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TE TOA TAKITINI
Registered at the GPO as a Newspaper.
Number 64, Hastings, 1st December, 1926.
THE TE ARAWA AND TUWHARETOA BOARDS.
Te Toa Takitini congratulates these hapu of ours named above on the enlightened management of the funds the Government has agreed to give these Boards each year. Were it managed foolishly by today’s generation it would be like the money received from the sale of land which was used up in a single landslide. This means that these springs will not be dried up but will be a blessing to this generation, to the growing generation and to generations to come. We do not know what the situation of the Maori People will be in the future. Perhaps our Pakeha friends will still be treating us with benevolence, but perhaps we will be treated like the black people of America or of South Africa. Therefore, it is right that we look ahead. The ways the Boards manage will determine whether their descendants will thrive. They have the ladder by which their descendants can attain the schools and colleges and technical skills and the knowledge of farm practices and other Pakeha learning.
People of the country, take thought for our descendants, show love to those who will bear your names after you, our children, our grandchildren. Te Arawa and Tuwharetoa are fortunate to have their lakes when their lands are not very profitable. Some of our hapu don’t have lakes but have very fertile lands. What would be wrong with setting aside some of the land marked for sale and leaving it in trust for your descendants? It would be very advantageous for all Maori if Trust Boards could be set up for each hapu.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Published by Rev F A Bennett and printed by the Herald Office, Tennyson Street, Napier, HB.
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TE TOA TAKITINI,
Registered at the GPO as a newspaper.
The price of the paper is 10/- a year.
Address letters to ‘Te Toa Takitini,’ Box 300, Hastings.
Te Toa Takitini, 1st December, 1926,
MERRY CHRISTMAS
We are drawing near to the birthday of our Lord when the heavenly choirs were heard singing their hymn, ‘Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth; goodwill towards all men.’ [Luke 2.14] It is appropriate that Maori celebrate this day because it was on Christmas Day 1814 that our ancestors first heard the Gospel of Christ. Samuel Marsden was the first to proclaim that Gospel in New Zealand and his text was, ‘Fear not; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.’ [Luke 2.10 AV]
For the past 112 years we have basked in the warmth of our faith. How are your Maori People adhering to the faith at this time? No-one would be so bold as to say that we are doing very well at keeping our faith. It is true that we still hold on to the treasure bequeathed to us by those who have departed but our hold is a very weak one. We are not cultivating the vineyard out of a deep concern. We don’t have the ‘great joy’ proclaimed by Marsden to our ancestors. Let us enthrone the child born on this day in our hearts and then we will know the fullness of the joy of our faith. The fault is not with the faith but with us. The temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil are very strong, and our ears are deaf to listening to godly exhortations. Therefore, people, at this time let us renew our faith. Do not let the birthday of Christ our Lord be just a day of satisfying the appetites of the flesh, forgetting our spiritual side. The precious thing on this day for those of us who cling to the faith is to gather together at the holy table of God to take the Lord’s Supper. That is the service of praise for the blessings the Creator has poured upon the Maori People. Look at the sorrowful people of the world, the oppressed black people, and other peoples who are enslaved, while we, the Maori People, although we are a small people amongst the nations of the world, we still retain our nobility and all roads are open to us, the path is clear before us. If we do not ascend to the shining peaks
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in the days before us, it will not be because we have been down-trodden or the way has been blocked but because of our own weakness.
This is a day when we show kindness to our children. It is an ancient practice to give gifts to the children on this day. It is an appropriate day for us parents to show our affection for our growing children. Let the advice and teaching we give them be good and clear. Speak to them words that will enhance their thinking so that they will exceed the goodness of us parents. We parents grew up in darkness but for the children the light shines brightly. Spread widely amongst them good ways of regarding their bodies and their souls.
Remember that it is the children who are growing up now who will preserve the honour of the Maori in the future, or bring upon them shame. Therefore, let us make every effort to clear the overgrown places so that the pathway to good, to life, to honour, both physical and spiritual, will be open to them.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO THE CHILDREN OF THE MAORI PEOPLE AND YOUR PARENTS.
THE VISIT OF THE DUKE OF YORK AND HIS WIFE.
The King has confirmed with the Governor-General the dates for his son’s visit to New Zealand. He will arrived at Auckland on the battleship ‘Renown’ on Tuesday, 22nd February. After some days in Auckland he will go to the Bay of Islands area. His main activity there will be fishing for the large fish there which are famous throughout the world for the size of the sharks and gummy sharks and other deep sea fish.
February 20th – They return to Auckland and go on to Rotorua. That night they are welcomed by the Maori.
Sunday 27th – A rest day in Rotorua.
