E riri ana te poutokomanawa o te hapori i Te Matau a Māui ki ngā mahi a te kaitaraiwa e whakamate ana i tētahi kōtiro e 11 tau tōna pakeke.
Kua kī katoa a Henare O’Keefe i te pōuri me te riri i te matenga o tētahi kōtiro i a ia e eke paihikara i runga i te ara hīkoi i te rori o Chatham, i tērā wiki.
Hai tā O’Keefe, ko te mamae e rangona ana e te whānau i tēnei wā, he pōuri e rangona ana e te hapori whānui.
“I spent time with Mum the day after and oh her hurt. What can you say? What can you do?”
I te Tāite, i eke paihikara ai te kōtiro nei i te hapori o Pāharakeke, ā, i riro atu rā ia i te wā o te tukinga waka.
E whakapono ana a O’Keefe, ko te take o te tukinga waka nei, ko te haurangi me te hautū waka.
He mea kua roa e whakamomori ana kia parea ki rahakī e O’Keefe.
“I’ve been fighting the impact of alcohol in our beloved village and elsewhere for many, many years, but not with a great deal of success.”
I roto i ngā tau, inā rā te huhua o ngā aupikinga me ngā auhekenga e pā atu ana ki te hapori o Pāharakeke, ā, ko ēnei matenga ohorere, ehara i te āhuatanga hou ki ngā kainoho.
I ngā tau tekau kua hori, e toru ngā tamariki i whakamate nā tētahi waka te take.
Heoi anō hai tā O’Keefe he whānau aroha tēnei ki a rātau anō.
“This is a staunch Flaxmere family, low-profile and they just get on with the mahi every day, send their kids to school, make sure they’ve got a full puku, clothes on their back, and this happened.”
Kai te marae o Te Aranga te kōtiro nei e tīraha ana, ā, e hau atu tonu ana te hapori kia whakamānawa te kōtiro nei i riro wawe atu.
E āki ana a O’Keefe kia kaua e riro mā te mokemoke te whānau pani nei e mihi, engari kia korowaitia kētia ki te aroha.
“When all the karakia is finished, all the waiata is finished people go home, you’re all on your own. I would suggest to everybody, don’t let loneliness visit that family too often.”
“But I can assure you, Flaxmere will be there.”
E kō, kia rere atu rā koe ki te wāhi e tau ai ngā tīpuna, kia ora tonu rā tō wairua ā haere nei te wā.
