[995]
TE TOA TAKITINI
Registered at the GPO as a Newspaper.
Number 94
Hastings
1st June, 1929
SNEEZE, LIVING SOUL!
Because of the strong urging of the country
we have reverted to calling our paper, Te Toa Takitini.
Now, put all your effort into feeding our
paper with stories from all parts; stories about the Bishopric, the Maori
heart, thoughtful questions, what people are doing, information, hopes, and
other profitable subjects.
Write down your letter and thoughts
clearly. It is for the Editor to sort out what is to be put in the paper.
Remember the saying of Tamaterangi:
He
ao te rangi ka uhia; he huruhuru te manu ka rere.
As clouds bedeck the heavens, so feathers
adorn the bird. [cf Nga Pepeha 352]
And that of Plutarch: ‘Money provides the
sinews for the fight.’
BY THE WARRIOR
Tatau! Tatau! We
belong together!
In some of our dialects, ‘Tatou! Tatou!’
It was our elder Timi Kara [Sir
James Carroll] who gave us this saying. He had it from the elders. He said it
when he came back from England in 1917. Previously his favourite saying was, ‘Taihoa’
‘By and by.’ That was a saying from his childhood, which he used when he
had reached high office to upset the Pakeha when they grumbled about Maori and
to calm down the resentful hearts of Maori.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Published by Rev P Hakiwai
and P H Tomoana, and printed at Cliff Press. Queen Street, Hastings, HB.
[996]
STOP GREETING US AS STRANGERS
When the Minister of Maori Affairs and his
party from the Tai Rawhiti arrived at Ngaruawahia recently, Waikato ended their
welcome with greetings to the four winds in this way. ‘Welcome, Tai Rawhiti
[East Coast]! Welcome, Te Tai Tokerau [Northland] and others in the same way.
Welcome, friends! Welcome, Father and all of you! Because we have embraced one
another [tatou tatou] at this time. So let us stop greeting others as if
they are strangers to us. We belong with one another [Tatau! Tatou!].
Let us stop greeting those who have died,
returning to former ways. This is also the [?parekawakawa] of the
living end to the end of those who have died. Let us care for each other as
those who are at one, and befriend one another, as younger siblings and older
siblings in the Lord.
SICKNESS ON WAIKATO MARAE
Before the Ngaruawahia Hui there wes an
outbreak of the ‘flowing sickness,’ that
is, diarrhoea, in Maori pa in the vicinity of Auckland. It is said that the
first incidence of this sickness occurred at Orakei on 12th January.
Soon afterwards news came that it had appeared at Mangere, Onehunga, and then
at Maraetai. The time came when Waikato assembled on the marae at Ngaruawahia.
[997]
During that Hui and in the following days the
sickness spread to the marae of Waikato and of Ngati Haua, and as far as Ngati
Tuwwharetoa. There were many sorts of that sickness, many varieties. One
affected one area, a second, another, and sometime all three varieties affected
the same area.
By the beginning of May the sickness had
reached nearly forty marae and nearly three hundred people had caught it with
almost eighty dying of it. Because our Minister of Maori Affairs was so
conscious of the disaster that had befallen his wife and their son with that infection,
he issued instructions to ensure that the sickness not recur, or if it did come
a second time that it would be contained. He asked the Maori Purposes Board to
help with this. It involved cleansing all the Waikato marae that had had the
infection. This meant disinfecting the houses that had been touched by the
illness, cleaning the toilets, and ensuring the purity of drinking water.
A NATION IN HEARTFELT MOURNING.
It is awesome to see a whole people in
mourning for their chiefs, facing up to their storms, to their [?tikitiki],
to the [?whakamaunga - ?interventions] of the ancestors. When one
adds to this the lacerations of the people’s hearts, one sees something greater
than just the national mourning – one sees that this is heartfelt. It is
awesome, but it is also an expression of great love.
This tribe, Ngati Porou, observed this
national mourning for Arihia Ngata and her son, Te Makarini. These two, when
they were alive, were taken to heart by the tribe. Who among us sees the ways
in which a person introduces himself into the hearts of other people? Someone
who is able to speak of various ways in which that person has affected him; a
person who maybe has not been aware that the person has had such an impact on
him until that person dies and he feels himself sobbing inside? So it was that
on the death of Te Makarini one heard grieving. He was still a young man but
his character was obvious to the elders. He had set an example on his land, not
in order to impress people, but to put into action what he had learned abut farming.
One also saw him involved in working with the tribe; he was a ‘right-hand man’
to his father and mother. When his mother died of the same disease shortly
after her son, the Ngati Porou were truly gutted. There was sobbing. They
snatched in vain to left and to right. They clutched their skin. They shouted
in vain. That woman also had been, in their thoughts, the embodiment of their
collective life, from the chiefs to the insignificant, from the elders to the
children, those called the ‘wiwi,’
[998]
from the rich to the poor. She had a place
in the hearts of each person and of all. People turned to her for kind words,
her loving voice would comfort the sad, her laughter would divert the anxious. Her
heart was open to all, she was hospitable, she was humble, she was eager to help
with all tasks, she was a support to the Ministers of worship, and she was a
woman of real faith. To her children she was a devoted mother, a playmate and a
companion in everything. To her husband she was a faithful wife, a loving woman
who resisted the [?pukupuku] of the heart. Ngati Porou’s grief also
descended upon tribes far away and near, all the marae she and her son had
visited. We leave them to be mourned by the nation, to be grieved over by each
tribe, with a grief which honours that of the tribe.
