Tuia i runga, tuia i raro. Ka rongo te po. Ka rongo te ao. I te korero, i te wananga. Haumi e, hui e, taiki e. This week on the Hui ` a year ago, Eva Ngamotu embarked on a life-changing journey to Turkey. - I have to live in this body. And I wanna be comfortable. And I only have one life. - How did it turn out? - I was in a lot of pain. I was heavily medicated. - Plus, they're young, talented and political. We sit down with Tamaki-based slam poet group Rehe Korero as they celebrate Matariki with a new piece. - Now is the time to give yourself a break. - Give yourself grace and gratitude. - Looking after that inner child that's been in the background all year. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2024 - Nga Manu Whiti Tua kua wehe i roto i nga iwi, nga mate o te wa, haere mai, haere. Tatou kei te pito ora, tihewa mauri ora, and welcome back to The Hui. A year ago, Eva Ngamotu shared with The Hui her plans to spend $8000 on travelling to Turkey for weight-loss surgery. So how did it go for the mum of three? And could another, less invasive obesity solution be on the horizon here in Aotearoa? John Boynton caught up with Eva. - I still shock myself at the person I am today and how I live my life. I only dreamed to be like the person I am today. - At 35 years old, Eva Ngamotu was looking to make a drastic change. - I have to live in this body. And I wanna be comfortable. And I only have one life. - The Hui first met Eva just before she travelled to Turkey for weight-loss surgery. - It is gastric sleeve. It involves having three small incisions in your stomach. And it's a keyhole surgery, and they use a laparoscopic scope to remove 80% of your stomach. You're guaranteed to be losing a lot of weight. - A major surgery with major risks for the mum of three. - Of course I've thought about that, and it may seem like a selfish move. But I think I'm coming home. No, I know I'm coming home. I was incredibly emotional. I was crying. I was scared. I think I went through every feeling possible. - It's been a year since Eva had gastric sleeve surgery in Istanbul. And this is Eva now. What was it like when you woke up? - I was in a lot of pain. I was heavily medicated, so I felt really incoherent. Tired. A lot of pain. Yeah. Agony. - Any regrets at that point? - All the regrets. What have I done? Have I mutilated my body? Why am I here in Turkey, you know, removing 80% of my stomach? They've faded quite dramatically. - Eva was left with four scars from her gastric sleeve surgery, which works to suppress your appetite. Did you wake up not feeling hungry? - No. No hunger. - Oh. - Instantly. I was so used to just feeling hungry or having, like, constant thoughts of wanting to eat. And when that was, like, taken from me, I almost felt like I'd lost a limb. I was losing weight within the first week, even ` it was, like, 4kg to 7kg. I could physically see a change in my body. So, I was 121kg. I'm sitting at 68.5kg now. - That's a total weight loss of 52kg in a year, or almost half her body weight. - It's still a big shock that I look how I look now, only 12 months later. I used to look in that mirror and feel, like, really miserable. And now I just look at myself and I just can't believe what I'm seeing. I'm a size 10. - What size were you before? - I was a 20. - Eva also credits the surgery for her new dedication to diet and exercise. - I was told by a really good friend of mine that I need to start weight training and strength training, like, three months after my surgery. - So we're gonna go 100m run out the driveway, back up. Then we're gonna grab our dumbbell, and we're squatting with it here, and then driving up. - I couldn't even run 25m, not lying, when I first joined Movement Gym that I go to. My body was in so much pain the first, like, two weeks. - Now she's in the gym every day, running, lifting weights, putting her body through intense training. - It is a huge sense of accomplishment. I'm just trying. Like, every day, I'm trying to be a healthier version of myself. Whoo! - What have been some of the positive impacts on your health? - Quite a few. I don't have enlarged nodules on my thyroid any more. My menstrual cycle is bearable. I don't snore when I sleep. I used to get swelling in my legs really bad. Don't have any of that. And I'm not pre-diabetic any more. - After the surgery, have there been some side effects? - Having dumping syndrome, which is... I've woken up in the early hours of the morning and just purging, and it's, like, stomach lining. I lost a little bit of hair between month two and five. And that was a shock. It was coming out in clumps. What else? Maybe just reminding myself to eat, especially when my energy levels get a bit low. So