Monday 28th – Welcome by the Maori tribes in the morning. (There will not be the
the large number present who were present when his elder brother visited.) In the afternoon he will go to Taupo to his camp at Tokaanu where he will fish for trout.
March 1st – At Tokaanu,
2nd – At Tokaanu in the morning. In the afternoon they go to Waimarino where his train will be waiting. The train will take them overnight to New Plymouth where they arrive at noon.
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3rd – New Plymouth in the morning. Then to Stratford, Hawera, Whanganui, and Palmerston where they will spend the night.
4th – The train will take them to Woodville, Dannevirke, Hastings and Napier where they will sleep on the train.
5th – From Napier they go to the Wairarapa to Masterton and on to Wellington where they arrive at 5 o’clock, They will stay at Government House,
6th – Church services in Wellington.
7th – Wellington hospitality.
8th – In Wellington during the day. Sleep on board their battleship.
9th - Arrive in Picton in the morning, to Blenheim for dinner, and by car to Nelson.
10th – Travel from Nelson through the Buller Gorge to Westport and Inangahua and by train to Greymouth. Sleep there.
11th – To Hokitika, Otira and Christchurch.
12th – Welcomed by the people of Christchurch.
13th – Sunday church services in Christchurch.
14th – Monday. In Christchurch.
15th – Travel from Christchurch to Ashburton and Timaru. Dinner in Oamaru. Sleep in Dunedin.
16th – Welcomed by the people of Dunedin.
17th – In Dunedin.
18th – By car from Dunedin to Cromwell to lakes Hawea and Wanaka. Sleep at Pembroke.
19th – Travel to Queenstown and travel on the steamer on Lake Wakatipu.
20th – Sunday. At Queenstown.
21st – Sail by steamer to Kingston and travel by train to Lumsden, Gore and Invercargill.
22nd – Travel by train to Bluff and by steamer to the battleship which will be anchored in the vicinity of Stewart Island. From there they leave New Zealand and head for Australia.
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A PRAYER.
Almighty God,
you have given us your only-begotten Son
to take our nature upon him
and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin;
grant that we, who have been born again
and made your children by adoption and grace,
may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
ORDINATION SERVICE.
On Sunday 12th December, a service will be held in Napier at which six men will be ordained for ministry, three Pakeha, three Maori. The Maori are Wi Pere Mataira of Nuhaka who will be ordained priest, and K Anaru of Tangoio who will be made a deacon along with Ra Rangiaho of Ruatoki. This will be an important day for Napier and the Bishop has invited some of the confirmed Maori to attend the service to welcome the Maori involved.
The day arranged is 12th December, but subsequently it has become known that on that day the new Bishop of Waikato is to b consecrated. It may be that the Napier event will have to be postponed until 19th December. Families should direct their enquiries to the Diocesan Office. The Bishop is travelling around the Tai-rawhiti and therefore the date cannot be confirmed at this time.
The Church must remember to pray for these men and their Pakeha friends. You know the prayer for Ember Days.
Almighty God, the giver of all good gifts, who of thy divine providence hast appointed divers Orders in thy Church: Give thy grace, we humbly beseech thee, to all those who are to be called to any office and administration in the same; and so replenish them with the truth of thy doctrine, and endue them with innocency of life, that they may faithfully serve before thee, to the glory of thy great name, and the benefit of thy holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [BCP]
A NURSE FOR TAMATEA COUNCIL.
The Government Nurse has been settled in Hastings and is doing excellent work and visiting the sick. She first visited some of those suffering from typhoid fever. Money has been collected by Pakeha and Maori to purchase a car for the Nurse to make it easier for her to visit all parts of her district. The money has reached £140 and the total will be known when the shearers’ list comes in.
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A NURSE FOR MOHAKA
When the Synod was held in Mohaka the gathering asked for a Nurse for Mohaka and the surrounding area for they are so far from doctors and hospitals.
The response to that request was as follows: The Te Wairoa Board has arranged for two new nurses, one for Nuhaka and one for Te Wairoa, but the Te Wairoa Nurse is to visit Mohaka each week. This Nurse will work mainly amongst Maori. As I write, Dr Mercer of the Department of Health has arrived at Te Wairoa and he has said that he will lay the request of the people of Mohaka before the Te Wairoa Board.
Best wishes to the people of Mohaka. Although your desires have not been fulfilled, what has been done is a beginning. Perhaps the time will come when what you want is done.
THE TUWHARETOA TRUST BOARD.
