The theme for this year’s Te Maeva Nui Festival is “Te au Tauranga Rongonui o taku enua/matakeinanga – The important ports of my island/tribe.”

I te mataiti 2024 ka akama’ara tatou I te rima ngauru mataiti o te Tauranga Manu Reva o Rarotonga.  Ka akara to tatou tumu tapura I teia ngai rongonui, pera te au Tauranga rongonui I roto I to tatou Ipukarea.  Te au Tupuna, to ratou vaka tangata e te au ava tei uru mai na runga kia tae mai ki runga I te au enua tatakitai, mei te ava I Taunganui I Ngaputoru, Te Avarua I Mangaia, Aitutaki e Rarotonga.  E au anga’anga rongonui teia I roto I to tatou tua tapapa pera te au Tupuna mei a Uke, Mariri e Tangiia te riro ei Rangatira teretere moana, e kua akatere mai i to ratou au vaka ki to tatou pa moana.

Me akara tatou ki teia tuatau ka kite tatou I te au Tauranga ou e te au pairere tei tupau i te vaka teretere moana e te au tau ava.  Kua akatu’ia te Tauranga Manu Reva o Rarotonga pera te au Tauranga Manu Reva o te pa enua kia riro ei tauturu ia tatou ki tae ki tera ngai e tera ngai, kia rauka mai te moni e tetai au puapinga takake.  Kua apai katoa mai teia au Tauranga i te au taii’anga.  Kua akatuera te Tauranga Manu Reva I to tatou kena basileia ki te au turoto, te nekeneke’anga o te tangata ki te au enua mamao no te anga’anga moni pera te tomo’anga mai tetai taeake inangaro kore ia koia te Koviti-19.

Noatu teia au ta’ii ko to tatou au Tauranga tuketuke, e au ngai puapinga te reira I roto I to tatou Ipukarea e te au tua tapapa ta ratou I anga, te au moemoea e te au takingakino’anga e tai aere’anga mai.

In recognition of the 50 years of the Rarotonga International Airport, the 2024 theme looks at all other important ports or landing throughout the history of the Cook Islands. The different navigators in the past and the passage which they sailed through in order to reach the new lands, such as Taunganui in Ngaputoru, Te Avarua in Mangaia, Aitutaki and Rarotonga. These mark an important event in our history and recognises the great navigators such as Uke, Mariri and Tangiia to name a few great tupuna. 

Fast forward to this century we see the emergence of the new port and travel by air instead of sea. The establishment of the Rarotonga International Airport, the airport in the Pa Enua brings financial resources and benefits as well as challenges.

The international airport opened our borders to tourism, migration for young people to work in factories since 1974 and recently an unwelcome guest, the Covid-19. 

Despite all this, our ports have been an important landmark in our sea of islands, they have created history, dreams and loss all at the same time.

Te Au Tapura Iti

1. Te topa’anga ingoa o te au Tau Ava – akapeea I rauka mai ai?
2. Te au kena akairo / kena kaveinga – Te miro (Atiu) Te miromiro (Avana) Te toka I runga I te akau i Kaena ei kaveinga no te au pairere
3. Te au puapinga I rauka mai / kokoti’anga no roto mai I teia au Tauranga
4. Te akono’anga e te au taui’anga – kiriti maro tai, turou’anga manuiri