It
is extraordinary, Mother; we yearn in vain;
We
have lost you, it is for you to go before us.
You,
Mother, have gone to Te Pahi, to Puputa:
Alas!
The anguish I feel for you inside.
Farewell,
both of you. My heart is torn out,
Cut
off from the world.
LETTERS RECEIVED
To the Editor: My friends, I express my
heartfelt appreciation of the words about the faith printed in the second
edition of the Paper. Thank you.
I am writing because I would like you to
publish a Motion which I would like to see presented to the Pakeha Synod this
year. This is the Motion:
1.
‘Because
many members of the Missionary Church have strayed to the Ringatu Church and
the Ratana Church in the mistaken belief that only those Churches have the
power to heal and defeat the illness called “a Maori illness,” or to overturn
the power of Maori tohunga, and since many people who are labelled ‘mad’ are
being removed from home and placed in asylums to die there, will the Church not
listen to the Lord’s instructions, has the time not arrived for us to wake from
sleep and work to help the Maori People?
2.
This
Synod thinks that a group should be convened (or a committee set up) to look
into and seek the causes of the illnesses that afflict Maori, that is, those kinds
of illness called ‘a Maori sickness’ or ‘a devil.’ That group should be
empowered under the
[999]
auspices of
the Church to bring healing to those suffering those diseases, and also have
authority, in the Name of Jesus Christ, to combat the power of Maori
tohunga using Maori practices.
3.
That
group should consist of the Revs. P Hakiwai, H Huata, P Tamahori, H P Manaro,
and E M E Te Tikao. Renata Tamepo and the mover of this motion should also be
members. The group should have power to invite others to work with them.
Although
there are still four months before the Synod meeting, I believe it is good to
publish this motion now so that it is not sprung upon our fellow ministers and
the lay representatives when they arrive at Synod, and so that we have time to
consider what needs to be said at the meeting.
I would also
like people to write down some of their thoughts and send them to Te Toa or to
me so that I can know the names of those who will support the motion. Only a
few people are able to attend and speak at Synod. Most must remain at home. So,
my dear friends, write down as soon as possible your ideas on this important
matter.
From your
friend with a deep love for all the Maori People,
Canon Arthur
Williams.
Te Aute,
Pukehou, Napier.
14th
May, 1929.
A GREETING FROM THE BISHOP OF AOTEAROA
I, your servant and Bishop, am seeking out the
marae of the remaining Maori living in
Te Waipounamu. I have visited the marae of Aotearoa which have welcomed the
blessings of this Bishopric. I am very grateful for the personal and spiritual
welcomes I have received throughout the whole country. May the Heavenly Father
bless, preserve and keep you.
Our Losses.
I salute you and the departed throughout
the country. I am not able to list the names of all those who have been parted
from us. Your Bishop weeps over all who have departed.
But the whole country laments the deaths of
our noble mother, Lady Arihia Ngata, and her first-born son who died shortly
before her. Very few women of the Maori People have so devoted themselves to helping
with projects for the benefit of the Maori People. [?Kaore ana titiro kanohi
tangata.] She bestowed the same blessings on all. Whether it was in matters
to do with material things or with spiritual things she was at the forefront in
seeing that they were done well.
[1000]
She was single-minded when it came to
assisting with the great projects of our father, Apirana.
Her son, Te Makarini, was a pioneer among
the Maori young people in learning the skills of farming. He was a person with
a loving heart and a heart which was committed to a deep understanding of
farming.
He was also greatly loved by all his young
friends of the ‘wiwi’ family.
Farewell, Kui. Go, together with our young
child. Go to the Lord. Go to your rest. The two of you will not be forgotten. The
fragrance of the work you have both done in your time you leave as a beautiful
thing for your many hapu.
Miss Williams
Early in May the Mother of the Maori People
entered upon the long rest. She died at her home at Hukarere. She had reached
ninety at the time of her death.
I had reached Nelson at the time of her
death but returned to Heretaunga to bring the love of the whole people to our
mother. All her children and grandchildren in Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu grieve
for her. I have never met a woman or a man with as great a faith as hers.
One’s spirit was in awe as one sat beside
her and saw her great faith, her love for her Lord, and realised that the Holy
Spirit was resting upon her. Mr Williams’ family was very grateful to the women
of Ngati Porou who came to Heretaunga and included her in their lamentations
for Lady Ngata and Te Makarini.
Hukarere Chapel
The discussion about building a chapel for
Hukarere has been going on for a long time. The money in hand is £1,100. Along
with this, the Thirty Thousand Club has collected £100 towards the Maori
carving for the interior of the building. The total cost of the building when
it is completed will be £2,500. I have appealed to the Pakeha Church to look
favourably on this project. Now I am asking my Maori people to consider contributing
to this valuable project for the girls of the whole Maori People. The Synod
meets in Napier on 25th September. The hope is that the tribes will
be engaged in this project before the Synod so that the corner-stone can be
laid during the Synod. Can this be a memorial from the whole people to Miss
Williams and Lady Ngata? They are both held deep in the affections of all Maori
people.
