Te Toa Takitini 100

 

[1021]

TE TOA TAKITINI

Registered at the GPO as a Newspaper.

Number 100.

Hastings

1st December, 1929

Let this Hundredth Edition

be a loving gift for Te Kauhanganui

This edition of your paper  is larger.

There is no Toa Takitini in January,

so that the two of us can have a rest.

Rejoice and be glad for Christmas

and the New Year.

The Editors.

 

Published by Rev P Hakiwai and P H Tomoana, and printed at Cliff Press, Queen Street, Hastings, HB.

 

[1922]

 

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.

1st December, 1929

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

The thoughts of many are looking forward to the time when we greet affectionately the Word made Flesh. Merry Christmas! It is a time of rejoicing, a time of great happiness. If a person does not give this greeting it is left to creation to pronounce it. Such is the immensity of this day.

Many perhaps will utter this greeting without knowing the real significance of tbose words. For us Maori, this is our understanding of the season and its meaning: (1) It is a time for a feast and for consuming a lot of food. It is time of celebration when we drink together. It is a time to show off the fine clothes we have bought with the fruits of the summer’s work. (2) It is also the ending of a year, particularly for the elders. They are grateful that they have survived for another Christmas. It is the signal and excuse for getting people together. People celebrating the day will make every effort to have the food of their choice.

But Maori are perceptive people. They know this: there is one thing thy reject, that is, being quickly satisfied with Christmas as a Maori gathering. They don’t go about shouting about Christmas. They are aware how serious an occasion it is. Their Christmases can be limited. Sometimes it will be just one man and his family who celebrate Christmas together.

But what afflicts Maori and Pakeha as well, who observe the customs around Christmas is that they leave out the essence, the Living Heart, of the observances of that day. They commit themselves to the worldly side – eating, drinking, and the crazy things, but they devote very little to the spiritual side – worship and praise, the sharing of peace, joy in the Spirit.

But some will say, ‘What is spiritual joy?’ Spiritual joy comes from knowing the things that make for real happiness. It is a joy that springs up within you; it is not something from outside you that springs up and comes out. It was spiritual joy that Hannah expressed when she had her son, Samuel: ‘My heart exults in the Lord,’ etc. [1 Samuel 2.1]

[1923]

David knew spiritual joy: ‘David danced before the Lord.’ [2 Samuel 6.16]  Simeon rejoiced spiritually ‘Lord, now lettest thou thy servant’ etc. [Luke 2.29] And the hosts of heaven rejoiced spiritually saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven’ etc. [Luke 2.13]

We see from this that spiritual joy means: PUTTING GOD FIRST AND YOURSELF AFTER. If this is done then all your observances of CHRISTMAS DAY will be right.

CHRISTMAS DAY: This is a happy day, a day for rejoicing at the birth of God’s Son into the world. There is rejoicing everywhere, from Heaven to lowest earth. It was a Feast observed from the time of the ancient Church right down to the present day, but not always on the same date. Clement of Alexandria said that some observe it on 20th May and some a whole month earlier. The Eastern Church observed it alongside the Epiphany, 6th January, because it was said that that was the day Christ was baptised. The Church of Constantinople turned the day back to 25th December, and this was adopted by other Churches including ours. But the Armenian Church still holds its Christmas on 6th January.

Although there were variations in the observance before, most of the [Western] Christian world now celebrates that Day on 25th December. So what are you waning to do on this 25th December? How are you going to celebrate your Christmas? This was what the Angels did: ‘Glory to God in the Highest and peace on earth, goodwill to all men.’ [Luke 2.13-14]  Although he was God he took upon himself the lowly nature of a person. [Philippians 2.6-8] He was born in a stable. [Luke 2.7] He was poor. [2 Corinthians 8.9] All this was done by the Son of God for your sake and mine. What have we done for him?

Shall we just be happy? That is perhaps not enough. Or should we  be like the Magi; we could spread gifts that give joy, or we could involve ourselves in the causes for which he came into this world? We present those gifts, those sacrifices, at the time of the Holy Communion. This is the great service on Christmas Day.

Greetings to you all! Merry Christmas!

REMEMBER ‘TE TOA TAKITINI.’

This is the last edition of the paper for the Old Year, therefore, our thoughts go to those who provide articles, those who take the paper. We remember also to send our greetings and many ‘thankyous,’ along with our love to you all for your many blessings At last many people

[1924]

are supporting your paper. The leaders of each Church and people who didn’t know that ours was a Maori paper have heard about it, have seen it, and have subscribed to it. Messages have heaped up – messages of thanks, words of support, hopes that the number of subscribers will increase, and messages appreciating the articles which teach, advise, direct, and explain, and which are sent directly to individuals, to hapu, and to people whether Pakeha or Maori, or they give explanations. It is by your greetings that we are blessed, therefore, we salute all of you.

Amidst the encounters with sadnesses and things which have caused pain to body and heart which we have suffered during the Old Year, we hope that all of you will be aware of the blessings of the Almighty during the days of Christmas and the days of the New Year from the Full Tides to the Ebb Tides.

Love one another. Families, hapu, tribes, groups, gatherings of people, let us have your unspoken ideas, your kind thoughts, concerning yourself, or about your group or others, for your newspaper, Te Toa Takitini, singly or together. It is up to you, or perhaps the Editors when they see it, whether the item will be made available to the nation.

It would be a great gift if you who take the paper could get five other people to take it. Without a doubt our treasure, which is highly thought of at this time, would flourish greatly.

Subscribers to Te Toa Takitini, this is your salutation to the country:

Bishops, Wise People, Spokesmen, you Elders of the many Maori Churches, Sir Maui Pomare, Sir Ngata, Tau Henare, Tuiti Makitanara, Rikihana, Orators from the Five Winds, the Rito Toetoe-mata, and the various ancestors - a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.

OTHER ITEMS

The new Governor of New Zealand is to be Lord Bledisloe. He will arrive in February, 1930. He is an expert in agriculture.

The Hon T M Wilford is relieving Sir James Parr as spokesman for New Zealand in England.

[1925]

We have heard reports that Byrd and his party have reached the South Pole.

The Maori of the Bay of Plenty have given the Government 6000 acres in payment for the rates owed on their lands, an amount of £25,000.

An English party is overseeing the German territory taken to pay for the expenses of the recent Great War. They are disturbed at finding that [the Germans] have abandoned 8000 children. The American party of 15,000 have moved on. How many children have they left?

McWilliam, Kingsford-Smith’s representative in the area, has said that the German aircraft used in the area have been passed on to other nations.

On 22nd December, Rev Rangiaho and Rev Moana were ordained as Priests, and Wanoa of Ngati Porou was made a Deacon, by the Bishop of Waiapu.

G K Chesterton says that if someone is very rich his worries also increase; they do not decrease.

Dean Inge said, ‘I hope that you will be very careful in choosing your occupation. The work that will be right for you is work that you can do very well, work that you enjoy doing, that makes you happy and joyful all the days of your life, because, in middle age work diminishes in importance and this thing, sport, increases the well-being of your body.’

We have heard that Dr Te Rangihiroa has been appointed Commissioner for the Cook Islands – Tonga, Rarotonga,  Samoa and Niue.

If he is free, it would be good if the Minister of Maori Affairs could go to Samoa to see if he could help Samoa which is groaning at the great pains inflicted on them by the rulings of the Commission. Perhaps by his sympathy and his Maori understanding he will be able to get to the bottom of that trouble.

We have heard the strong statements of Sir Maui and Ngata which are different from those laid down by their Governments but which are based on their Maori thinking.

As we see it, it is like the days of Te Whiti and Tohu, and so it is clear that it needs to be dealt with quickly lest this people get dispirited by the thought that the mana of their ancestors might be violated. If the violation is bad, then the wheels of the law should turn to set it right. If things are not clear to them then the Maori language and the compassion of the Minister might gently ease the sorrow on those Maori islands. One’s heart longs for the time when there will be one Maori language for the islands of The Great Ocean of Kiwa – the Pacific.

[1926]

Huata, Turi and the Minister have visited Mohaka to see the condition of the Maori lands before committing money to their improvement. That is good. Be strong, Ngati Pahauwera! Thirteen thousand pounds have been requested for your benefit.

LETTERS RECEIVED.

To Te Toa

Greetings. On 26th November the party from afar, the annual party, the party that inspires fear, the party of the Minister descended upon Tuhoe here. Ah ha ha! People shuddered.

