For the many at home who keep the fires burning, who keep the economy going, and who maintain the family homes and land – clean, trimmed, and functioning – I just want to say meitaki maata, meitaki ranuinui, atupaka, korereka, ngao, and atawai wolo, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.

Without you, who stay and work despite the many frustrations and joys, we would not have the home that so many often return to, and for those like myself, a home we look to return to for good – when that door finally opens again.

A’i ka – it is the cultural concept for us as Māori, and for many other peoples, of those dedicated few who keep the home fires burning. Who stay where the fire is, at the place we call home. They stoke that fire, chopping and collecting wood, making sure there is always enough, while the rest of the family is away. And for those away from the home fires, knowing that when they return, not only will that fire guide them home again, but it will also provide the much-needed warmth for when they arrive.

I had a call from a sister this week, frustrated at yet another family heading to Perth, following a recruiter in Rarotonga and Aitutaki seeking workers for the freezing works here in Aotearoa. This is not a depopulation discussion, as it’s clear that our people go where the work is and have done so since the 1940s. My cousin is here in Aotearoa at the moment, and his mum, our Aunty Ngavaine Maropai, left with Mama Tata (Crooks), and they were among the first of the housemaids and women working in the Waikato in the 1940s and 1950s.

Now, as three generations have left, with two born in New Zealand who identify among the 100,000 Cook Islanders residing here, and close to 40,000 living in Australia and abroad, there is a collective respect and regard for those who keep the fires burning at home.

I am making my third trip home this year and plan for at least four more as I begin a new journey at work. I have always returned home during transitions, but our Vaka is clearly pointed home nonetheless, and we can feel the wind filling our sails as we navigate the possibilities and capacity building with our hearts and eyes firmly set on not just the beautiful silhouette of home, but also its many challenges – like the proposed costs of water, or simply water shortages; like the cost of power, which for my parents is close to $400 a month; and, of course, the potential of mineral harvesting beneath the ocean.

I believe water should be free to the householder, though there are other ways to recover that cost. While God gives it freely, it doesn’t magically appear from the tap – someone has to pay for that infrastructure. There are several ways this could be addressed. The fact that local Members of Parliament are ready to take their constituents’ voices to Parliament and support the petition is a sign of a healthy democracy. God knows our democracy needs some help at the moment. Petitions cannot be continually ignored, and governments that disregard the voice of their people do not deserve to remain in power, as they were elected as the voices of their villages and Punas first, and not as agents of a political party or agenda alone.

Regarding the poll on seabed mineral harvesting, while I agree some work was needed on the questions, nonetheless it will be an interesting read. It provides another voice to the community that government consultations maybe didn’t always capture.

And justice? Well, let’s just say, someone made a ham of it – or was that eggs benedict? But we should have one justice for all, not a maroro justice for some and Beluga whale justice for others.

So again, thank you, to the many that keep the home fires burning, and economy at home keeps turning. We simply couldn’t do it without your dedication at home and service. And our thoughts are with the Upu – Pere family as they make their way with my wife to Brisbane for the passing of their sister and Aunty Moeroa Amana Upu.