The arrangements between Ngati Tuwharetoa and the Government regarding the status of Lake Taupo have been completed. The Government has agreed to pay £3000 a year to ensure the situation of the waters of Lake Taupo and a depth of one chain of land on its shores. According to the Pakeha, the Government retains its authority over the Taupo trout-fishing rivers of Taupo. However, this concession on the part of Tuwharetoa is not clear and we hear of disputes between Pakeha and Maori over the rivers. We hope that this matter will be brought to a satisfactory conclusion so that everything about this important negotiation will be clear. If the Government pays over the £3000 a year then half the surplus will be given away by the Taupo Maori.
The members of the Tuwharetoa Trust Board have been appointed. These are the members of the first Board.
Hoani Te Heuheu
Te Takinga Arthur Grace
Pau Mariu
Werihe Tuiri
Pitiroi Mohi
Paora Rokino
Te Kahu Te Kuru
Te Taite Te Tomo
Best wishes to the Ngati Tuwharetoa Board. Make every effort to use well this treasure that has fallen into your hands. Look broadly to the well-being of the tribe. Do well, be strong, act with integrity, so that your Board will be spoken of well by your hapu and the Government will be filled with wonder.
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DIOCESE OF WAIAPU.
The Maori Parishes.
Since we are nearing the end of the year it is right that we set about completing the Parish accounts. It is not because of a lack of money but because the remaining money has not been sent to the Diocesan Office that our Parishes are lagging behind. People, it is embarrassing to listen to our Parishes revealing to Synod the amounts that each Parish owes. Therefore, it will be good if each Parish sets about erasing this black mark against it. Christmas is a good time to wash our Parishes clean, so that we stop looking askance at our Diocesan Office during the coming year.
These are the Parishes and the amount they owe:
£ s d
Moteo 53 11 7
Waipatu 60 15 10
Nuhaka 101 2 10
Turanga 166 19 5
Hikurangi 81 6 9
Waiapu 64 4 8
Te Kaha 123 0 2
Rotorua 138 5 10
Not included are Mohaka and Te Wairoa.
Our Office is groaning at the weight of the load it is shouldering; it is like a bare-back horse. Eventually it will end up being bent!
Show some pity for our Office. Best wishes to the Parishes and the Church amongst the Maori People.
TE AUTE COLLEGE.
(Final Term Examination.)
These are the names of the pupils who came first, second and third in the November
examinations.
Name Average Name Average
Form 3 Form 1
1 J Keretene 73.3 1 John Bennett 75.3
2 B Pene 69.7 2 W Mackey 59.6
3 A Waaka 67 3 P Newton 54.3
Form 4 Remove A Form 4 Remove B
1 M Chesley 67.7 1 R Morete 74.0
2 { J Green 50.3 2 R Prebble 64.6
{ E Kingi 50.3 3 W Te Purei 58.2
Form 5 Form 6
1 W Corbett 74.0 1 R Taylor 64.4
2 R Reremai 67.3 2 S Te Paa 54.8
3 H Krogh 57.5 3 T Bennett 53.2
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‘KA MATE, KA MATE, KA ORA, KA ORA!’;
‘HE DIES, HE DIES, HE LIVES, HE LIVES!’
Otaki,
4th November, 1926.
To the Editor.
Please carry my greetings to my friends who have graduated from Te Aute College and the pupils I have taught at Te Aute and Otaki; greetings to you all. I also greet all young Maori. Best wishes to all of you.
I have now been teaching at Otaki for seven years. I have observed the development of the Pakeha and Maori children of Otaki, and that they do not know the customs of their parents on the Maori side. During these seven years I have not seen a Maori haka, and it is rare to hear the Maori language spoken. Parents have said that the children do not want to be associated with Maori things.
It seems to me that it is right for Maori schools to hold onto and to teach the ways of those who are departing from us. I am summoning a hui at Raukawa to further these matters. I did not know if my project would be welcomed by the people, but it was like a match applied to a heap of gunpowder so that it exploded and it is supported by the people. We have arranged a concert for 10th December to raise money to further the project outlined above.
Our Maori contributions will be excellent; we are returning to the days of Te Rauparaha and others. On one side of the meeting house are the old men and women and on the other there are three ranks of young Maori men and women who are learning how to use their arms and legs and tongues. Raukawa applauds our activities.
We have also set up a group of school pupils who are learning Maori culture. And I am delighted at the way the people are welcoming these activities. The hand has been put to the plough and will not turn back. I tell you about what we are doing here in Otaki so that other schools in the country may be aware of what the oldest school in all New Zealand is doing – the one here in Otaki. The hope is that schools will make similar efforts to take up the activities of authentic Maori culture. There are many noble and wonderful arts of the Maori that can be appropriately taught to this generation of the Maori People. The world’s important people are visiting New Zealand and what amazes them is the activities of the Maori People. And learned people are saying that the day is coming when Maori culture will be increasingly appreciated. The stories and waiata of the Maori will appear more and more in the books written by scholars in coming days.