The purpose of the visit was to involve the people of Matatua, Te Arawa and Waikato in the grieving for Arihia and her son, Makarini. They arrived on 26th. There was grieving at the marae. Everyone lamented.  The greetings were that night. The Minister outlined the business. The greetings being finished, the Commissioners proceeded with the business of consolidating the shares in Ruatoki 1, 2 and 3, and selling them to the Crown. ‘The Registrar, Anaru Tiweka, is here. It is up to you to let him know what you want now.’ After the Minister had spoken, people stood to speak of Tuhoe’s desires.

The main matter was requesting the Minister to make available mortgage money to all Tuhoe to help with farming, and the setting up of a group to act as a go-between between the tribe and the Board. The Minister agreed to this.

Although the Tuhoe titles had not yet been agreed, Tuhoe were keen to select their group so that they would have a strong and united voice like that of the Tairawhiti Group of which they had heard. This is the Group:

1.      Teihi Paerata

2.     Erueti Biddle

3.     Tamarehe Waewae

4.     Wiremu Tereina

5.     Tuiringa Mokonuiarangi

On 27th, the Minister of Maori Affairs opened the new Cheese Factory at Ruatoki. Many of the managers of the Cheese and Butter Factories from other places attended, along with the Member for the Bay of Plenty. An exceedingly large number of others were present. The important thing in the speech of the Maori Minister was his request that they deal honestly with Maori and not sell them bad cows, that is, cows that had been culled.

After dinner the Minister’s party moved on to Whakatane, to Ngati Awa. On that day Rua and his tribe

[1927]

assembled at Ruatoki. What an  arrival! How quickly was Ruatoki taken over.

Best wishes to the Editors.

Teihi Paerata

Ruatoki, 3/12/29

To the Editors of Te Toa.

My friends, best wishes to all of us. I have remembered the notice published in our paper; that this is the time to start gathering together the country’s Maori waiata. Therefore, the first thing I must do is praise the Maori Minister and his Group for their diligence and their efforts to bind in a volume the treasures of our fathers. But, Editors and all, who are bringing out the new Nga Moteatea, the waiata of some tribes are ascribed to a different tribe. And in the notes, it is said that the waiata is a song invoking curses on its own tribe.

A person would be ashamed to belong to these tribes given the explanations of some of the waiata. Now, my desire in writing is to express the hope that, before our treasure is put into book form, informed people from each of our hapu might meet with the Minister to discuss the waiata before they are published.

My friends, this is not a criticism but  the expression of a heartfelt concern that your weary work, your learning, your stout-heartedness, your efforts, which you are devoting to the country’s treasures, may result in an accurate book.

H Thomas

Ngati Te-Roto-i-te-rangi

Rotorua,  7/12/29

THE NAME ‘AOTEAROA’

To the Editors.

Greetings to the two of you. Blessing upon both of you who put together our paper. Kia ora.

It is obvious that the matter of this name ‘Aotearoa’ is important, therefore, I want to contribute this article. This name was given by the wife of Kupe who brought it from Hawaiki. She conferred it on this island – Aotea. This word ‘Aotea’ relates to the good heart of a man, one who devotes himself to growing food. When the food store standing there is full, it is called an ‘aotea,’and one’s heart is glad. It is the same as in the saying, ‘He ao-te-rangi ka uhia,’ An ao-te-rangi is spread over a person. When one is sheltered by a cloak it is called an ao-te-rangi.

Eventually reports arrived in Hawaiki saying that there was an abundance of food on Te Ika-roa-a-Maui [the North Island] – piles on land and piles in the sea. There was no need for hard manual work – the tide brought it to land –

[1928]

food for mankind, food for birds, food for all the reptiles. It was Kupe and his wife and the people with them who arrived at Pikiparie Island where they saw the food all heaped up. The island was full of paua, kina [sea-urchins], pupu [winkles], rimurimu [seaweed], tio [rock oysters], hapuku [groper], terakihi, and other seafoods. When they looked to the land they saw birds flapping their wings – the kuku [pigeon], the kaka [parrot], and other birds suitable for food. They called that island ‘Aotea.’ [Williams – one meaning of aotea is ‘food.’] They looked at the Hauraki Gulf which was full of kutai [mussels] and other seafoods, which led them to lengthen the name to Aotearoa [Extensive Food.] It was carried throughout the whole island in speech, and crossed to Te Waipounamu. The usage knew no boundaries, a spread which began from Hawaiki. The woman gave the land the name, ‘Aotearoa’; the man’s name was given to the ocean, ‘The Seas of Kupe.’ Their descendants call them by these names up to the present days.

So you of the houses of learning – Kapua Rangataua and Tuhitaare Heemi, the authority of the voice of the woman is from of old. It is right that the woman should name it. The woman welcomes the visitors and there is calm. The woman makes peace and it holds. Look at Te Arawa’s place for oratory. And at Hongi Hika’s battle – it was the voice of a woman that saved him.

Satan knew the power of a woman’s voice. He set about getting at the woman first and it was the woman who spoke to her husband, Adam, and they both fell into sin. When God sent the Spirit of Life into the world it was into the woman and Jesus Christ emerged. His coming was by way of a woman. Likewise, this name Aotearoa was given to this country by a woman.

Two important things were created by God here below – land and woman. From the land came food and from woman came the people who live all over Aotearoa.

When Kupe returned to Hawaiki he told everyone about everything, including the seafoods. He also told them the way they could all get here.

It was hearing of the seafoods that brought Toi-te-Huatahi here.  When he arrived he looked for food on land but could not find it. The berries of the tawa and the hinau had perhaps fallen by the time he arrived. Grabbing the tree he ate all of it, and so he got the name Toi Kairakau [Toi the Tree Eater].

About Aotea canoe. This canoe did not give us the name Aotearoa, No. Had the canoe given us the name of the land it would have appeared in this waiata: ‘Tainui, Te Arawa, Matatua, Kurahaupo, Tokomaru, Aotea.’ For another thing, if, as is maintained, Aotea sank at Kawhia, surely some place there would be named after it. But that ia not the case.

[1929]

My friend, Rangataua Keepa, you say that Taranaki is the haven of maoritanga. That is true - alongside other teachings that are not known about above or below. There is the teaching of Te Ua Haumene. That is dry. Then you have Te Whiti and Tohu. Now there is Ratana. At last, something different. He has five gods – the Holy Trinity, the Holy Angels and the man. Where are we!

Hakare Paraone

Ahumea, Coromandel.  19/9/29

To the Editor.

 

My friend, greetings.

With this letter I am sending a paper recalling the deaths of our young people. Perhaps there is space to print it in your paper, Toa Takitini. People know these three laments. They have been sent to us to pass on lest they be lost for ever. So we are sending them together with the memorials to our children.

The first lament written below (Paretu). It is by the mother of Rangiuia.  The last lament was written by Rangiuia. Not many people know this lament by Rangiuia.

Kia ora.

From Nopera and Tina Rangiuia

PO Box 22

Tolaga Bay

East Coast

In Memory of

Marie Marino who died at Te Ruapekapeka, Uawa (Tolaga Bay on 16th October, 1929, aged 12,

and

Mona Hine Tinaku Marino who died at Te Ruapekapeka, Uawa (Tolaga Bay) on 20th November, 1928, aged 23.

[1930]

THE LAMENTS OF THE PARENTS OF MATE AND MONA.

I weep, I say then that I shall release the two of them

My feelings well up in vain, his litters have gone.

So that I stand there on i te arorangi

The seed was impregnated on the lip/mouth/entrance of the wehe

Spread out on the taupiri, this is the red ua.

I speak out: ‘Hika, we stand up there.’

The answer came: ‘Cling to the rock of Whekenui,

That I might die like a man at the entrance to the pa.

But wait there until the driving paddle gets going.

.. Scattered indeed on the hiwiroa / long hill.

Who of Tukota was eaten by me

Your sin against me was great lest you haunt the one you love

Looking at a leaf turned over by the waters there

I am like a canoe impelled forward on the surface of the sea.

Let the shout ring out, without doubt it is Uwetonga.

The two you belong to Tamatanui, to Hikataurewa,

To Rongotipare, and so you have gone away.

                                                                        By Paretu

By day I wait anxiously here below

For those who have not returned.

Though the sun sets I still stand here on the shore.

While the tide slackened and recedes down the river valley

I am like one floating away on the retreating current.

I am opposite great Hauaiti.

You are opposite great Hauaiti.

There is Tutehurutea and there are you, my dear ones.

You are bailing and calling the time.

I hear you from Te Ruapekapeka

Fighting lest you come too close to the shore

And the canoe is hauled ashore

And you would be angry at me for climbing on board.