[1001]
This is an appropriate matter for the
Standing Committee to consider.
Te Waipounamu
Now your Bishop has arrived in the Diocese
of Christchurch where he will be travelling around until 14th June.
He has finished his first visitation of Aotearoa and his episcopal areas, as
well as visiting the Diocese of Nelson.
He has been warmly
welcomed as he has travelled throughout the Maori Bishopric. However, he has
been distressed by the small remnants of Maori living in Te Waipounamu. The
places in Nelson where Maori are gathered are Motueka, Takaka, Onekaka, Okawa
and Wairau. Although there are few people he received a wonderful welcome. In
1896 the Bishop ordained him as a Deacon in Nelson.
In 1897 he was
ordained Priest. Perhaps that is why the Pakeha gave such a welcome to your
Bishop. Some 1,200 people attended the evening welcome for the Bishop in Nelson
and a similar number in Blenheim. The consideration and love shown to us, the
Maori People, by the Pakeha is wonderful.
THE BISHOP’S DIARY
May 25 Arrive
in Christchurch. Welcome by the people of Tuahiwi.
26 Morning
Service at Tuahiwi. Mid-day Hui. Preach in the Cathedral in the evening.
27 Maori
Hui at the home of the Bishop of Christchurch at mid-day. Open hui in the
Choral Hall in the evening.
28 Arrive
in Port Levy. Maori Hui.
29 Confirmation
Service at Little River in the Morning. Maori meal at dinner-time.
30 Welcome
Hui at Ashburton.
31 Hui
at Temuka.
June 1 At
Temuka.
2 At
Temuka in the morning. Arowhenua at mid-day. Timaru at night.
3 Timaru.
Speak to the Sunday School Teachers.
4 Train
to Hokitika and Arahura and villages on that coast.
11 Return
to Christchurch.
12 Speak
on Radio 3YA at 9 in the evening.
The
Bishop finishes his first ‘round’ here. He will visit the Diocese of Dunedin
and the Chatham Islands [Wharekauri] in the Summer.
[1002]
THE
HUI AT WAITARA
P[araire]
H T[omoana]
On
12th May, Sir Apirana Ngata called upon the canoes of the East Coast
to choose their spokesmen to accompany him to the Hui of the tribes of Taranaki
held to welcome the Minister of Maori Affairs at the marae at Manukorihi,
Waitara. It would be right to call that Hui a summoning of the Tai Rawhiti by
the Tai Hauauru, but in fact the whole country was invited to hear their
response to the Report of the Commission that looked into Taranaki’s problem and
the Lands that were wrongly confiscated by the Government from the Waitara
River to the Patea River.
This
situation is widely known along with the wrongs inflicted upon them in past
days. The expert speakers, the powerful chiefs, and the captains of the canoes
have departed during the time of sadness. This would be a wake-up call to the Tai
Rawhiti, to the leading tribes – Te Arawa! Matatua! Horouta! Takitimu! [Te
Hoe-whaka-te-ngakau - ? What tugs at one’s heart] is that Taranaki is similarly
grasping the prow of the canoe. They grieve the passing of the old world and honour
it [i-na-rangatia tu] the remnant
of the people and the remnant of the land and the foundational word left for this
world, one of hope for the New World and its [Kaupeka-te-whiwhia, te
korekore ranei]. So this saying is appropriate; we are fortunate to have heard
the voice calling, ‘Welcome.’ So we went to Waitara to listen to what the Tai
Hauauru had to say about the solutions proposed by the Commission to the wrongs
done to Taranaki and its lands.[1]
We
greet and thank the captain of the Tai Rawhiti canoe for his explanation which
came across from the [tai-papaki-rua - ? cliff twice beaten by the
waves] of Arai-te-uru, was concealed in Whanganui-a-rua, hugged the [paparinga-a-ihu-m0ana
- ?cheeks of the Portuguese man-of-war] of Parininihi, while the sun shone
beyond Tawauwau!
Matene
met the Tai Rawhiti party. There were Keepa Tawhio, Tamarau and Rangiaho from
Matatua, Anaru Tiweka from Whakatohea, Taupopoki and Taiporutu from Te Arawa, Renata
Tamepo and Tangiahua from Horouta, and Rev Hakiwai, Paora Kurupo, Nikera and
Tomoana from Takitimu, Floods had damaged the roads and most of the Tai Rawhiti
representatives were prevented from attending. Had it been fine the land would
have been overrun with people bringing the Maori Minister to the Tai Hauauru.
The
arrival on the marae. The women welcomed us, all of them dressed in mourning
garments, a sign that they lamented the losses suffered by the Minister and the
Tai Rawhiti. They also lamented the ancestors and the people who had passed on,
and the large areas of land stained by the blood of their forebears who had
died. The people, the marae, the land embodied their tears. But the faces of
Mount Taranaki glowed red in the sunlight, like the face of
[1003]
a
little girl tugging and combing her hair to be like a feather, a topknot, for her
boy lunging in combat.