keeping on top of that is super important. - Her biggest transformation is her relationship with food. - It used to be an outlet. When I was stressed, I would turn to food. Bored? Turn to food. Everything, I turned to food. - She's making healthier choices in the kai she eats. - I gotta look at the sleeve as a tool, and that's helped me to change my lifestyle. Or else, you know, two or three years down the track, I could find myself regaining weight, which I don't wanna do. I can only eat, like, smaller portion sizes. A lot of protein and a lot of more healthier options. - Is there any kai you can't eat now? - Bread is still pretty hard to digest. Potato. So, like, pasta, starchy foods. Only two things that I've come across that made my stomach upset was spicy food and almonds. From as far back as about 13, I think I remember, was when I started my eating disorder. It was like, I would punish myself for eating bread, so it wasn't a good relationship. I never thought of food as a good source of fuel. It was always, 'If you eat that, you're gonna get big.' - Eva's been open about her weight-loss journey, documenting it on social media. - When I first started the TikTok and shared my experience, I never thought it would get, like, the engagement it gets now. But to be able to convince, like, over 30 women to go and travel to Istanbul and change their lives and start a new chapter and become healthy is more rewarding to me than losing 50kg. - Do you think there's less shame around the surgery now? - I feel like every other day someone is getting the sleeve, considering the sleeve. I guess maybe, you know, 20 years ago it might have been a shameful choice to do. But society is evolving. - However, cost is a major barrier to having weight-loss surgery. The estimated price tag for a gastric sleeve in Aotearoa is more than $20,000. - Even if it was half the price, it might encourage more people to do it here on their own soil. If you could do it at home, surrounded by your whanau, and be closer to your own home, why would you not? I wish it was. - Over half of our people in hospital now are there with obesity, diabetes or related complications. - Dr Ryan Paul is a specialist in diabetes health care. - We've had far more hospital admissions, far more deaths from obesity and diabetes, yet we're not talking about it. - He supports public funding for weight-loss medications to tackle our obesity epidemic. - We haven't really discussed medications for obesity and diabetes, which will add years to people's lives. - In recent years, Ozempic has hit the headlines overseas. - Ozempic is a medication for diabetes. You may have heard people like Elon Musk and Oprah going on to these medications. As far as I'm aware, they don't have diabetes. They're using it for weight loss alone. It's not available in Aotearoa. It was registered, but we haven't had any come into Aotearoa yet. - Is it a good thing that a medication that was originally developed to help whanau with diabetes is now being used for weight loss? - I think the short answer is yes. Targeting appetite and reducing food intake is really important for weight loss alone. - There are legal weight-loss drugs available in Aotearoa, but they're not publicly funded. - There are tablets such as Duromine and Contrave. We've also got injections for weight loss, such as Saxenda. You're looking at approximately $480 a month. - I've done Duromine. - Oh, yeah. - Which is an amphetamine. I was real irritable, couldn't sleep properly. And my anxiety levels would be out the roof. I gained the weight back pretty quick. - Eva believes the influence of celebrities is part of the problem. - Social media and society play such a big part of how we think of ourselves. They have a big influence on our lives. I mean, everyone's different. Maybe some people have amazing results. Like, the Ozempics ` I know it's really hugely popular and it can work, but I don't know for how long. - I've heard and had patients myself who have gone overseas to get the medication or got whanau and friends overseas to send them the medication. I know that some people have been accessing mimics of Ozempic online. Probably at least guarantee 99% that that medication is not Ozempic. Potentially you may be causing yourself harm and not getting any benefit at all. - Is it just a fad? - I think it'll be here to stay. - But Eva is happy with the path she's taken. - I am just a better mum. I feel like I'm kinder to myself too. So I can't put a price on that. My mental health is so good. Yeah. So other than the appearance, it's just given me back so much of my life, and I'm out there enjoying it now. Yeah. - Ka nui te mihi, Eva. Tena koe. Taro kau iho ana e nga iwi, we go live