Who would believe that this is the day of death?

You bent your arms, you were not slow.

But you leave me feeling tired.

My bones are weary in this long time of scarcity.

Let me sit here, my dear ones.

Can a sneeze return to the nose?  [cf Nga Pepeha 566]

                                                                        By Rangiuia

[The above is mostly my translation. An alternative version of the waiata, with English translation and notes, can be found in Nga Moteatea, Volume I, Number 66. Rangiuia obviously made alterations to the existing waiata so that it could apply to their family bereavenents. – Barry Olsen]

[1931]

DAIRY FARMING IN TARANAKI

Much evidence has emerged and the world of work has suddenly  become aware that the tribes of Taranaki are away out in front when it comes to milking cows. We went there to wander about, and although our journey was unplanned we saw for ourselves and heard about the strength of this occupation and how the fruits of this work were being distributed among the remnant of Taranaki at large.

The young people who have grown up since the deaths of their ancestors Te Whiti and Tohu and their parents have grasped the opportunities offered by education.

Despite the prophesies they have heard and which some have seized upon, they are very grateful for what they have been able to observe and experience, and they are content to leave those prophesies in their sacred places to lie and ferment. Rather, they are willing to do what the voices of today are calling upon them to do and that is to work.

Since it has been easy to observe, we have seen clearly some of the ways in which to get money to help yourselves, and we have our Maori Minister in place even though Maui [Pomare] has stepped aside. It is right that Taranaki presses for appropriate help for young people preparing to go into farming. The New Year has dawned upon the country and we salute the strong example of Taranaki.

Be strong.  Also, support your own Maori paper as a voice, and as your pet.

Te Whiti, Tohu, Tahupotiki, their Children, their Grandchildren, the Tribe as a whole – greetings to all of you under the mana of your Parents and your Ancestors from the past!

Grasp the opportunities! Plug into what the time is saying: ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’ [Matthew 11.28]

MORIKAU FARM

We were very happy to receive the report saying that the tribal farms are doing very well. When the Minister of Maori Affairs visited Taranaki he also made a visit to Wanganui, and this was one of the matters laid before him. He also had many encouraging words to say to the young people of Wanganui about the working of that land. That block at first covered 15,776 acres and subsequently part of it was returned to the Maori. This block was divided into farms – Morikau Number 1, Ranana, and Ngarakauwhakarara.

[1932]

That block was given to the Board to farm, but the young people of Wanganui who undertook the work were unfamiliar with that work.

As a result there were many mistakes made in the management of that farm at first. Then questions were asked and the weaknesses of parts of the management were discovered. In recent years good things have begun to be achieved. The price received for wool has also increased which has been very good.

On March 31sr, 1929, the income was £32,133  6s  8d, together with the Aotea Board money of £7,189  6s.

However, the amount of £32,280  12s  8d was spent on improvements – fencing, forestry, sowing grass, supplying water, making roads, and buildings. The cost of livestock – sheep, cattle, horses and goats – was £16,196  13s. In addition machinery cost £849  9s  2d. The number of sheep on the property on 31st March, 1929, was 10,937. They were valued at £12,824  17s  0d. The profit from the sheep was £5,364  9s  10d. If the receipts from wool are added to that the profit rises to £10,197  3s  0d. The profit from cattle on 31st March, 1929, was £1,721  13s  3d.

So, we see clearly how the profits have grown under the new management. The hope is that the work will likewise continue to grow strongly. Four hundred more acres of forest have been felled this year. Five thousand acres have been cleared, and 6.907 acres are awaiting development.  Two thousand and fifty-nine people have an interest in this land. In recent years they have set up their Maori committee to run their side. They are very watchful and point out any things that distress them, and through their diligence many things have been cleared up which were not clear before.

THE BISHOP OF AOTEAROA

Taanga Manawa Tomoana.

Perhaps, Rangataua and the rest of you, will at last be able to negotiate a settlement about the name Aotearoa, and the Bishop will be able to sit down and rest his posterior! But how is this to be done! Keremeneta, you appeal to your Lord. Leave it with him to manage and work out, and pacify your people. It is a small thing to do if you want to sleep at night. But let us pray together that he be given – that there be poured out upon him – lasting strength, and that his vision may be clear, and that his work and his preaching to the people may be fruitful so that we may have the good fortune to come to a time when Maori will be united in taking up the paddle of the Faith. Our star is declining; what is shining out is the saying:

            Ka pu te ruha! Ka hao te rangatahi!

            The old net is laid aside; the new net goes fishing.

                                                                        [cf Nga Pepeha 1100]

We have a free hand on the marae given to stir us up.

 

[1933]                                                                                           

 

The words of their waiata apply to us:

            ‘We also are waiting here!

            What a terrible thing God has made!’ etc. etc. etc.

But if you think in this way, it is better to devote your strength and your mind to this village and this people, to focus on the running of these islands, and the meeting of the bishops.

This comes about because of the many motions of the Church of England world supporting the proposal that Aotearoa attends the Conference. This is an explanation of the things I have seen through my glasses. The Great Guides, the Captains of the New Century, are Sir Apirana Ngata for ‘Caesar’s’ side, and Bennett, known as ‘Aotearoa,’ for the spiritual side of the Maori People. He who is for ‘Caesar’ did not grimace when he was asked to be king of Samoa but he clenched his teeth wanting rather to stay among his people to busy himself with the cultivations [?paruarua] in the hope that they will grow vigorously in these remaining days of decline.

They complement each other. One is a Minister for Maori Affairs, and the other is a Minister, the Bishop of Aotearoa.

In their time Ngata is one and Bennett is another, and they shared the view that a Pakeha should not appear in the minutes, or [?tekina sic ?takina ?challenge] the outworking of that important matter. They came together satisfactorily in that cause. They congratulate each other, as do the people at large at this time. And they are both appearing on the country’s marae. This is wonderful.

So, this is the question:  When was this done? And who could have achieved it? The answer: Only the two of them.

THE TRAGEDY AT OPOUTAMA

During the first months of this year a man was killed while engaged in government works at Opoutama. He was enveloped by a rock fall in the quarry. The man whose name was Paraone had come from Hastings to work on the government project when he was struck down in this tragedy. Subsequently it took a long time for the government to provide compensation for his wife and their children. Eventually it was the perseverance of Bob Tutaki, the spokesman for the workers, who put forward the case that led to the government paying that widow and her children £1000.

Te Toa applauds this outcome. Kui and your children, hold on to your dignity in the face of this tragedy. You ‘father’ has died, but there may

[1934]

well arise from among your children a ‘New frond,’ who will be more fortunate than your husband from whom you have been separated on this sad path.

This shows the goodness of our fellow-travellers in every place no matter what tribe or hapu or Church they belong to and no matter what their family line is. Therefore, our Many Warriors, the readers of your paper, spread this attitude to our many marae, and help this one of your palisaded pa, to be a voice, a pet you carry about, for your many ideas as to ways to promote the enlightenment of the people, especially as concerns the Faith.

TYPHOID FEVER

We have heard that Typhoid Fever has taken a hold in Hastings and  throughout the country. Four people have been taken to hospital, but no-one has died. It has said that it is inoculation that has contributed to the mildness of this outbreak. The people of Hastings were urged to get inoculated. The hope was that people would quickly get themselves and their children vaccinated. Those who were aware of their vulnerability during the past three years had Dr Te Rangihiroa, the members of the Marae Councils and their nurses, come to inoculate them. However, Hastings and Te Ratana Pa had particular cause to be cautious in this matter. Therefore, it was pointed out that the Doctors, the Marae Councils, and the Nurses should be welcomed in the areas where this is the situation.

Despite what one hears about some Pakeha and Maori flouting this measure, if you have a concern for the people you will welcome this command.

‘TE MANU KAIRAKAU E PATUA I WAHI KE

TENA KO TE MANU TAUPUA E PATUA I TE KAINGA’

‘The leader of a party of tried warriors will be struck down elsewhere,

While the chief who lies in wait will be struck down at home.’

P H Tomoana

These proverbs were uttered by Pareihe shortly before he descended on Nukutaurua and the people of Heretaunga when they were being overrun by the many war parties of the country who were coming to take Heretaunga for their home. This elder spoke these fine words in a farewell speech. It is right that we should know by heart some sayings similar to these to rouse people if some of us do not have other ways of providing stimulating endings for our speeches. Under this heading one could speak of the escape routes available from the fighting pa where the tribes of Heretaunga were under attack and also

[1935]

those pa that the Heretaunga tribes were able to reach.

