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Support for Kezia & Israel Whakamoe

  • WE MADE IT TOGETHER

      16 March 2023
    Posted by: Kezia Whakamoe

    Izzy and I wish to express our deepest gratitude to all of you for contributing to the next stages of our lives. I am moved beyond words by the compassion, kindness and strength I have witnessed rising in the wake of this displacement. Many thousands of us have been effected in multiple ways and I want to acknowledge that we US are all going through this together - though it may feel alone some days.

    Our scars are the strong parts of our skin, emergency can become emergence no matter how deep the wound. These times are food for transformation because our human spirits rise stronger together when we are broken together. I am just so grateful to every single one of you xxx TUTIRA MAI NGĀ IWI xxx

    He paku te kōrero, he nui te aroha.

    On that note, ānei he mihi tino manaakitanga kia koe e te tungane Iraia, this page wouldn't have happened without you. You have been there and prioritised our safety even amongst difficulties for yourself, I love you so much and am proud beyond words to be your sister xxx Forever grateful xxx

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  • Arohanui ki a koutou

      12 March 2023

    Tēnā koutou e te whānau x

    Iraia here x

    Please accept my deepest gratitude and thanks for all of your support and awhi for my sis and nephew.

    Its humbling to feel this love and to have reached the “goal” , I am extremely grateful to you all.

    With my most sincere regards,

    Ngā mini nunui ki a toutou e hoa mā!

    Tēnā koutou x

    iraia

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  • First night with power, internet and running water

      6 March 2023

    Kia ora koutou!

    Tonight marks three weeks since the cyclone began its destruction. Many many times over the last few weeks I have wanted to update you all on our progress and set backs but have had very limited coverage.

    Last night was the first night that Kore and I slept in our little caravan at our cousins in Hastings and it was stressful. Taking a wild cat off the land she knows is a hard decision but she chose me as her human so… had to do it.

    We have left Waiohiki.

    My son Israel has gone to stay with his gf Hazel and is doing well. He’s looking forward to E I T finally opening and getting on with his studies.

    He will be able to upgrade his technologies and work with better equipment thanks to all of your donations.

    I will be able to set up a studio again and hopefully get a van so I can move around the motu and bring some creative wānanga to your area!

    Kore actually saved us on the morning of the flood. She woke us up at 5.45 while the water was only about a foot high all around us. It was rising fast though, so we are super grateful to her for being the best kaitiaki ever.

    There is so much to say about this happening in all of our lives. What I mainly want to say to all of you is

    THANK YOU SO MICH FOR GIVING US HOPE THAT WE COULD PAY FOR NECESSARY ITEMS TO GET IS THROUGH. We had no insurance. We had the community that you are all part of and I will always be moved to tears by the generosity and kindness of humans over this time.

    I will continue to update the gallery with photos of our little KOREVAN ❤️‍🔥

    Ngā manaakitanga xxxx

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  • GRATEFUL

      23 February 2023
    Main image

    This image is from Waiohiki art village yesterday, having a break to eat the 40 pizzas generously donated by the Hastings Sikh temple. So grateful for every action, kind thought and dollar gifted to us.

    I see every single one of you and your koha to us and I really want to reply individually to each of you! And I will in the coming weeks.

    We are still on rain water and generators making it difficult to access coverage etc but I want you to know we greatly appreciate every one of you.

    There are no words for this level of awhi.

    This is how tangata whenua roll naturally and I am so warmed to know that Aotearoa has this capacity for manaakitanga across the board.

    Yesterday, over 30 people showed up to gut our whare, shed and studio to put 95% of our belongings out onto the road. Theres no way I could be doing any of this alone. My body and heart would have given up by now.

    He aha te mea nui o te wao? Ko te tangata, ko te aroha, ko te tangata

    NGĀ MIHI NUNUNUNUUUUIII XXXX

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  • GRATEFUL 😭

      19 February 2023
    Posted by: Kezia Whakamoe
    Main image

    Izzy and I are SO GRATEFUL for every single koha you have given, this is making a massive difference in our mental and emotional health just to know that we can start again, we are blown away by the generosity of people. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH ❤️‍🔥🙏🏾⚡️🌎🌈

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  • Ngā mihi nunui ki a koutou!!

      19 February 2023

    Tēnā tātou i te ata nei,

    Iraia here, just jumping on to say a heartfelt thank you for all koha both financially and spiritually x it really means the world e te whānau!! xx

    As she does, Kezia is seeing the light and feeling the love and so grateful for you all and her immediate community who together are all moving through this.

    Ngā mihi nunui ki a koutou x

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