Residents joined Ryman Healthcare team members, the extended Corban family, west Auckland iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki and notable guests such as singer Annie Crummer and the Honourable Phil Twyford MP at a star-studded Grand Opening event.
Tyler Taua-Gordon, assisted by his grandfather George Taua, led the iwi in a stirring karakia to open proceedings, which included an explanation of the significance of the stunning pounamu mauri stone that had earlier been put on display in the village.
“The green stone captures everybody’s essence, the residents, in the history of the whare, the house and of the land," said Tyler.
“Essentially you’re passing your mauri to the stone and over time all the residents from now until forever will see their essence held in the mauri stone.”
Cheyne Chalmers, Ryman Healthcare’s CEO for New Zealand, told the audience what an honour it was for Ryman’s Henderson village to be associated with Miriam Corban.
“The Corban family is known for their incredible winemaking legacy, which has become synonymous with west Auckland ever since Assid Abraham Corban arrived in New Zealand from Lebanon in 1892 and settled in Henderson in 1902.
“When we announced we were building a village in Henderson and invited the community to suggest ideas for a name, the Corban name was a very popular suggestion.”
Cheyne said the ‘plot twist’ was that while many expected long-time councillor and Mayor Assid Corban to be the naming choice, the family suggested his wife Miriam due to it being ‘Mum who did all the work!’
“The more we got to know about Miriam Corban, the more everything pointed to this great woman being the perfect choice for our Henderson village,” Cheyne said.
“She did everything she could to support Assid as he served the community in west Auckland and on top of that she found the time to become a passionate advocate and active campaigner for new mothers and their babies, which helped to put in place measures such as welcoming partners to the birth and keeping the baby with the mother in her room, all things we take for granted today.
“Miriam’s role in improving maternal and ante-natal health cannot be underestimated and has helped to transform the childbirth experience into something unrecognisable from what it was at that time.
“We are thrilled to recognise her achievements and bring attention to her remarkable legacy and we are confident the Miriam Corban Retirement Village will soon become a Henderson landmark.”
Miriam Corban's daughter Sharon Alexander joins Cheyne Chalmers and Eileen Taua of west Auckland iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki in touching the pounamu mauri stone (above) and (below) Ryman's Executive Chair Dean Hamilton, right, with Corban family members, from left Miriam Corban's daughter Sharon, Miriam's niece and nephew Sandra Khouri and Ray Khouri with his wife Debbie and Miriam's son Alec.
Miriam’s daughter Sharon Alexander, who helped Cheyne to unveil a special plaque (top pic), said it was a proud feeling for the family every time they passed the village on Lincoln Road.
“For our family, our mother was our taonga. In 2020, we were delighted and happy to give Ryman a part of our treasure – Miriam’s name for this village.
“We felt that, as a member of a great pioneering family of the west, the choice of the name of Miriam Corban for this village would indeed be fitting.
“Especially resonant to us is the Ryman ethos ‘everything we do must be good enough for Mum and Dad’.
“The naming of the Ryman village is good enough for Mum, and a wonderful way to honour her for her lifelong service to the community in which she lived.”
The evening continued with a moment which brought smiles to the audience – the screening of two dance videos performed by residents who had been practising their moves for months beforehand.
Residents, Ryman team members and special guests loved the entertainment which included a video of the village dance group performing two numbers, and also Kiwi singing star Annie Crummer.
Cheyne said the videos of the Dancing Queens and the Magnificent Seven plus One highlighted the wonderful connections that had been made amongst residents and showed what a fun and vibrant place to live the village had become.
Cheyne proceeded to thank a long list of Ryman team members and collaborators who had worked together to develop, design, build and then operate the Lincoln Road village.
More than 1.4 million hours of work were involved to lay 474,000 bricks and plant almost 20,000 trees and shrubs.
“It is an enormous amount of work and commitment, and all while navigating the stress and uncertainty of COVID-19 lockdowns as well.
Singer Annie Crummer got everyone up and dancing as she performed a few of her hit songs.
“It is truly humbling for me to represent so many people at this event, so many people who have put their hearts and souls into this place already. It really is a tribute to them and I thank everybody for their contribution,” Cheyne said.
Project Manager Joe Won, Village Manager Michelle Barnard and Sales Advisors Craig Atkinson and Rochelle Apps were singled out for special mentions before being presented with gifts.
Singer Annie Crummer, who has a long association with west Auckland, sang three of her hits, For Today, See What Love Can Do and Melting Pot, which made it big when Annie performed with New Zealand supergroup When The Cat’s Away in the 1980s.