We are able to think peaceably of such sayings because we entered that part of the [old] year called Summer when beautiful flowers of all varieties are springing up [?whakatama-tane], our spirits are lifted by the joy of the time, summertime which skims over the world of the leaves of trees and the world of animals and the spiritual realm. One’s thoughts go back to the days when human mana was undisturbed, when one heard the sweet voice of the Great Forest of Tane and its signs of the days to come, and the elder’s thoughts were fixed on what he hoped for and his desire that there would grow amongst them watchful hearts for the nights of [?po kai], for the nights of [?po korekore], for the war parties that are coming, when the plants that have not borne fruit will be thrown away and the seed plants for the bad times to come are placed in the store-house.

These days are times when there is less work for them and those in their pa to do, when the remnants from each canoe can reflect on these remarkabe sayings about ‘the chief who stays at home’ and the chief who leads out his warriors.’ So let us seek to understand these words of explanation, beginning with the various pa.

Te Roto-a-Tara:

This was the pa of Rangitane and Tara when the two of them took over Heretaunga here. They were the grandchildren of Whatonga and Tangowhiti. This pa is close to Te Aute College. It is on an island in the middle of Lake Rotoatara. When the first pupils of that school visited that island they found peaches and grapes growing. They also found human skulls in the water at the mooring places. It is said that when that pa was besieged by the war parties, calabashes were submerged under the water so that human excrement would not get in. In that way they would get pure water in the calabash.

This pa adjoins the land given by Ngai Te Whatuiapiti, that is, by Te Hapuku, to Mr Samuel Williams for a school, Te Aute College.

As a result of contentions and quarrels over chiefly authority in Turanga, Taraia and Te Aomatarahi moved here to Heretaunga and one of the pa in which they lived was Te Rotoatara.

Otatara:

Rangitane and Tara were living in this pa when they heard that the father of Taraia and Te Aomatarahi was coming. Rangitane warned Tara, ‘These people who are coming are warriors.’ Tara replied with this saying:

            ‘Tutu te kahawai o Kopututea, ka whanatu Tara nei ka pao.’

            ? ‘When Kopututea’s kahawai fish stands here, then Tara will

            go away, singing a song of derision [pao -  sing or strike].’

This was a large pa. One can still see the excavations for the breastworks and the great area covered by that pa, an area of perhaps three acres.

[1936]

However it was captured by the father of Taraia and Te Aomatarahi. All the inland pa were taken and Rangitane fled to the Manawatu area, to Akitio.

Te Aomatarahi travelled south along the coast until he encountered Tara. One side attacked and then the other! Eventually Tara’s force was defeated and the authority over Heretaunga passed to Taraia and Te Aomatarahi, until the time of Te Whatuiapiti, descendants of Kahungunu, who were crowded together in Turanga.

Wheao and Te Rotoatara:

These two pa were occupied during the days of Te Whatuiapiti. Wheao Lake close to Te Hauke was the home of Te Hapuku, and it is where Hori Tupaea and Makuaiterangi live and the tribe of Te Hapuku. Te Whatuiapiti was a fine-looking and brave man. But when his wife, Te Kuramahinohino, was abducted fighting flared-up with Kahungnunu at Te Wairoa and he migrated to the Wairarapa. When he arrived there fighting went on between Rangitane and Kahungunu. Wharemauku was attacked, Waingawa was stormed, and there was a battle.

During the fighting at Wharemauku the bravery of Te Whatuiapiti was seen. Hikawera said, ‘Men, don’t let the fire burning there become ashes. Fetch it and we’ll extinguish it. Return our child [“at the ford at Hianga-nui yonder, there was this god rampant, rampant on high, beside the earth-oven wherein Tunui of Takaha was roasted.”]’ [The latter part of this sentence is the end of a Lullaby, Number 231 in Nga Moteatea, Part III, Page 134ff. The translation is by A T Ngata. He says that The Earth-oven of Takaha is a place above Te Pakipaki, Hawkes Bay.] Hianganui is a ford above Te Whakatu, close to Te Kohupatiki and above Tanenuiarangi.

When Te Whatuiapiti returned it was to Akitio following the descendants of Rangitane. Then he went searching and arrived at Marotiri to destroy the fighters there, some of whom were in Marotiri Pa.

Marotiri:

This pa is close to Porangahau and Otautane, a pa of Irakumia, a descendant of Rangitane.

He meet up with the party he was seeking beside the pa, whereupon he ran at the party forcing them into a small area with his knobbed spear. First, he drove through them from one end to the other. Secondly, he went to the side and again drove through them from one end to the other. The elders were amazed at Te Whatuiapiti’s bravery. Rangitane was defeated and fled into the pa. Irakumia called out, ‘Sirs, look at our nephew. He is coming to get me.’ Then Te Whatuiapiti asked, ‘Who is that? What distinguishes him?’ He called out, ‘I am a red-head. And my tooth sticks out.’

[1937]

He saw that his head would be cut off. His attacker came out calling, ‘There he is. Go and get him.’ Irakumia called down, ‘Come and fetch me.’ The other man said, ‘I shan’t come lest you kill me.’ The other said, ‘I won’t kill you.’ So Te Whatuiapiti came and handed over the head of Tupito. Then Irakumia offered his nose to Te Whatuiapiti and peace was made. So this proverb has been handed down to this day:

            ‘Te ihu tuku mai i te po.’

            The nose proffered in the night.

Te Whatuiapiti returned and arrived at Pukekaihau.

Pukekaihau:

Here he came across the Heretaunga chiefs, Tupokonui and Tupaka, marking out the boundaries of their village. They were surprised by Te Whatuiapiti and fled, crossing the Tukituki River below Te Waipukurau. They called out to Te Whatuiapiti, ‘We are no longer at peace with you.’  Te Whatuiapiti clutched his hand at them, calling out, ‘Give yourselves up. It is the heart of the toetoe mata [Carex diandra] of Hine-te-moa that is coming.’

It did not take long to cross over and capture and kill them. The crossing-place was called Tupokonui and Tupaka. He stayed in this pa and Moana-i-rokia close to Hatuma. He went from there to Ruahine.

Pohatunui-a-Toru:

He built this pa at Ruahine between Tukituki and Makaretu. While he was there Te Rangitaumaha got news of it and he instructed a messenger to go and make peace. He did not go.

However, he selected forty women and told his uncle, Te Aukamiti [Te Aokamite in Buchanan, The Maori History of Hawkes Bay.], to accompany them. As they were travelling, Te Aukamiti struck his foot against a stone. The group saw this as a warning of disaster and said that they should return home. Te Aukamiti called out, ‘I’m not going back because I’ve stubbed my toe! It is not as if I had broken my skull.’ His skull was indeed smashed at Matakakahi.

Te Matakakahi:

This pa is close to Omahu, the other side of Tutukiopaki, the old home of Irene Donnelly.

The party was treacherously dealt with at that pa. Tamahikawai remembered Te Aukamiti and realised that he had a desire to get revenge. Te Aukamiti called out, ‘Are you Tamahikawai?’ He replied, ‘Yes, that’s me.’ Then he invited him into the house. ‘When you see Te Whatuiapiti, tell him not to continue in this fashion, let us rather be united. “A sheaf untied at mid-day.” May he hear this with pleasure.

He meant that there should be no treachery in revenge for their

[1938]

deaths, rather they should quarrel in broad daylight, in the sunshine. (Text missing.)

News of the massacre reached Te Whatuiapiti and he wept for his elders and his sisters before heading for the coast at Kairakau. The pa there was Manawarakau. He slept there beside his wounded uncle. In the morning the Ngati Kahungunu party attacked. They were pursued by the great warrior, Tamahikawai. They crossed the river and came out of the bush where Te Whatuiapiti fell. Tamahikawai called, ‘Hello, you who have fallen there. Te Whatuiapiti responded, ‘Wait, and you’ll see the country taken, and the people who grew up there.’ Tamahikawai looked at him but did not seize him. He then called out, ‘Sir, come out and stand up. I have a message from your uncle, Te Aukamiti. When you see Te Whatuiapiti tell him not to continue in this fashion, let us rather be united. “A sheaf untied at mid-day.” May he hear this with pleasure.’ Te Whatuiapiti clenched his fist.

Subsequently he sent his uncle, Hikawera, to fetch the descendants of Rangitane from Tamaki [Dannevirke], Ngati Mutuahi and Ngati Pakapaka. Hikawera then said, ‘Presently I will be killed.’ Te Whatuiapiti said, ‘You will not be killed. Here is my nose which was given to Irakumia.’