to Turanganui-a-Kiwa, focusing on Te Karaka, and Robyn Rauna of Te Aitanga a Mahaki is next on The Hui. Ever wished you could live in Bluey's World for real life? Well, that's all of Queensland. So come play! It's Keepy Uppy! Whoo! You'll love all of Queensland. It's Bluey's World for real life! - Ko huri te aro inaianei ki te Tairawhiti i tenei wa. Many whanau are still dealing with the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle, after it hit 16 months ago. But recently whanau in Te Karaka were evacuated in the last few days. Displacement, dispossession continue for many whanau in places like Te Karaka, just outside of Turanganui-a-Kiwa Gisborne. Joining us now is Robyn Rauna from Te Aitanga a Mahaki. Robyn, tena koe. Thank you for your time. - Tena koe, Julian. - When the call goes out for possible evacuations, when lots of rain hits the takiwa, do you get the feeling, Robyn, and do whanau get the feeling of, 'Oh no, here we go again'? - Yes, they do. And in fact, even now we've got an orange warning right now. Yeah, of impending rain. - How do whanau deal with that? Is there a lot of trauma, given what happened last year with Cyclone Gabrielle? - Yes. I think, though, in lots of ways, the psychological first-aid training that was delivered in our own community and, you know, in Turanga and then further up the coast has been very helpful ` the psychological first-aid training delivered by Red Cross. So I think there's a greater openness about talking about the effects of... it's the sound of the rain and what it does for people's well-being and ongoing health. So I believe we've become stronger with it. But don't get me wrong. I think, as we're seeing, you know, events happen with a regularity that we've never seen before, yeah, I think there are definite impacts on people's health. Yep. - Robyn, how many whanau are still dealing with their homes that were adversely affected by Cyclone Gabrielle last year, and particularly with insurance claims? - So, I have 14 open insurance claims ` the claims that, you know, I was, supporting and advocating for alongside my colleague Dean Lester, who's an insurance expert in Christchurch. Yep, 14. - 14. And this is 16 months after Cyclone Gabrielle. Why is it taking so long, Robyn? - Well, I think ` and this morning I had a meeting, which was brought about... with the chief executive of the New Zealand Insurance Council, Kris Faafoi, alongside our mayor, Rehette Stoltz. So Dana Kirkpatrick, our local MP, through reaching out to her and alerting her to just the lack of progress and clear timeframes for our whanau ` you know, there are... insurance is something which, don't get me wrong, everyone does need insurance. And, you know, it's to provide, for you, you know, for whanau, you know, when they most need it, when they're at their most vulnerable. But what I've come to learn and understand is, you know, and there have been... I've received communication from upper-level management in the different insurance companies, and I think, genuinely, they think that there is something really positive happening. Right? And I've been meeting for eight weeks, weekly, with the biggest insurer of the country, IAG. But in all of that time, not one claim was settled. So, you know, I'm now... I feel responsible for alerting people like Kris Faafoi, like our mayor and others about the need for better progress to be made. And I believe that's because there is not a clear articulation of the process of insurance, the way` so that's actually clearly explaining. And then if you think about it, when people are dealing with the after-effects of a cyclone, and when they're at their most vulnerable, they're not insurance experts. And insurance is a highly complicated and complex matter. So when... And I believe strongly that our families in Te Karaka have been well served, because as I have seen, you know, full and final settlements and offers to settle were made without actually complying properly with the need to advise families of the need to obtain independent legal advice about those offers. - What I'm getting from you, Robyn, is an immense... is a sense of frustration, right? And this is you dealing with the claims, not whanau themselves, right? So it must be immensely frustrating for whanau as well. How much longer will this take, do you think, before these claims are settled and whanau are in a position to be able to deal with things going forward? - Well, my colleague that I work for reminds me he's still dealing with claims from the Christchurch earthquakes, which was 13 years ago. Right? I know of ` and I didn't have her claim ` but I do know of a person who lives in Te Karaka who had her... you know, she also experienced