There
were no long and fearsome incantations. The proceedings were strange. In the
speeches of the company of chiefs, the up-and-coming ones of the Taihauauru, The
party from the Tai Rawhiti were welcomed and their ancestors honoured. These
words were used frequently in the welcomes on that occasion: ‘Oh! the
infrequent visitor has landed at Manukorihi, with Waitara on one side of Mount
Taranaki and Patea on the other! Welcome! Welcome!’
This
is a summary of the words spoken in welcome to the Minister of Maori Affairs
and his party from the Tai Rawhiti and their chiefs from Te Wainui-a-rua
(Wanganui).
There
was much sorrowing and love when Sir Maui arrived, wearied and shrunk by his
serious illness; he appeared much diminished.
In
his response to the welcome, Sir A T Ngata thanked the people for the words,
the songs, and the important and deep prayers on the marae. But he explained
that they must speak Maori and speak clearly so that the wishes of Taranaki are
made known. Do they want five thousand pounds, or ten thousand, or a hundred
thousand, and do they want land or money, or only land? He thought it would be
desirable to set up a Taranaki Committee to further the hopes and wishes of the
people.
He
also spoke of Ngati Tuwharetoa’s treasure, Tongariro. A Maori has been
appointed to the Committee charged with delivering this garden for the country
to the Government, and to manage it. He is thinking that it would be right to
appoint two Maori to the committee to manage Mount Taranaki, so that Taranaki may
have some control over their ancestors’ mountain. He also explained his desire
to ‘side-line’ some elders and to give their places to young people so that
they can come to grips with contemporary issues. They believe that they have
the physical and mental capacity to cope. It is the future that looms large for
them rather than for the elders. The elders should be in place to point out the
things that went wrong in their days and to encourage them (the young people) to
continue going forward. He referred to the large Hui on the Tai Rawhiti, at
Whanganui and in the Waikato which made proposals and sought ways to make it
easier to settle young people on the land and to support vigorous young people
in the various kinds of farming.
On
the morning of Saturday, 18th May, at 10 a.m.
[1004]
the
performers of the poi chants of Te Whiti and Tohu came onto the marae. Te
Kapinga explained the significance of what they were doing, and how Taranaki
had preserved those treasures to remind them of those elders and of the blood
shed at Waitara and of the wrongs inflicted on them in subsequent days by the
Government, from the time Raukura was hanged to the present day. The revealing
words of Te Whiti brought the whole country together at Waitara seeking justice
for Waitara and for all the injustices hanging over Taranaki. That day was the
18th. And if today is also the 18th, all the better.
Welcome, Tai Rawhiti and the country!
After
the poi, Sir Maui stood to welcome the Minister of Maori Affairs and all his
party, mentioning especially the tragedy suffered by the Minister and how the
whole nation was grieving at the deaths of Sir Timi Kara, of Taranaki Te
Uamairangi, of Lady Ngata and of his son, Te Makarini.
Sir
Maui explained that Taranaki had decided to accept the Five Thousand but wanted
more. They had agreed that the following form a committee:
Ngati
Tama Sir Maui
Ngati
Mutunga Sir Maui
Ngati
Maru Sir Maui
Te
Atiawa Sir Maui
Taranaki Raungaiti
Ngarauru Whakarua
Ngcarauru Tupito
Ngati
Ruanui Rangihuna
Sir
A T Ngata stood to commend the moderation of the committee. At this point he
asked the people to send the committee to Wellington to represent Taranaki, to
listen or perhaps to set out what the tribe wants, arising out of the reports
of the Commissions. However, he pointed out that he had come to listen to the
words of Taranaki. And he would bring before the Government those matters. When
that was done it would be appropriate for Taranaki to call on the whole nation
to see if this could be achieved. We are together in this.
After
this he asked the young people to gather that evening to discuss farming
matters, the money available for such work, and to share their ideas.
He
explained also that he had received the report that showed that dairy farming
was growing rapidly in Taranaki, and he praised the young people and those
farming in Taranaki.
At
night the Minister encouraged the young people to take up farming, and he also
urged the tribe
[1005]
to
be together in in their thinking and in promoting occupations for each
individual, for the tribe, and for the whole country.
The
sleeping accommodation for the Tai Rawhiti was Waitara-nui-a-Ngarue. The Dining
Hall was Tamawahine, a fine building, wonderfully appointed for what happened
within with the ‘Dining Room,’ Store Room, Kitchen, Pantry, Butcher, Seven
Boilers and the Engine Room. It was very good – none better!
That’s
enough of my account, except for the hospitality. There was much praise for the
hospitality. The settings, the food, the marae, the dining hall, and the
farewell speeches were all extolled. Thanks all round! On 19th the party
travelled via Mokau to Ngaruawahia.
ALAS
Welcome to the Minister It
was in the month of May
Of Maori Affairs That Ngata came
Who has come to Taranaki To Taranaki,
To see us for a few days. To Te Raukura for
a few days.
Whose are the footsteps Welcome, to all
from the country
Sounding in Taranaki? Who came to walk
in Taranaki.
They are those of Te Tai Rawhiti Te Raukura spoke the words
Who
came for a few days. That
brought us together for a few days.