That elder left. He thought he would be killed, but, having shared the hongi, he was spared. Those hapu set out and moved on to Roro-o-pipi. Aroaro-tahuri was a battle fought at Te Whanganui-o-Rotu, the lagoon at Napier. Soon after that, Te Whatuiapiti and his tribe attacked Te Rangitaumaha’s pa. Then Te Whatuiapiti took a rest [okooko sic - ? okioki pause] from using his spear.  Te Huhuti. The daughter of Te Rangitaumaha went and stood before those war parties and made peace. Kau-inanga at Te Wairoa agreed a peace settlement in that area. With that peace the massacre was avenged. The final utterance of Te Aukamiti was fulfilled. Te Whatuiapiti returned and settled permanently at Rotoatara and Wheao.

Te Huhuti wanted to follow Te Whatuiapiti. Her father, Te Rangitaumaha, would not agree. Te Huhuti ran away. She swam across Te Rotoatara and wanted to sleep with Te Whatuiapiti. But his mother did not approve, given the betrayal of the war party and the deaths of her brother and Te Aukamiti. So when Te Huhuti arrived in the house the old lady was angry and called out, ‘You’re living with a skinned eel! You are consorting with a carved image!’ [See Buchanan – op.cit.]

When [Te Huhuti’s] younger sisters were born they were named Hinehore [Skinned eel girl] and Hineteko [Carved image girl].

However, following the agreement there was lasting peace. The many chiefs of Heretaunga and the surrounding country as far as Turanga were gratified that they each had a lofty mountain [a strong fortress]. Tuhoe and many other branches could sing at this time. Kia ora to us all.

[1939]

Te Whatuiapiti’s standing increased in Heretaunga. It was said that Ngai Te Whatuiapiti was on one side of Keteketerau and Ngati Kahungunu on the other. This was how they referred to each other, but when they travelled outside their territory they were known collectively as Ngati Kahungunu, from the Wairarapa, to Heretaunga, to Te Wairoa, as far as Te Mahia.

Te Horehore:

This pa is close to Te Takapau. It was an awesome pa. Tangi-te-Ruru from Waikato tried to take this pa but, even though his weapons were guns, he could not do so. The people in the pa were Hawea Toataua, Ngaokoiterangi, Ngarangikahiwera, and Te Kikirioterangi.

Te Puketapu:

There are many aspects of this war, but what I personally relate to is the two women, one of whom was the mother of Taipua and Te Otene. News [of their capture] reached Te Rotohenga and he arranged for them to escape secretly and return to their people. Te Rotohenga, also known as Winipere, married Tini and they had Karaitiana Takamoana and Te Meihana Takihi. Afterwards he married Te Hira Whawhaopo and they had Henare Tomoana and Te Uamairangi.

This pa is close to Moteo and it has been attacked by Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Whiti, Rangitane and Ngai Te Upokoiri. The [?pae - ?leader] of the attacking tribes, Te Whatahui, fell in this battle. Of this battle, Te Kaioara a Hinemotuhia said:

At night I lie on my bed,

My girl, what meaning is there is my life now?

The liquid blood flows down

And lies hidden below.

Your brains will be eaten by Te Kauru,

The man who struck down your father.

You were left an orphan.

There are your lice feeding, Te Hauwaho.

My food is there at Ahuriri; it is Ngati Matepu,

Kahungunu’s party, and Ngati Kurukuru.

Let me eat and grow fat, let me gorge myself and vomit

At the roaring waters of Muheke where my friends are.

Don’t be defeated at the Tutaekuri River.

I have abiding love for the father you have left, beloved.

Having completed your life here you have disappeared

Like a flower to Te Reinga, to your father, and that is the end.

Motukumara:

This pa to the north of Omahu fell to Ngati Porou.

[1940]

The parents of Hohaia Te Hoata and Huare were carried off. As a result these families are of two tribes.

Tanenui-a-Rangi:

Meke was the [?pae - ?leader] of Ngati Porou involved in this expedition.

This pa stood in the undulating country beside the Ngaruroro River close to Te Kohupatiki. Peace was made with Ngati Porou by Ngarangikaunuhia, a grandson of Te Whatuiapiti. This is his genealogy:

            Kuramahinono     =   Te Whatuiapiti   =     Te Huhuti

                        |                                                                      |

            Te Rangiwawahia                                           Te Wawahanga

                        |                                                                      |

            Te Rangihirawea                                            Rangikawhiua

                        |                                                                      |

            Poho-o-te-Rangi                                             Te Manawakawa

                        |                                                                      |

            Hikitangaterangi                  =                       Tahatuoterangi

                                                            |

                                                Ngarangikaunuhia

                                                            |

                                                     Taanga

                                                            |

            Tini        Rotohenga  =   Te Hira

            ____|______         |_______________

            |                          |         |                                       |

Karaitiana        Meihana    Tomoana           Te Uamairangi

But we are supposed to be dealing with only one subject here and that is Pareihe. When he travelled to Nukutaurua, Pareihe stood brandishing his weapon. He wore a short piupiu. His taiaha, painted with red ochre, was in his hand. He was said to have been a fine-looking man, and dangerous with a weapon in his hand. When he finished brandishing his weapon he turned to the people and spoke these departing words. He said:

‘I offered my body as food for Ngapuhi, however, I returned alive. Now, all Heretaunga and all Wairarapa, get up and let us go. Leave behind our arguing over the possibility of dying a natural death. See my fire burning there at Te Whitiutu (?Roa rawa - Very long). Leave our home to be a marae to be fought over [?marae riri]. Let us go elsewhere where we will see the smoke rising on the land wind. But let it not be reduced to ashes, we will go and extinguish it. (Roa rawa). If we adopt this programme then Heretaunga will be our land. If you do not listen to me, Heretaunga here will be taken by someone else; the people will be lost, the land will be lost! Your ancestor said, ‘The chief who lies in wait will be struck down at home; the leader of a party of warriors will be struck down in a different place.’

[1941]

Tears poured down the faces of the people. Afterwards they sighed and agreed to go and accepted the plan. So Heretaunga was left as a marae to be fought over. and they migrated to Nukutaurua.

Okurarenga (Nukutaurua):

While those in front had stopped, those behind were still moving. The news came that Te Pakake [at Ahuriri] had fallen and Te Hauwaho and many of the Heretaunga chiefs had been killed. The descendants of Te Whatuiapiti were being laid waste by the war parties of Ngati Tuwharetoa, Ngati Raukawa, Ngatiawa, Waikato, and other tribes from the West. The [?pae - ?leaders] of Waikato were Ngati Tuwharetoa, Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Whiti, Ngati Tama and Ngai Te Upokoiri.

Te Pakake fell, and the news was that Pareihe had gone to Nukutaurua. The war parties went steadily towards Nukutaurua to catch Pareihe. Te Heuheu was the [?pae -  ?leader] of the tribes.

There was a great and prolonged battle. One side had the advantage and then the other. It went backwards and forwards. No-one slept, day or night. One side would press the other, then they themselves would be hard-pressed. The fighting moved to and fro. Presently, the defenders ran out of food, they tightened the belts around their waists, and were reduced to eating clay.

But despite the lack of food the pa did not fall, rather the war parties surrounding the pa helped the suffering pa.

That is, Te Heuheu saw what was happening. It was obvious to him that the pa could not be taken and he withdrew Ngati Tuwharetoa. When he withdrew, all the others who had been attacking the pa withdrew. The pa survived and was named ‘Kaiuku,’ [‘Clay eaters]. It was said that this withdrawal was Te Heuheu’s gift to Pareihe.

Whakawhitira (Waiapu):

Pareihe was still at Nukutaurua when Kakatarau came from Ngati Porou, who were disheartened, to ask for help to overcome the tribes coming from the north.

These were the words of Pareihe: ‘Sir, I have not had a night’s sleep; has that been the case with you? Have you not seen that the fires are still burning, and the people are still scattered on the [?tuara – back ?ridges]? Have you not seen that this is a very different village, a very different brow of a hill?’ Kakatarau said nothing, but glanced around him. After a time Pareihe recalled the great favour Ngati Porou had done for them in the peace agreement concluded by Meke and Ngarangikaunuhia at Tanenuiarangi which saved people’s lives, and he agreed to help. Where was this? It was in Waiapu where Tamanuitera and the many chiefs of Ngati Porou were gathered. An agreement was reached and they set out. Kekeparaoa was on one side and Tokaakuku on the other at Whangaparaoa-hauauru where Te Whanau-a-Apanui were defeated. He returned to Nukutaurua where the idea grew within him of reconnoitring Taupo and Waikato.