Therefore. people, make every effort to gather together the authentic teachings of your parents and ancestors as great treasures for your descendants in coming days, to give to their descendants after them. Greetings to the children of the Maori People.
From you friend and father,
W H Wills,
Headteacher of the College at Otaki.
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WHAT IS MONEY?
R[eweti] T K[ohere]
To most people, money is the most important thing in the world – the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning, the middle and the end; but if you ask them what money is very few of them can answer. It is difficult to explain money in the Maori language but I shall try to anyway. Let me attempt to.
Money takes many forms: paper, a pile of shells, copper, silver, gold and what have you, but for the people at large and the learned people money is gold. The basic English money is gold. Gold was chosen as the money because it requires much hard work to find it and also because it a very durable metal, it is not breakable, it does not decay, and it is beautiful. The value of our money in gold is 10 shillings a half-sovereign and 20 shillings a sovereign. The value of the sovereign and the money is not constant. In the lean years after the war the value of the sovereign went down by 13 shillings; something that cost a sovereign before the war cost 27 shillings after the war. This is why the cost of goods went up. The German currency is the mark and after the war the value of the mark crashed so far that it was almost valueless.
The use of money is to make transactions between people, countries and nations. Let me explain this. Let us say that Rangi is a sheep farmer and Taki is a flour miller. If Rangi wants some flour he doesn’t carry on his back a bag of wool to Taki’s mill, rather he carries with him the value of his wool, that is, some money. For another thing, he does not carry his wool because perhaps Taki does not want wool but money which he can exchange for what he does want. If a dairy farmer wants a car he does not take a crate of butter to the car dealer but he takes the value of his butter, that is, money. Were there no money, things in the world would be very awkward. Notes and cheques are not themselves money but are only ‘shadows’ of the gold money in the bank; similarly that gold money in the bank is only a ‘shadow’ of the
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wealth of the people – the value of the wool of the sheep, of the meat, of the butter and other produce.
Our ancestors did not have money and that was not a problem for them because they had fewer desires; each person had their own needs. If they were hungry they dug fern, if they needed clothes they wove them – there was not a shop for fern or a shop for clothing, And had there been a shop for fern or a shop for clothing what would they have used to purchase them, there being no money in those days? If a person in the olden days wanted something that he lacked, he would ask for it, and he would have to make recompense when he received it. If he was not given that thing, if he was a powerful person he would seize it, perhaps even killing the person who owned the thing he wanted. This is the Pakeha law of the ‘Strong Hand.’ ‘Might is Right!’
Money ceases to have value as a means of making transactions, as a way of showing the value of everything. Money is no longer good in itself for getting a watch or a pendant. A man spent many days in the wilderness without food. He was close to death. In the evening he came upon a bag. It seemed to be full. He thought he would be saved; it was surely a bag of fruit. But when he untied the strings he wailed and said, ‘Alas, alas, it is only gold!’ What use is money to a starving person if he has no food? What use is money to a person who is chilled by the cold if he has no clothes and no fire?
In 1776 Adam Smith wrote his book, ‘The Wealth of Nations.’ Adam Smith’s message went out to the nations and his name is still famous, That message was, ‘Labour is the only source of a nation’s wealth.’ Wealth to him is the amount people have to live on – food, clothing, housing, and not the amount of silver and gold. This teaching has not been faulted.
In my article in Number 61 I said that the important person is the worker, the one who cultivates the land, the one who raises sheep, cattle, pigs and poultry, the one who sows wheat and oats, who grows fruit and other foods, the one who milks cows, the one who digs gum, the one who has sweat pouring from his brow. As I say this I hear some people murmuring, ‘What good is a person who raises sheep and milks cows? It is the person who stands on the marae to speak, the one who is an orator, the one with the fine singing voice, who alone knows the value of his cows and sheep.’ Whoever says this is foolish. The truth is that it is the farmers – sheep farmers, dairy farmers, pig farmers, wheat growers, and others who will soon carry the Dominion. Without them the whole people would perish and the land would be bankrupt. We must remember
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that it was during the years when there was no money that the receipts from wool, meat and butter collapsed. If the farmers have money then the whole country has money; if they are under strain then the people as a whole, the whole Dominion, is under strain. If there is no wool, meat, butter, cheese, fruit, and kauri gum, then there is no money because the money is only an indication of the value of those things. Indeed, think of the thousands of people who get money from the sheep farmer. There are those who fell the bush, erect fences, sow grass, grow grass seed, sell seed, sell wire, make wire, mine iron to make wire, dig ditches, plough, shear his sheep, the shepherds, the bale weavers, the stores that sell the things he needs, the ships that carry his wool and meat to England and bring back the things he wants, the wagons and the railways. His wool makes work for the mills that weave clothes and employ thousands. And that is besides the banks and other businesses. It is not possible to count the thousands who get work and money from sheep farmers. I am not flattering them when I say that they inherit the earth.