MAORI
HUI
When
the Minister of Health (Hon Mr Stallworthy) visited the Ngati Porou area, the
Pakeha there voiced their criticism of Ngati Porou for the frequency with which
they went off to Maori Hui, spending their money, abandoning their work, and
being unavailable on the days when certain tasks needed to be done. That
Minister passed on those grievances to the Maori Minister, Sir Apirana Ngata.
The
Hui which were being criticised by the Pakeha of the Tai Rawhiti were those at
Te Wairoa on 17th January, and at Ngaruawahia on 15th
March. During those weeks, how many race meetings were attended by the Pakeha in
all parts of the two islands, and meetings for other Pakeha purposes in many
places? One has not heard Maori criticising the amount of money spent on those
occasions or thrown away on that sport, horse-racing. Nor has there been
criticism of gatherings of Pakeha in various places to discuss proposals for their
benefit. Rather, they differentiate the kinds of meetings attended by Pakeha
from those attended by Maori.
Why
should Maori Hui be criticised? The Hui at Te Wairoa was called by Ngati
Kahungunu of Te Wairoa who called upon Ngati Porou to help them with the work
that Pakeha say is appropriate for Maori, namely, farming.
[1006]
The
Hui at Ngaruawahia was called to gather the thoughts of the tribes about ways
to facilitate our unity, as well as to celebrate the opening of the building
which has been purposefully built using carving, tukutuku work, and rafter
patterns, things which eminent Pakeha urge us to preserve lest they be lost.
Today
it is the Pakeha thinking that is wrong. A gathering is good if it is called by
the Pakeha, even though money is spent on travelling to that meeting, whereas
if the meeting is arranged by Maori and has no purpose, then, without a doubt,
it is a waste of food and money.
Pakeha! Pakeha!
THE
BISHOP OF AOTEAROA VISITS NGATI RAUKAWA.
On
20th April, the Bishop of Aotearoa visited Ngati Raukawa at Otaki.
The people assembled. The Bishop’s party included the Bishop of Wellington,
Canon Williams, Rev Renata, Mr Wills, the Headmaster of Otaki College, and
leading Pakeha friends.
Ngati
Raukawa extended a [matua] welcome to the rare guest: ‘Welcome, Bishop of
Aotearoa, our eminence has brought you from the distant horizon, etc.’ And secondly,
‘Haul the canoe, etc.’ And the party came onto the Raukawa marae.
The
Rev Te Muera Tokoaitua, opened the speeches for the local people. He was
followed by Rawiri Te Tahiwi, Rere Neketini and Kipa Roa.
Amongst
the welcoming and hospitable words of the local chiefs were the following: ‘We
welcome our Father, the Bishop of Wellington. Welcome, as you bring your son,
the Maori Bishop. We are over-joyed at your coming in person with your friends
and the Bishop of Aotearoa. You bring the Maori Bishop to his temple, Rangiatea.
His old men and women built this temple for him. Although they have died, their
spirits live on. On this day it is seen that their labours were not in vain in
the Lord. [1 Corinthians 15.58] Welcome, our son, the Bishop of Aotearoa,
welcome! Welcome amongst your people. Welcome to Ngati Raukawa. It is good, for
you embody the yearning of the people who have passed on to the after-life.
Launch your canoe. Encourage your crew to plunge in the blades of their paddles
in unison. May the Lord help you, and all of us together.’
MATTERS
FOR THE BISHOP OF WELLINGTON
Kipa
Roera raised matters of concern for Ngati Raukawa,
[1008]
1.
We
implore you, Bishop, to hasten the time when all you Pakeha Bishops hand over
to the Bishop of Aotearoa authority over all matters relating particularly to
the Maori Church.
2.
Gifts
of land and money were given by our forebears to the Church for the building of
schools for their descendants who would follow them. The total value was
£22,000. Part of the interest on this money goes to support Otaki College. The
Church Board holds this money. Ngati Raukawa, when the Bishop of Aotearoa
receives the above authority, wants all that money to be handed over to provide
funding for the Maori Bishopric.
3.
Land
was given to the Church to provide for the maintenance of our temple, Rangiatea.
Money was also given at the Jubilee Hui which celebrated the abpresent day that
fund has grown to £16,500. Five hundred and fifty pounds is being taken from
that fund towards the stipends of the Maori Ministers of the Diocese
[?Bishopric]. That fund should be used as in No.2 above.
4.
The
requirements of St John’s school for ministers should be eased to conform with
those that applied to Te Raukahikatea in the past. Two of our young men were
rejected by the Board of that school because they did not have certificates
from further schools. This must not happen.
THE BISHOP OF WELLINGTON
There are two matters that I bring to you all
in person and to your beautiful marae. First, I would tell you of the great
respect I have for your Biahop. Secondly, I would like to confer all your
rights upon your Bishop. Your welcome was beautiful and your requests are very
important but I am not here able to give a short answer here. But I am very
sympathetic to these matters. They will be carefully considered by our Synod.
It may be that the outcome will be the one you hope for and that the Bishopric
of the Maori People will indeed be independent. Do not be impatient. Go forward
carefully and peacefully. In coming years all these treasures will come to you.
