The campaign to support Ngāti Haumia’s kaumātua, Karl Farrell, has raised over $15,000 in one week – but much more is still needed. We share a message of gratitude from the Farrell whānau.
Karl Farrell, kaumātua of Ngāti Haumia ki Paekākāriki, has been diagnosed with cancer and we are asking people to help give him the best chance for a longer and more comfortable life. Funds are urgently needed to meet the significant cost of several months of medication. This medication won’t be funded by the government until late 2024, but needs to start now. Each three-weekly dose costs $13,000.
You can go here to Givealittle to show your support.
Karl’s daughter, Levi Farrell, writes:
“He aha te mea nui o te ao?
He tangata he tangata he tangata.
ngā mihi maioha,
On behalf of our whānau, I would like to extend our deepest gratitude and heart-felt thank you to each and every one of you who has donated and shared our Pāpās give-a-little page. We have been extremely humbled by the amount of aroha, manaaki and tautoko we have received since finding out about dad.
We have reached enough to cover dad’s first round of medication. For once we shed tears of happiness. This medication is going to keep dad here with us for longer and if you know what our papa means to us, you would know how extremely grateful we are to get this. To allow us to learn more from him and create more beautiful memories as a whānau, especially for his moko and mokomoko and of course for our beautiful māmā to spend more time with her best friend and husband.
Kore ngā kupu, there are no words. Ka nui te aroha. Although we have already reached an astonishing amount, we still have a maunga teitei to climb- all we ask is you keep sharing to your peers/pages.
Karl’s grandmother, Miriona Mutu Mira Budge, once owned a large section of land next to Wainui Stream, stretching from ocean to railway. She wanted this land to be for her whānau, and an injustice in the way it was taken from her continues to this day. Karl continues to lead the fight to remedy this wrong. Many stand in support of this mahi and have asked how they can help. Other calls to action in relation to the land that was taken will come. Right now, with our wealth, we need to support the health of our beloved kaumātua .
Ko tenei te mihi mahana, kia koutou kotoa mai i to matou whanau, te whānau Farrell.”
Karl provides community service every week, most often voluntarily: speaking at tangi, functions, kura, and community events. Providing blessings, endless advice, knowledge and wisdom. He and his whānau are Ahi kā, and our community has benefitted so much from Karl and those who came before him. It’s time for us to pay it back. If you’re new to the village, please pay it forward.
Whare. L-R: Rosie Salas (KCDC). Holly Ewens (Paekākāriki Community Board), Karl Farrell (Ngāti Haumia Ki Paekākāriki) and Ryan Paranihi (Artist). Photo: Himiona Grace
We welcome your comments on why this matters to you, and ask that you forward this to others so we can all do our bit.
About us (Paekākāriki Informed Community Inc)
Provide reliable community information
Provide a platform for education for our youth
Be the people’s voice, representing and promoting the diversity of our community.
Use of funds
Payment for drug treatment to give Karl Farrell the best chance of a longer and more comfortable life. Any surplus funds will support Karl and his whānau through this time, as needed.
You can go here to Givealittle to show your support.
Video by Himiona Grace, Bradley Warden and Mark Amery