initiative started in memory of Talei Morrison, former leader of Te Mātārae i Ōrehu, who passed away from cervical cancer in 2018.
The founder of Smear Your Mea and Talei’s mother, Sandy Morrison, says the continuation of kaupapa like Smear Your Mea and Ride for Talei helps soften what can be a difficult time for her and their whānau.
“Watching all of these cyclists just come out for the kaupapa, embraced by the warmth and the genuine feeling of aroha, by all the communities that we stay at and that just come out to hear the talk, and take the message. And our job is to take the message to people to look after themselves, for the sake of family and whakapapa,” says Morrison.
She says the peloton is made up of people, young and old, from across the motu, with aroha and support flowing abundantly—just like the kai they have received along the way.
The Ride for Talei roopū will cycle around Taranaki Maunga over the weekend and finish in tandem with the Te Matatini pōwhiri on Monday morning.
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