Thank you for your welcome and your hospitality.
THE BISHOP OF AOTEAROA
Greetings to you, Ngati Raukawa, and to
those of the people who have gathered in the afterlife. Though they have died
their achievements live on. Thank you for your welcome to me and our Father,
the Bishop of Wellington. I am very pleased to hear his response to the
proposals you laid before us. I ask you to bless me, your Bishop. I depend on
your support and on that of the tribes of the nation to facilitate the work of
our Bishopric. Recently I have heard of your important projects which will take
us forward.
[1008]
I have come to you about these matters.
Concerning your young people who wish to become ministers, refer them to me. I
want to see Te Raukahikatea re-established. If it is possible it could be at Te
Aute College. I am pleased that the differences between Kipa Roera and your
minister, Canon Williams, have been resolved. They have ‘hongied’ and there is
peace in heaven and on earth. My blessings rest upon you, Ngati Raukawa.
THE
ACTIVITIES
April 21 Sunday: 8 a.m. A Service of Holy
Communion at Rangiatea. Many people
took
Communion.
10
a.m. The Lord’s Supper and Confirmation. Twenty people were confirmed.
7
p.m. A large service for Maori and
Pakeha. Rangiatea was full to overflowing. People travelled 30 or 40 miles to
attend this service. During the days of the elders Rangiatea was full like this.
At last it was again filled. The
Bishop’s text was ‘Rejoice and be glad in the Lord.’ [?Psalm 31.7] The lively
preaching of the Bishop brought tears to people’s eyes. That sermon will not be
forgotten by Ngati Raukawa or the Pakeha.
April 22: The Bishop and his fellow
ministers went to Papawai. They were welcomed.
There
were many blessings and many issues were settled there.
April 23: They left Papawai and headed for
Foxton to the marae of Aputa at Wairau. There
was a warm welcome and tributes were paid to the Bishop.
April 24: There was a service of the Lord’s
Supper for the Maori of Wairau and at
11
a.m. a short service for the Pakeha of Foxton. Afterwards the Bishop was
welcomed by the Mayor of Foxton. At 3 p.m. there was a large serviced for the
Maori at Te Aputa at Wairau.
April 25: Leaving Foxton, the Bishop’s
party headed for Wanganui.
OTHER
ISSUES
After
the Bishop of Aotearoa had gone to Whanganui, a Delegate arrived from the Pope
in Rome to invite the Maori tribes to come under the Catholic Church. This man
and his six priests were welcomed warmly by Ngati Raukawa. Pokaitara from that
flock and Tahiwi and Kipa Roera from the Church of England [Missionary]
formally welcomed the party. Kipa Roera said that our two Churches should work
together. Our forebears had upheld this principle. We should respect one
another. It was this faith that did away with cannibalism among the Maori
People in former days. The Delegate said: ‘I am grateful
[1009]
to
the chiefs of Ngati Raukawa for your welcome. I rejoice at your acceptance of
your two Churches. I will tell the Pope about this. It will make him happy. I
thank the Bishop of Aotearoa for his words of welcome to me. Kia ora.
Kipa
Roera
Ohau,
29/4/29
VARIOUS
ITEMS
King
George has completely recovered from his illness. The first thing he thought to
do was to visit the sick in the King Edward VII Hospital. He reinvigorated the
sick as he greeted them. ‘God save the King!’
In
their joy at the recovery of their King the English people sought a suitable
project to express their appreciation of the recovery. They decided to collect
money to help the King Edward Hospital of which the King has been President for
nine years. The English collected shillings, pounds, hundred of pounds, and
thousands of pounds. George Roberts of Wimbledon gave £105,000 and Lord
Revelstoke, £100,000. ‘The Pakeha!’
At
last the Labour Government of Queensland has been defeated. It has governed for
eleven years. McCormack said that his Government had been defeated because the
people wanted a change. Also, the Opposition was giving a strong message that
they would find work for the 10,000 unemployed people. He also cited the
strength of his government in avoiding strikes. [?But the Judges had found him
to be wrong in what he had done in taking a stand against the direction of all
occupations.] The Coalition Government has been completely defeated by the
Country Party.
The
cross-country airmen flying from England to Sydney, Moir and Owen, were nearing
their landing-place when they had an accident. They were missing but were found
by the seaside with a broken wing.
One
fruit of the extensive travels of the Bishop of Aotearoa to Pakeha centres,
while he was visiting the Maori tribes of the nation, has been the promise by
the Pakeha Church to give him £1000 a year to help the Maori Church.
We
hear rumours that the Revs Harawira (Waitara), Panapa (Hokianga), Tikao
(Rotorua), Tamahori (Waiapu), and Hakiwai (Heretaunga), have been appointed
Sub-Superintendents for the Bishopric of Aotearoa. Although these appointments
are somewhat vague, they may prove to be bridges to more important posts in the
future.
[1010]
MISS WILLIAMS
WHO DIED ON SUNDAY, 5TH MAY.
Miss
Williams was born at Te Waimate, Bay of Islands, in 1839. In 1840, Williams the
Brother [William] and his family went to Turanga to live. When the family
arrived at Waerenga-a-hika in 1859 his daughter began teaching the Maori girls.