the Christchurch earthquakes. She only settled her claim in April of this year, from Christchurch. And her claim from Cyclone Gabrielle is unsettled. So I think there are questions that should be asked about why it is. I almost feel that because our iwi was so well served, having an insurance expert and fairly ` and I believe very fairly ` asked the questions that our families weren't, you know, as laypeople weren't able to ask. Now, I've learned enough. And, you know, with my understanding of how the law works, it's a basic... You know, it's as basic as understanding contract law, that when somebody goes through this process, they should be shown or explained in clear, plain language what... how things will work. Matamua ko te tangata. Matamua ko te tangata. Robyn, e mihi ana. - Yep. Tena koe i o mahi. Tena koe i enei korero. Whakaaro nui ana ki nga whanau o Te Karaka. E mihi ana ki a koe. - Kia ora. - Kia ora mai ra. Robyn Rauna there, from Te Aitanga a Mahaki. Coming up after the break ` the dynamic spoken word poets Rehe Korero and their Matariki celebration. - Nau mai ano. Reheko, Rehe Korero. when we started our 2024 season of The Hui, Rehe Korero went absolutely stratospheric for their spoken word presentation on Te Tiriti o Waitangi. So we asked them back. And they have just completed a new korero celebrating Matariki. And where better to speak to Rehe Korero about Matariki than at the Stardome in Tamaki Makaurau? Rehe Korero, tena koutou. - Kia ora. - Kia ora. - The last time we saw you, you did the Treaty korero. And that went completely viral. What's that like, doing something and having that huge reaction that people have to your mahi? - Well, honestly, we were really surprised. - Really? - Yeah, but we didn't want to get too in our heads about social media and the way people view us. So we would never really read the comments, unless it was just, like, support. But I think it was just more humbling to know that there's so many of us out there that think the same things that we do. - And, Koromiko, Matariki, obviously Maori New Year. Why do you think it's so important, through your mahi and the mahi of Rehe Korero, that we acknowledge and celebrate Matariki? - It's intertwined in our culture, you know, and I think growing up we always celebrated it. But ever since it sort of became an actual holiday in New Zealand, I think there's a bit more excitement around it every year and everyone's more... I don't know, everyday people and, like, Pakeha people are more into it. So I think it's really important to uphold this part of our culture, especially with Toitu te Tiriti going on, and bringing that sort of into the Western space as well. - What would your main message be to the nation, as they think about Matariki? - Well, I think there's a bit of a misconception with Matariki that it's, like, a big party, like the Western New Year's, like, to go get drunk and have a party, where I think Matariki is more so to rest and, like, look after your tinana and your whanau and just chill out. - So, Billy, aside from what Koromiko has already said, what are the main messages and the korero you have done for Matariki that you want people to hold on to and remember this year? - You know, at this time in the year, it's getting cold. People are getting sick. People are getting tired. Work's a lot for everybody. And so just to take this time ` it's the perfect time to get together with your friends and your whanau and just have a nice warm kai and just, you know, reminisce on the year that has passed, being grateful for all your blessings, remembering all of those who have passed and looking forward to the new year. - Why slam poetry as a medium to talk about Matariki? - You know, slam poetry, spoken word, it's so... Unlike Manu Korero ` no offence ` unlike Manu Korero and other venues, you can express yourself in any way you want to. You know? There's no filter` Oh, there's a filter. But it's like... (LAUGHTER) There's such a wide thing, and you just say whatever you wanna say. - No, because there's a line in it where you say, where you all say, 'And if you don't know, now you know.' Normally you use another word after that. (ALL LAUGH) That's from my era, by the way. So I can appreciate the '90s reference. But, 'If you don't know, now you know, player.' You can't get away with that in a Manu Korero. Or in a kapa haka, you know? - Yeah. - Yeah. So you can just add in small things like that. It's speeches but fun, you know? - Do you find it surprising that it's inclusive? I mean, even old people like me love this. Is that a surprise? - I don't think it's a surprise at all, cos I think spoken word poetry is so unique in that sort of intertwines and interweaves, like, speeches