The community has been saddened by the recent passing of
iconic local, kuia Marleina Te Kanawa (nee Rickard), whose tangi will be
held at Poihakena Marae, 216 Wainui Road, Raglan on Friday 19th
January.
The
tangi will start from 11am with traffic management in place outside of
Poihakena Marae between approximately 12pm - 2pm to allow for the
funeral procession. Approximately 800 people are expected to attend the
tangi.
Soundsplash had been hoping for less traffic congestion this year after they put on buses direct from Auckland and Hamilton to the festival site but the timing of the tangi just as festival goers are arriving in Raglan is expected to cause considerable traffic congestion.
Soundsplash festival organiser Brian Ruawai said:
“I
would like to firstly acknowledge Marleina Te Kanawa and her
contribution to our local community. On behalf of the whole Soundsplash
team, I want to extend our heartfelt condolences to the whānau.”
“We
know that this sad and unexpected event will potentially cause delays
for some Soundsplash attendees. As an organisation, Soundsplash is
firmly committed to our local community, our local iwi as well as to
supporting kaupapa Māori. We are working closely with the iwi and the
whānau to honour the tangihanga process and we request in advance some
patience and grace from Soundsplash attendees who are adversely affected
by the additional traffic management being put in place for the tangi.”
Message from the whānau:
“He aitūa!
“Tērā
te uira ki runga o Karioi, o Hikurangi, o Rangitoto-ki-te-tonga. He
hiko i te rangi, he roimata i te whenua. He tohu aituā kua riro te pou o
te whānau, arã ko MARLEINA R (Hinekahukura AKA Naani) TE KANAWA nee
RICKARD. Funeral service for Marleina is Friday the 19th at 11am
“Marleina's
whānau would like to acknowledge that this is the start of the annual
Soundsplash festival and are grateful for understanding of all involved.
“We
acknowledge that there will be a slight delay to attendees of
Soundsplash due to the Rickard whānau funeral procession leaving
Poihakena Marae at 12.15pm to head to Te Whaanga/Whale Bay.”
Please
keep an eye on Soundsplash social media for any updates and delays over the
weekend and we recommend planning your travel earlier if you need to
cross the one-way bridge, to accommodate potential delays. We apologise
for any inconvenience this may cause and are grateful for everyone's
patience and understanding.