That work came to an end during the troubles with Kereopa and the others in 1865
and the Bishop went to Napier to live.
During
1875 the Maori Girls’ School was built at Hukarere and Miss Williams was in
charge of running that school. Her work was to teach the girls the Bible and
related things, and to prepare the girls to be presented to the Bishop for
confirmation. Another responsibility was teaching them to sew clothes and to
weave wool. Although she was physically weak she was totally committed in
spirit to such work and to supporting the woman who taught at the school. She
was always the mother to all the girls who attended the school, and when they
left the school to return home she remembered them and wrote to them, urging
them not to forget the good things the school had given them. This she did until
the school burned down in 1910.
When
the new school was built she no longer had the strength to continually go to the
school which was some distance away. However, she still remembered her children
and frequently invited them to her home to be taught by her.
In
recent years she has become increasingly weaker and appeared to be losing her
sight also. But her thoughts were fixed on the Maori People and on the school.
And so it was that sixty-five Maori girls stood at the graveside on 7th
May and sang the hymn, ‘Forever with the Lord.’ [Pumau ki te Atua - 129
Maori Prayer Book] Farewell, Kui! Go
to your rest!
REV
PENE TOPI
On
8th April. The Rev Pene Topi died at the Main Hospital at Te Kuiti.
He was 56. In 1907 he was made a Deacon and in 1911 he was ordained Priest.
From 1916 he lived among Ngati Maniapoto. The illnesses he ded of were pleurisy
and pneumonia. He lay in hospital a week before dying.
He
was a man greatly loved by his tribe, Ngati Maniapoto, and his Pakeha friends.
There was great lamentation and sadness among his tribe at his parting from
them. We summarize the speeches made in tribute by Ngati Maniapoto to their
minister and father: ‘Farewell, friend.
[1011]
We
farewell the one who fed our souls, the one who looked after us, the friend of
all. Go to your chief, the great Father in Heaven. In going, you leave us
behind as orphans.’
While
this man was alive he did much but one work was important to him, his work as a
minister. He never turned back.
He
was buried on 10th at 2 p.m. The Rev K Karaka of Morrinsville
interred him. The Archdeacon of Waikato delivered the sermon with the Rev H P
Raiti translating it into Maori. The Pakeha minister of Te Kuiti stood in for
the Bishop of Waikato. The Rev H K Pou (Taumarunui) and the Rev T Poihipi
(Mercer) attended along with nine Pakeha clergy.
Explanation
to the Relatives.
My
friends, we did all we could to inform you of this tragedy. While I was away
your responses to the telegrams arrived. However, do wait for a letter. Now we
have in mind a project which will bring us all together. The Maori ministers in
the Waikato have had the idea of erecting a memorial to Pene Topi in Te Kuiti.
We would get the Bishop of Aotearoa to unveil it. On that occasion we will
welcome you, the family, and all our clergy friends in the country.
H K Pou
Taumarunui,
8/5/29
‘OUT
OF WORK’
Dr
Wi Repa
This
is the major affliction in the world of light [te ao marama] at this
time. In England some millions of people have no work. They are idle. They
still look for work but do not get it. Men, women and children are starving.
For the Pakeha, not having work is a disaster. Groups of workers are gathering
together everywhere in England, Scotland, and Ireland. Some blame the situation
on the Government. For this group this is the sin of the Government and they
want an election so that they can overthrow the Government. For some, only the
Government can heal the affliction of being without work. Yes, people, this is
the affliction of the world of light – of Europe and America.
That
affliction is hurting our country too. The papers are full of accounts of
unemployment in Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin and even in
Gisborne. The Pakeha are grieving because of a lack of work.
[1012]
A
deputation is going to the Prime Minister to ask the Government to find a way
for workers to get jobs.
The
Labour organisations in New Zealand are saying that it is a consequence of Government
actions and it will fall. Because of a surplus of workers in England there is
no work for the people here. They say that this is one of the failings of the
Government.
Ward
is doing his best to heal this affliction. The failures of the previous
Government fall upon him and his Government. He is fighting to complete the
coal-fired railways. Work has begun on the railway to Waikokopu. Some people
are heading there and to other places.
Some
land close to Timaru has been bought on which people will be settled.
To
the Pakeha, unemployment is an affliction. To us Maori unemployment is
something to be valued because our farming provides for us. We still have some
excellent land which are coveted by our friends, the Pakeha. Those lands have
not been brought into production by us. Many burdens have been imposed on
uncultivated land – rates and taxes. The reason why we can’t find money to pay
the rates is that we don’t work the land to meet our expenses.
Many
Maori don’t work in the winter. Many play billiards or get drunk during the
week. But Pakeha are to be found in the billiard rooms or in the hotels only on
Saturdays.
People,
this affliction of unemployment is badly affecting the Pakeha. Let us stir
ourselves, think about it and be careful. One of the means of overcoming this
affliction of unemployment is land. Be warned, be watchful, lest the Government
having used up its own land stretches out its hands to take ours. It is land
that gives Maori status. Work that land so that it is productive and will be
said to be chiefly land.