[1942]

 

This haka is perhaps by Tokaakuku and Kekeparaoa.

We heard from afar the fame of Pareihe.

The Eel Eater was coming.

My heart was afraid.

I was aware of the smell of people.

I was discovered within. I was discovered within.

Who has landed from far away

To destroy people,

To destroy people?

And where do the offspring flee to. pursued by Hongi?

They are brought here by Marama, and they move on.

They are brought here by Marama, and they move on.

He strikes them.  Hei! Hei! Hei! Ha!

He obtained powder and guns, some [?utu] of flax fibre, and other provisions. He had the idea of returning home. Increasingly he was contemplating travelling from Heretaunga to encounter the tribes that were to attack Heretaunga.

Omakukuru (Taupo):

He had not long returned home when Pareihe and his people set out for Taupo.  On the way they were discovered by some men of Tuwharetoa who had been sent out by Te Heuheu. When they arrived at the camp this group did a war dance. The wielding of the weapons and the manly stance of the warriors made them fearful.

Ngati Kahungunu’s Haka at Taupo

 

Moho?

O!

Moho?

O!

This is the morepork hooting

In the pittosporum tree!

Give me the prisoner to be bound

With the bonds of grasping Matuku,

To wither away to the place of departed spirits [te reinga].

E! To the tree [?weapon] of Haua!

E! To charge! A returning large black eel!

It belongs to Pawa, to the pigeon gliding over

The bowed neck!

A! A! A!

The earth shook. It is said that there was never a war party that came against Heretaunga that could compare with these hands and feet.

[1943]

The people who came were startled. (What were their names?)  Those two returned to Te Heuheu and said to him, ‘E! These people are invincible!’

When they arrived at the pa Te Heuheu went to Pareihe. He said to him, ‘Sir! I salute you, and I wonder at you. You have my word. I was aware of your coming. Now go. Return from here. This is Waikato. I am the seed kumara of Waikato; if you defeat me, you have defeated Waikato, for I alone am Waikato.’

Pareihe remembered Te Heuheu’s gracious retreat at Okurarenga and returned home.

Te Rotoatara Again.

Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Whiti, Ngati Tama, Ngai Te Upokoiri, and Rangitane were still occupying Te Rotoatara when Pareihe returned from Nukutaurua. There were two ways of getting there. One was by canoe along the Tukituki River, the other was by way of Te Ngaue above Pakowhai. This party met Paorikiriki of Ngai Te Upokoiri, struck him down and killed him. At Te Rotoakiwa they encountered those war parties who fled to Kahotea and Te Rotoatara. In the morning they stormed the pa in canoes and it was overthrown. Tanguru of Tuwharetoa died when a canoe overturned. He had fetched an eel fork, a mārau, [which caught in his clothes and unbalanced him – see Williams p.181]. Hence Ngati Mārau.

Kahotea:

This pa is inland close to Te Rotoatara, to the south-east. Outside that pa is the place where Te Momo died, in Waiata 41-42 in Nga Moteatea Part I. Karangi’s recriminatory song was directed at Te Wera [Pareihe’s Ngapuhi ally] and Pareihe. [In Moteatea the song is composed by Ahumai, the daughter of Karangi.]

I have been told that Te Momo was seen running with the boy (who was that?) on his back across the countryside, when it was decided that he should be killed. Karaitiana Te Kahuirangi, father of ‘Mutu’ (the old boys of Te Aute College will remember him), intervened to stop that happening. He said to leave it until morning when there could be fair play. He challenged Te Momo to a hand-to hand duel. Kahuirangi left behind his gun. They struggled together for a long time. And when most people realised that Kahuiarangi was being defeated, one man acted at random and hurriedly. This was how Te Momo died, a brave man, who did not die a natural death.

It was during these times that the Faith began to make inroads into  Nukutaurua and Heretaunga, and the tribes attacking Heretaunga began to withdraw. Pareihe returned to Nukutaurua and settled at Te Awapuni. He occupied himself at that time with learning and embracing the faith.

The story ends at Te Awapuni with him asking that their relatives be fetched and that Ngai Te Upokoiri  return. He also gave his final message to the people of the Wairarapa and Heretaunga: ‘Welcome! Return to your various fire-places. Put behind you these aspects of my life. Turn to the faith to find life. Go to what is yours whether it be short or long.

[1944]

This is your day, not mine. Heretaunga is your home. Your strong shoulders will bring you back. This saying is true: ‘The chief who lies in wait will be struck down at home; the leader of a party of warriors will be struck down in a different place.’ But the gift lying there will bring you safely back. Go, return in peace. Hold to the faith. Fetch your younger and older cousins living in the Manawatu so that you can be together. Te Rotohenga is in charge. Pareihe intends to live permanently at Te Awapuni. Koro, live as a father to the remnant of Heretaunga. These are the words of Pareihe. Be content with this. Permit me to return. The church has been built; permit me to return to build up the people.’

He died at Te Awapuni and it was said that he should be buried beside the church. However he was secretly carried to one of the  burial caves at Te Matau-a-Maui [Maui’s Fishhook – Cape Kidnappers]. It was on his second return from Nukutaurua that this church was built.

THE LOVE OF RANGINUI AND PAPATUANUKU

These are the days and night when food is plentiful or scarce during Kaiatea, that is, January when the star Kaiwaka appears.

This advice is about times when rain or no rain can be expected.

1-8 Between Tirea [the moon on the second day] and Tamatea-whakapau [the moon on the ninth night] there will be cold and rain.

8-15 Between Tamatea-whakapau [see above] and Rakaunui [the moon on the seventeenth or eighteenth day] the weather is changeable.

15-23 Between Rakaunui [see above] and Tangaroa-a-mua [the moon on the twenty-third night] the weather will not be very good.

23-31 From Tangaroa-a-mua [see above] to Te Whiro [the moon on the first day] there will be wind and rain.

Taharakau gave us the proverb:

            ‘E roa raro! E tata runga!’

            Below is far, above is near.  [cf Nga Pepeha 244]

There will be no ‘Toa’ in January, therefore we give you the forecast for the ninth month [Ruuhi-te-rangi] in this edition.

We give you the days and the nights when one may gather or not gather food  during Ruuhi-te-rangi [see above], i.e. February, when the star Uruao appears.

These predictions are for the days of rain and no rain.

7-13  Between Tamatea-whakapau [se above] and Rakaunui [see above] there will be rain and wind.

13-20 Between Rakaunui [see above] and Tangaroa-a-mua [see above] there will be good NNW winds and bad SSE winds.

20-28 From Tangaroa-a-mua [see above] to Mutuwhenua [the moon on the twenty-ninth or thirtieth day] Tawhirimatea will send good and bad winds.

The predictions for Hakihea [the seventh lunar month], i.e. December, the month of the star Rehua [Antares, the summer star].

16-23  Between Rakaunui [see above] and Tangaroa [the moon from the twenty-third to the twenty-sixth nights] there will be fine weather.

23-31 Between Tangaroa [see above] and Te Whiro [see above] there will be rain. Be careful during the holidays lest you get wet.    

DAYS IN JANUARY [From Williams’ Dictionary]

1  Tirea  [moon on 2nd day]           12 Hotu  [15th]                   23 Tangaroa-a-mua [23rd]

2  Hoata [3rd day]                            13 Atua [15th]                     24 Tangaroa-a-roto [24th]

3 Ouenuku [4th]                               14 Turu [16th – full]         25 Tangaroa-kiokio [25th]

4 Okoro [5th]                                    15 Rakaunui [17th]           26 Otane [27th]

5 Tamatea-kani [6th]                      16 Rakau-matohi [18th]  27 Orongonui [28th]

6 Tamatea-kai-ariki [7th]              17 Takirau [19th]               28 Mauri [29th]

7 Tamatea-aio [8th]                        18 Oike [20th]                    29 Omutu [30th]

8 Tamatea-whakapa [9th]             19 Korekore-whiwhia [21st]  30 Mutuwhenua [30th]

9 Maure [12th]                                  20 Korekore-rawea [22nd]   31 Tirea [2nd]

10 Mawharu [12th/13th]                  21 Korekore-hahani [23rd]

11 Ohua [14th]                                   22 Korepiri-ki-Tangaroa [23rd]

 

[The days in February begin on 1st with Tirea and continue through to 28th which is Whiro [the moon on the 1st day].

