Rapaki Wahine Whakamaumahara: Memories of the Rapaki Branch Maori Women’s Welfare League as Told to Dr. Libby (Elizabeth) Plumridge

For women living in the then isolated rural settlement of Rapaki, on Banks Peninsula, in the middle of the 20th century, the Maori Women’s Welfare League was a godsend. League meetings provided an opportunity for women to meet other women - Maori and Pakeha - within their own community and further afield and develop skills that assisted their whanau and community. Over the years it became clear that there was a need to capture the memories of the early days of the Rapaki Maori Women’s League before they were lost forever as foundation members passed on. There were and are anecdotes aplenty about the early days, but as membership of the branch changes, fewer and fewer people can speak with authority about how the league evolved. In these fascinating and heart-warming conversation, women from different generations share what the league has meant to them. This booklet is a taonga, ensuring that a precious piece of our history can never be lost.