with sort of theatrical aspects, which is so entertaining. And that's why I think it translates so well, because it's an entertaining way of showing political topics or, like, really important kaupapa. - Yeah. - It is deeply political, eh, what you do? But I think` actually, the better word is it's an activation. - Yeah. - Right? It's activating communities through sometimes subtle, sometimes not-so-subtle messages. Na reira, Rehe Korero, reheko? - Reheko! (ALL LAUGH) - Tena koutou katoa. - Nga mihi. - Nga mihi. - Kia ora. - Kia ora. - ALL: Matariki ` nga mata o te ariki o Tawhirimatea. - The deity of wind and storm. - The only child against the separation of his parents. - He was a nightmare to his brothers... - ...a suck-up to his mother. - So when their parents finally split, cracking the darkness apart... - Tawhiri was left distraught. - He raged against the waters of his brother Tangaroa, rukakina te pukuriri. - Destroying the forest of Tane Mahuta. - He ripped out his own eyes... - crushed them into a thousand stars and cast them into the night sky... - creating Matariki, the tamariki who twinkle and shine. A cluster of nine stars. - Now every generation... takes this time to stare back up at Tawhiri in the hopes of seeing them sparkle. The holders of knowledge for the upcoming year... - to give back to us... - back to Papatuanuku. - They were birthed from chaos and destruction in our world, made anew. Nowadays we spend Matariki reminiscing and rejuvenating our tinana. - Letting go of all of our personal little Tawhiris that sit at the back of our head. - With that hangi steaming and that boil-up brewing. - Yum! - The crisp morning air bites into our kiri, picking off the last few years into the Tau Hou. - We plant kakano for the thinning darkness to the rising of Tamanuitera. - A hope for tomorrow and a karakia for the year... - that Tawhiri's pukana up in the sky... - will lax it! - Waiti and Waita lead tane, hine and everything in between across valleys of oceans, controlling our waters. - We see Hiwa-i-te-Rangi in the pit of our stomachs... - wishing and waiting for the hangi to be ready. - Tupuanuku and Tupuarangi ploughing the whenua for our pukus to be filled with aroha and connection. - ALL: Cos in this whare, all the time is kai time! - Late nights into early mornings. - Kai cookers steaming at the crack of dawn. - Smoke fills the skies as we huddle around the top of the maunga facing to what will be the horizon. - The stars peer back at us. - The Southern Cross guides our eyes... - while the cuzzies try and hide the smoke from their ciggies amongst morning mist. - ALL: We see Matariki rise. We are reborn twice a year. - The paradox between Westernised views and Maori ideology. - Celebrating the new year beneath skyscrapers built on buried pasts. - With leftover RTDs and bad club music. - Fireworks imitating the eyes of Tawhirimatea. - Kuia gaze up at Pohutukawa awaiting the time she is called back to the side of her partner lost to the waves of time. - Hearing Pohutukawa in dreams. - Familiar voices guiding us back to Hawaiki. - We hold hands in unity and poroporoaki our mate. - Loved ones passed on, newborns passed down. - Waipunarangi pours water into Papa's korowai, reminds us of how lucky we are to lure flowers in with tears. - Ururangi forecasts the new year to come, howling winds from the depths of Te Ikaroa.... - echoing between two universes in one world. - And finally, Matariki... - the titular star herself... - who rules over our hauora. - A sign of good fortune and well-being, we see her shine in the faces of whanau... - brighter than the fireworks show underneath the Sky Tower. - Matariki is interwoven with our ahurea. - ALL: He mihi tenei ki nga whetu e iwa. - As you welcome in the new year, - the year that starts in June, not January. - So if you don't know... - now you know... - player! - ...that you should have a kai with your whanau... - give your tinana a break... - rest, reminisce and rejuvenate... - Hard out! - Now is the time to sleep in. - I'm not gonna rise and grind unless it's to have a feed. - Now is the time to be kind to yourself. - Now is the time to give yourself a break. - Give yourself grace and gratitude. - Looking after that inner child that's been in the background all year. - ALL: Matariki is a time to prepare for the year ahead and reminisce on the time that has passed. - So, e te whanau... - ALL: Hari Tau Hou! Manawatia maiea te putanga o Matariki! - Mean, eh? That's us for our Hui this week. He Hui ano hei te wiki e tu mai nei e te iwi. Kia mau ki te turanga o Taputapuatea. Haumi e, hui e, taiki e. Captions by Courtney Sole and James Brown. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2024