Machines, cars, clothes, pianos, phonographs, ploughs, harrows, food, beer, watches, clocks, silver, gold and diamond pendants, and the many other goods brought from afar by large ships are paid for by the wool, the meat, the butter, the cheese, the apples, the kauri gum and other New Zealand produce. We mustn’t mistakenly think that they are purchased with money. If all the farmers agreed that they would give up working in favour of sport – rugby for the men, hockey for the women, whipping tops for the children – the people would swiftly perish; ships and trains would stop, there would be no clothes, many people would be unable to find food. For this reason the Prime Minister urged us to work hard and play little – ‘people will not survive by playing sport.’ If people work hard they will get more things; if they work less they will get fewer things. If the tribe is lazy, chiefs are lazy, and possessions are scarce – or absent; there are no benefits to the tribe. They are like the weights loaded on your race-horse or like old bees. Without them the tribe has no problem. I return to the wise advice of Adam Smith: the ultimate way for people to prosper and to get what they need and to live well is by work alone, by cultivating the land. This teaching sets aside the role of money, the business of the shops, the work of offices, of lawyers, of doctors, of ministers, of members of Parliament, and many other human occupations. It also has no place for the farmer with his hands in his pockets shouting at his workers; it is the workers who ensure that he has goods, he and the people at large. The shopkeeper doesn’t make things, all he does is put up the price; it doesn’t matter to him how much it costs; it doesn’t make any difference.
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As for the farmer, with his grass he grows new wool on his sheep, his sheep, cattle and pigs increase in number; his cows are milked to make butter and cheese. Now there are many goods in the world. But the kauri gum is of no use in the ground; it is the gum-digger who gifts it to the world. Food is not cooked by coal that is still in the belly of the earth; a machine does not revolve, a ship or a train doesn’t go unless coal is taken by men from the earth. Then it is a real treasure. Let me say briefly, if something is brought into being by sweaty work it is a real treasure for the world. This is why Adam Smith said that it is labour alone that is the source of people’s well-being – physical as well as spiritual well-being. This is why it is said that it is those who cultivate the land, the farmers, who bear on their shoulders the land, the people, and the world.
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
(This article was translated int Maori by P Te Hurinu)
Introduction.
The person who wrote this fictitious story was William Shakespeare. He was a leading English playwright who knew how to write wonderful stories and to exploit the richness of the English language. We Maori have come across some of those stories because some of his great words have been put into Maori by our friend RTK, and at last one of his stories has been translated into Maori from beginning to end. These kinds of stories are called by the English, ‘plays.’ The translator is P Te Hurinui, also known as Jones. He won the Maori Tennis Championship at the Tournament held at Rotorua in April this year. There are many Acts to this play and several Scenes in each Act. This is a strange thing to a traditional Maori but familiar to children who reach the Sixth Form in the schools. Don’t be wearied by the effort to understand it. This man, Shakespeare, was one of the world’s geniuses. The Editor has asked Mr W A G Penlington MA, Headmaster of Hastings High School, to introduce each Act so that what is happening will be clear to the Maori mind.
These are his explanations. Shakespeare was born in 1564 and died in 1616. He spent more than three years writing this play called ‘The Merchant of Venice.’
Act I, Scene I.
Some friends meet in the streets of a town called Venice. There they talk as they walk about. Amongst them are Bassanio and Antonio, leading characters in this play. Bassanio tells Antonio of his troubles. His problem is that he is in debt and cannot repay the debt. He desperately needs money so that he can successfully approach a woman he loves called Portia. She is a beautiful noblewoman and he longs to take her for his wife. Antonio tells Bassanio that he will lend him money but has none available at that time. His wealth is tied up in ships and their cargoes and they are all at sea. However, he agrees to lend Bassanio money if he can find someone who will lend money to him.
[What follows is the continuation of Pei Te Hurinui’s Maori version of The Merchant of Venice, Act I, Scene I, Line 105 – end, and Scene 2, Lines 1 – 69. I have not translated this into English, fascinating as back-translations can be. But it would be presumptuous to re-write Shakespeare! – Barry Olsen]
(To be continued.)
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