 

[1945]

LOOKING BACK OVER THE MAORI MEMBERS.  1867 – 1929

In 1849 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, but it was not until 10th October, 1867, that the law was passed enabling Maori to sit in the Supreme New Zealand Council. From that year until today there have been sixty-two years of sittings of the New Zealand Parliament. Our investigations have shown that the following Maori leaders entered the Parliament as spokesmen for the Maori People.

Waipounamu

            1868-70         Hoani Patihana

            1871-78          Hori Kerei Taiaroa

            1879-81          Ihaia Tainui

            1881-84          Hori Kerei Taiaroa

            1885-1911      Tame Parata

            1912-17           Taare Parata

            1918-21          Hopere Uru   (John Hopere Wharewiti)

            1921-28          Hape Uru

            1928-              Tuiti Makitanara

 

[1946]

 

Taihauauru

 

            1868-70         Mete Kingi Paetahi

            1871-               Wiremu (Te Kakakura) Parata

            1876-79          Hoani Nahe

            1879-84          Wiremu Te Wheoro

            1884-87         Puke Te Ao  (Died)

            1887-93          Hoani Taipua

            1894-96          Ropata Te Ao

            1897-1911       Henare Kaihau

            1912-29          Sir Maui Pomare

 

Taitokerau

 

            1868-70         Pererika Nene Rahera

            1871-75          Wiremu Katene

            1876-79          Hori Karaka Tawhiti

1879-84          Hone Mohi Tawhai

1884-86         Ihaka Hakuene

1887-              Wiremu Katene

1887-91          Hirini Taiwhanga (Died)

1891-93          Eparaima Mutu Kapa

1891-1908      Hone Heke  (Died)

1909-21          Doctor Te Rangihiroa

1921-29          Tau Henare

 

Tairawhiti

 

            1868-70         Tareha Te Moananui

            1871-78          Karaitiana Takamoana

            1879-84          Henare Tomoana

            1884-87         Wi Pere

            1878-93          Timi Kara (Sir James Carroll)

            1894-1905     Wi Pere

            1905-29          Hon Sir A T Ngata

 

Members of the Upper House

 

            1872-87          Hon Hone Mokene

            1872-87          (Died)  Hon Wiremu Tako Ngatata (Hauauru)

            1879-80         (?Koriwhai) Hori Kerei Taiaroa

            1887-97          (Died)  Hon Rapata Wahawaha  (Tairawhiti)

            1898-1904     (Died) Hon Henare Tomoana  (Tairawhiti)

            1903-10          (Resigned) Hon Wherowhero Mahuta Potatau

            1912                (Died) Hon Tame Parata  (Waipounamu)

            1913                (Resigned) Hon Wiremu Kerei Nikora (Hauauru            1913-29          Hon Tikehana (Taitokerau)

 

From the time a Maori entered to the present day there have been many questions about whether it was good or bad to have Maori in the Colony’s Parliament. Many regulations and laws passed by the Parliament  have been onerous for the Maori People and Parliamentary provisions have been seen to have been good for some people in their effects and bad for other groups.

[1947]

But the remarkable thing when one looks into it is how the areas have elected their members in that they have strongly chosen young people as their guides and spokesmen in each area.

Look at Te Waipounamu. Beginning with Tare Parata they have continued to choose an educated young person to be their voice in the house. There have been Hopere and Hape Uru down to Tuiti  Maketanara.

Maui Pomare has held the Taihauauru seat.

In the Tai Tokerau, Hone Heke began the chain of young men down to Te Rangihiroa and Tau Henare.

On the Tai Rawhiti  has held the seat from 1905 to the present day. Those who have contested the seat were Wi Pere, Mohi Te Atahikoia, and Ihaia Hutana, the elders and the young people in those days.

Sir A T Ngata has served for twenty-four years as member for the Tai Rawhiti and he has been promoted to the highest office relating to Maori, that of Minister of Maori Affairs. No other Maori member has held this office. That one of us has been chosen for this important office bodes well for the Maori People in the future. Although they are few, the generation of young people are coming to the fore.

Sir James Carroll has held the seat for the Pakeha electorate of Gisborne and has even been Acting Prime Minister.

Sir Maui Pomare has served in the office of spokesperson for the Maori People and Minister for the Cook Islands. But Maui was also appointed as Minister of Health for the whole country, and in the Coates Government he was appointed [?Ianga – sic]. Dr Te Rangihiroa also held the post of spokesman for the Maori People during his short time in the house.

But having a spokesman for the people started with Mahuta when he entered the house.

Tareha said, ‘The night is for sleeping. The sun wakes us up.’

Karaitiana said, ‘That’s no good! English makes it easy!’

During the time of Henare Tomoana the Hall Government was elected and he was given part of the duties of the Maori Minister. He asked to be given separate authority over Maori lands (at that time seven million acres) but the Government did not permit this. Then he wondered what was the good of having this office but no authority. He urged his Prime Minister to give him that authority but it was not forthcoming, and then the Government was overthrown. Having been advised by the opposing side

[1948]

that they would consider his proposal if they became the Government, he went over to the opposition and Hall’s Government was defeated. But that Government only lasted perhaps two weeks before it fell. So the important news about that Government was its short duration as a result of the actions of that elder, the good things and the bad, his determination to deal with issues around the people’s lands that had been wrongly taken over by the Pakeha and the Government officials in former times. But he saw the awkwardness of his situation in that house so he composed this song:

Now I am sitting in Parliament,

Warming myself on entering the Queen’s Houses.

The Houses in which were made

The wicked laws for the Maori People.

The people [there] live in [?totohu - ?drowning] ‘fairyland.’

They wander aimlessly in [?kekewha – ?silent] ‘fairyland.’

They are the canoes that bring disasters for the Maori People.

Taiaroa is the head of the members.

He it is who brings forward motions for the whole country.

He is loved by the people of the country.

Te Mohi Tawhai was elected

Member for Ngapuhi and seeks their well-being.

The vote on the bill is brought forward.

It would compensate for the suffering of the Maori People.

My companions and I stand to speak.

We all think the same.

But money talks and we are defeated.

There you are sending gazettes

To the head of the land courts.

There sit those opposing claims to land.

That is the power that extinguishes

The great mana of the Maori People.

And so, people, your members are helpless.

I am deaf and dumb and my eyes are blinded.

We stand cramped in the house.

We stand naked on the field of battle.

Our tongues chatter within.

Grey has proved not to be a friend

To the Maori People who are seeking to survive.

He it was who troubled Te Atiawa.

He it was who carried Te Whiti from Taranaki.

And he it was who devised the rates bill.

He is the steward, the representative of the Queen!

 

[1949]

 

Wi Pere said, ‘Grow corn on the land.’

James Carroll, when the Pakeha were in a hurry to permit the buying of Maori lands and to have Maori and Pakeha under the same laws, said, ‘Wait a bit!’

A T Ngata said, ‘Work hard on incorporating land and on consolidating people’s interests in the land.’

These are the powerful messages resonated in the country’s four electorates, and particularly strongly on the Tai Rawhiti.

For twenty-four years this has been the message to the Tai Rawhiti. During these years Ngata has been made Minister of Maori Affairs and he has become the elder, not just for us, but for the whole country and he is giving us the same message. Now he has been made a Government Minister in a rather shaky Government. So it is right that the whole people devotes itself to appealing for everything – money, decisions, thought for our physical well-being, and actions to settle the land or put us in possession of the land.

‘Don’t go back for a stubbed toe; it is not as if you had a cracked skull.’ Now some of our members and our associates are waiting to be allocat6ed jobs. Maui, Tau Henare, Tuiti Makitanara and Te Raumoa and his children who are part of the Wellington Group, are eager to help the people.

Those who are strangers may ask, ‘What is this Wellington [Whanganui-a-Tara] Group?’ You should know that is is a group of young people who live in Wellington with Witako as their elder. They are your local people [tangata whenua] when it comes to all you want when you come from the four winds bewildered to Wellington with all your ideas. That group will become your own local people when it comes to the important things you want.

In Te Waipounamu there is the Murihiku Group. In Whanganui there is the Te Aute College Old Boys’ Association. In Gisborne there is the Y[oung] M[aori] P[arty]. In Te Wairoa there is the Te Kahungunu Welfare League. In Hastings there is the Heretaunga Group. The Matatua Group has also been set up.

These groups have been established with the idea that the young people have gifts which will benefit the people.

