Mataatua wharenui taken off tourist trail waateanews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from waateanews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Mataatua Wharenui
Photo: SUPPLIED / Ngati Awa Runanga
Recognised orator, custodian and teacher Dr Joseph Mason passed away over the weekend at the age of 87.
Of Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Pukeko and Ngāti Hokopū decent, Mason contributed diligently to Ngāti Awa s raupatu claim and passage of Ngāti Awa claims settlement act in 2005.
During earlier years, Mason was a respected teacher at many schools across the Mataatua area, including Pāroa School, Wharekāhika Native School, Whakatāne Intermediate, Waiariki Polytechnic and Bethlehem Primary School.
In 1980 he became the first secretary of the newly-formed Ngāti Awa Trust Board and would go on to have numerous other leadership roles, including as chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa, director of Mātaatua Fishing Company, director of Ngāti Awa Group Holdings, trustee member of Te Kāhui Kaumātua, chair of the Kiwinui Trust as well as serving on the council of Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, which earned him an honorary doctorat
Whakatāne and East Coast: 10 gems to explore in the area
16 Jan, 2021 11:00 PM
6 minutes to read
Try blueberrry picking at Blueberry Corner. Photo / Getty Images
Shauni James is the Rotorua Weekender reportershauni.james@nzme.co.nz@thedailypost
Whakatāne and the East Coast have an abundance of activities for visitors and locals to enjoy. Here are some gems in these areas you may not have been to yet or heard about through the grapevine. Summer is the perfect time to check them out.
1. Blueberry Corner
Those whose taste buds delight in the flavour of blueberry will be in heaven at Blueberry Corner.