Rangitāne o Manawatū express condolences, ask for rāhui respect after Manawatū River drownings
Friday, 7 January 2022
The iwi with mana whenua over the area where four people drowned within a week in the Manawatū River is asking people to exercise caution and respect the rāhui in place.
Four people have drowned while swimming at Ahimate Beach, a section of the Manawatū River in Palmerston North, in two recent incidents.
Blae Ler Paw, 11, and Mu Mu, 27, drowned on December 27, while two men, in their 30s and 40s, drowned on Sunday.
Signs discouraging people from swimming have been erected near Ahimate.
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Senior members of Rangitāne of Manawatū, the Palmerston North-based iwi whose rohe includes Ahimate, gave Stuff a statement on behalf of the iwi.
“In the spirit of partnership that Rangitāne o Manawatū shares with the Palmerston North City Council, we wish first of all to offer our sincere condolences to those that are grieving for lost loved ones, taken in an untimely manner in the recent drownings in the Manawatū River,” they said.
They wished to acknowledge the good work by police and wonderful support from the community, as well as the love and sympathy poured out to the bereaved families.
They also endorsed messages posted on social media by Ngāti Hineaute explaining aspects of the rāhui, the history of Ahimate, how to stay safe in the area and work done to make the Manawatū River safer.
“Rangitāne have been quietly managing this sensitive situation in collaboration with the [city council], the police, the various faith traditions and other community groups, in accordance with Rangitāne tikanga.”
The process included Manu Kawana, a respected kaumātua, or elder, of Rangitāne, placing a rāhui on the river and its surrounds.
A rāhui was part of a purification process, as well as a protection and respect for the feelings of the bereaved.
“[A rāhui is] a process of respecting the sanctity of those who have passed, to enable a time of mourning and purification for them, the public, the river and the surrounding environment, and to raise awareness of possible dangers hitherto unknown.”
The rāhui will be lifted in a week or two.
“We continue to have faith that in this enlightened age, people will respect the rāhui currently in place – or any future rāhui if and when it is necessary.
“Whatever the ill-informed speculation by those who are ignorant might have about the location, we, Rangitāne o Manawatū, know best our history and the processes of maintaining wellbeing for our community.”
Any river during times of flush after rainfall posed risks for those who ventured in.
The course of the river could change, new scouring of the base occurs, and new and unseen holes and currents form.
Heavy material like rocks and logs, “often unseen from the rippling surface of the water”, could also create new dangers where none previously existed, the iwi said.
“Caution needs to be exercised at all times on and near water.
“Kia tau i te Rangimārie – may the peace of heaven rest upon us all.”