People,
Pakeha are lamenting that there is no work. The Pakeha are brave. Presently,
because they are dishearted they will gradually encroach on our land. There is
nothing wrong with their searching. The Pakeha has the strong hand, they are,
after all, the power behind the Government.
Don’t
sleep! Get up! Let us work together with our members of Parliament. Do not
leave it to them alone to be watchful; we are in this together. A single needle
is useless, it rusts, it breaks. But if all the needles sew together the
clothing will be finished.
No-one
is going to protect us; it is up to us. God won’t; God doesn’t protect the lazy.
The Pakeha is not eager to take over Heaven, the home of God. But they are
eager to take over the land and homes of the Maori. Are you just going to be
dispersed? ‘Is God a relative of the foolish person?’ God is a kinsman of the
people who are alert, but a stranger to the sleeper.
Let
us think about this now while this affliction appears to be far away.
[1013]
THIS
SPECIAL MAORI LAD
Thirty
Boy Scouts are going to the Jamboree in England which starts on 8th June. There
is one Maori. He is Bob Haraki from here in Heretaunga. The Maori People are
fortunate to have one spokesman for
this, one of the smallest nations under the sun,
The
Jamboree is a gathering of young people chosen from all nations under the sun.
The objective is to affirm the ‘Peace Pact.’
Miss
Hutchenson, in her kindness, has made it possible for this Maori lad to go by
providing £100 for his ticket. She is a woman with an affection for the Maori
People. She is a daughter of Mr Hutchenson who was one of the elders who first
settled here in Heretaunga. Our very best wishes to this lady!
CONSUMPTION
THE
SOURCE OF CONSUMPTION
T
Wi Repa, MB, ChB.
(Continued
from Te Toa Takitini 93.)
[I
have seen the child of a person who has consumption and is coughing up blood
drinking water from the bottle previously used by the father. The father had
put the neck of the bottle into his mouth and the child did the same. I have
seen the man giving a bottle] of beer to his friend who also had consumption
and was coughing up blood. When his friend finished he then drank from the
bottle. Don’t do this. I have see a person who is healthy drinking from a cup
of water immediately after someone with consumption. Fifth: The breath
sucks in the dust containing the germs of consumption which the infected person
has coughed up. It dries and remains in the dust. When the wind blows it is
scattered. Someone breathes it in and contracts the disease. This is why an
infected person is told to spit into a bottle or onto a paper which is thrown
into the fire, or onto a strip of cloth which can be burned. Sixth: A
person may not look after himself; he may drink alcohol, he may get drunk, he
may sleep outside or in a damp place, or wear wet clothes for most of the day,
so that he catches a cold. If he behaves in this fashion he will get
consumption.
There
are some ways of identifying consumption, that is, there are, in English,
‘tests.’ That investigation will reveal whether a person has consumption. Even
though a person may look well, if the germ is inside him the test will reveal
it.
[1014]
There
are three tests. (1) ‘Von Pirquet,’ (2) ‘Calmette,’ and (3) ‘Moro.’ The ‘Von Pirquet’ and the ‘Moro’ were tested
here in New Zealand. In 1913-1914, 383 New Zealand Pakeha children were tested by
experts from the Department of Health using the ‘Von Pirquet’ test. Of those,
93 were carrying in their bodies the germs of consumption. Before the test all
the children appeared to be healthy. Soon after, in 1927, Dr Mary Champtaloup
of the Department of Health tested school children from Wellington and
Canterbury using the ‘Moro’ test. Of the Canterbury school children, 17 out of
100 were found to be carrying the germs of consumption. Of the school children
in Wellington who were tested, 10 out of 100 were carrying the germs of
consumption. In the Wellington Province some Maori children were tested. Of 100
Maori children 25 were found to be carrying the consumption germ. When older
Maori children were tested it was found that 50 in every 100 had the germ. Dr
Elaine Gurr , the School Boards’ Doctor in Hawkes Bay, says that a large number
of Maori children in her schools had been tested and were found to carry the
disease. I asked Dr Lambert, the Department of Health Inspector for the Tai
Rawhiti about consumption in his families, from ancestors, to parents, to
children and grandchildren and there have been many cases of consumption in
each generation. Were people to be tested with the ‘Moro’ test it would be
found that all have the stalks of consumption.
Of
people in New Zealand who have had Post Mortem examinations, it was found that
28 in 100 had the germ of the illness. Scars of consumption were found in the
bodies even though they died of a different disease.
We
see from this: First: Consumption is a more widespread disease than we
have been aware of. Second: Consumption persists, as is evidenced by the
scars of the disease in the bodies of some who have died. Third: The consumption
germ spreads everywhere.
the
‘Tubercle Magazine,’ May, 1928.
1.
Poor
people: When marae and houses appear to be poverty-stricken there will be many
with consumption.
2.
When
the houses and marae are kept clean and milk is boiled there will be few who
contract consumption.
(To
be continued,)
[1015]
NGA
MOTEATEA
PART
II
A
SUPPLEMENT TO ‘TE REO O AOTEAROA.
THE
WAIATA
191
– 200
[These
waiata, with translations and explanatory notes, can be found in Nga Moteatea,
Part Two, by A T Ngata and Pei Te Hurinui
Jones, Auckland University Press.]
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