We observe that across the board much progress is being made in every way, although [these groups] have been set up independently in each place. It is right that hopes are fulfilled and that many warriors are involved in each way, in each project, in each village, on each marae,

[1950]

and wherever people gather. We can look at the progress of the faith. At last we see most of the top posts being filled in all parts of the Church’s work, whatever the denomination. People are thinking more and turning their hearts to spiritual things. There are Bishops in the Church of England, the Catholic Church, the Seventh Day Adventsts, and the Wesleyans; the Mormon Church has a President; the Ratana Church has its Spokesman [Mangai]; the Ringatu Church has a Bishop; and other Maori Churches have sprung up amongst the people. All these are signs of the people’s progress.

There are also clear indications that the time is coming when we shall all be united. But at present it appears that one Church hopes that the others will all join that Church.

The captains of these spiritual canoes are agreed that it will be right for them to come together if they can agree on the basis of the clear words of Scripture, but here we see grounds for contention, and bother, and dreams, and disputes over the clarity of the way to achieve what is right.

Our captains are mature when it comes to these and other issues relating to the people as a whole or to individuals. Therefore, it is good to meet on a marae that can act as a go-between. Therefore, you, my ‘Many Warriors,’ make every effort to set out your insights with regard to the way in which we, the people at large, can wield our paddles together so that we don’t find the seas of Tangaroa casting ashore the Canoe of the Faith while the sun shines.

The elders who have gathered in the afterlife, hoped for, longed for, the fruit we have not seen despite the Scriptures, or the Treaty of Waitangi, or the Self-determination [Mana Motuhake] they desired: the genuine accommodating Self-determination has not been realised. Perhaps the bird in the hand has been lost and we long for the one that is sleeping in the bush?

The children and grandchildren are in charge today. Work the remaining land! Redeem the time! Climb up from below with a humble heart! Be glad when you ascend above the horizon.

This is the accommodating Self-determination supported by some of your parents and ancestors. One part of their effort was to achieve Absolute Self-determination. They had these two demands arising from their Maori version of the Treaty of Waitangi. They devoted their days and years to the struggle for this. They went as a people to each hui wasting time, food, money and land.

In these days you know who your captains are.

[1951]

We gather on a neutral marae where we deal with issues that will make for a better tomorrow.

You have gone ahead, you have launched out on a very clear path. Be strong, be clear, take off the coverings of the eyes that obscure the concerns of the body and the mind. Write down the things that you see are wrong, but devote your efforts to blessing, to working the land, and also to exercising your muscles and your brains so that you will live a long life to tell the good news of the Almighty and of Farming, and you will see beautiful fruit.

Perhaps by the voice of the time, or by encountering ideas and visions, or perhaps by working in the above way, you will bring gifts to the people. It is these footprints, these flowers, these encouraging indications of the progress of the people, that show that we are responding to the voice that calls an teaches us in these days: ‘Rise up, people! Grasp the opportunities! Be strong!’

It is sixty-two years since Maori entered the New Zealand Parliament, and I trust you will reflect on this and choose the ways which will bring blessings, which will not waste our treasures, which will incorporate the useful learning of the Pakeha along with chiefly thinking, the right figures, and the beautiful letters written from the Christian viewpoint.

It is clear that we must seek out what has been done wrong and what has gone wrong in the past so that we will get closer to finding the medicine which will cure what is wrong in Parliament in the coming days.

            ‘Ka put e ruha! E hau te rangatahi!’

            The old net is cast aside! The new net goes fishing.’

                                                            [cf Nga Pepeha 1100]

THE MASTERS’ QUESTIONS

1.      What is the attitude of the Pakeha to the Maori of your village?

Thoughtful Pakeha express surprise and they help?

2.     Are Maori, men and women, who work for Pakeha reliable and is their work satisfactory?

For shearing and for summer work such as harvesting, yes, they are very reliable.

3.     What do the Maori in your village think of the activities of the tohunga?

In this New Century, we do not agree to them working with those who are ill. As to some of their other activities,

we just wonder.

[1952]

4.     Are uneducated Maori maltreated by (a) Educated Maori? (b) Pakeha?

No. But there are a few black sheep in the flock. The leaders of the people are making every effort to outlaw such practices, and to ensure that people are well brought up and listen to words of guidance.

5.     What is the attitude of the Maori of your village to agriculture – farming, dairy farming etc.?

Everyone is eager to be engaged in such work.

6.     How many Churches are there in your village?

Perhaps five! Church of England, Catholic, Ringatu, Mormon, Wesleyan, Ratana.

7.     Which Church is disrespected by Maori?

None. [Ana ano rauti sic] the purpose of the question? Formerly the Ratana used to call all Churches other than their own ‘black sheep.’ But that attitude is not expressed much now.

8.     What do Maori in your village most want their children to be taught?

They want them to get some of the ‘grit’ of the Pakeha. The Pakeha are stout-hearted and informed when they get involved with the ups and downs of farming.

9.     Are Maori children keen to learn school-work.

Yes. But it depends on how those things are presented.

10.  It is said that today’s Maori schools are teaching Maori children to be like bad Pakeha despite there being good Maori. What are your thoughts about this?

This is the first time I’ve heard this said. I think it is wrong because it in no way appears in the instructions given to those who have qualified as teachers that they should be so. It is perhaps people’s imagination.

11.   Do you think it would be a good idea to appoint a Maori to the department that runs the Maori schools?

Yes, it would be very good provided the Maori who took the post was well-qualified, knowledgeable, and obliging.

12.  Why do you think that?

Because the  Maori heart is quick to understand the words or the actions of Maori and their desires, an the reason why they have such desires.  The Pakeha doesn’t have a Maori heart.

[1953]

13.   Do you think it is good that Maori children are taught technical skills rather than academic subjects?

Yes, but before this happens, the child’s intelligence should be carefully assessed before he is placed in a particular occupation or class, so that the occupation is the right one for him, even if he is only an infant with an infant’s ideas, because a child can be aware of such things.

14.  Do parents really want their children to be well educated?

Certainly we want our children to be taught in that fashion.

15.  Are they determined to urge their children to get a good education?

Yes, we are very determined to urge our children to pursue knowledge.

16.  What things are wrong in our schools that prevent our children from learning quickly?

In some of our large schools great importance is placed on playing football, because that group or family, called footballers is seen as refractory. I heard our Headteacher, Mr John Thornton, say that his Hindu pupils (when he was teaching in India) were very intelligent and did not participate in such pastimes.

17.  How do you think we can accelerate learning?

The teachers should devote their efforts to getting the child to concentrate on his work and understand it, and the teachers should be good. The teaching and the work done at home makes a good nest.

There are many sacred places and sacred things in the Whare Maire and the Whare Wananga [Houses for instruction in sacred lore].

18.  Would you like to see the Maori language taught in the schools?

Yes, but only as part of the curriculum, just as a flower for the growing ones.

19.  Do you think it would be very good for the teachers to learn the Maori language?

Yes. By knowing well the Maori language one could facilitate someone’s learning.

20. What are your thoughts on the advantages of Secondary Schools for Maori?

Very good. There are perhaps some pupils who are very intelligent, and if we provide schools for them to go to, there will be places for such intelligent children.

[1954]

21.  Is it best in the opinion of the Maori People to still have Maori teachers in Maori schools?

Yes. That is excellent. These are important marae on which Maori who have acquired the qualifications can use their skills. It is good to know that you are teaching your own people to be equal to Pakeha and to know Pakeha ways.  Desire and ambition are fostered within when a person thinks in this way and is committed to the good work of teaching. Teachers are also a great help to parents.

22. Would it be a good thing to set up some Maori schools for pupils wh0 live in remote places where they can stay for five days a week?  

Yes. If the thinking at the time is favourable it could happen quickly. Everything should be taught appropriate to the time whether it be to fight, to work, or to cogitate on some matter. If everything is properly set up then it will produce mature young people.

23. Teachers in Pakeha schools are saying that teachers in Maori schools are inferior to them?

I have not heard this said. This is news to me, but if it is happening it is wrong.

24. Would it be very good if the Government set up some Secondary Schools and Universities for Maori pupils?

Yes. It would be excellent and would have that name. Were that to happen a young learned person would subsequently emerge and be recognised as a wise person, and people would ask, ‘Where does that young person come from?’ In this way the name of The Maori University would perhaps become known.

25. What occupations would be open to our young people when they graduate from secondary or tertiary schooling?

It would be the outcome of the professions they were taught or wanted to follow while they were at those colleges. If they were to return home, when they were mature, then the tribe could point them to an occupation which would satisfy them materially and spiritually.

26. What is a suitable occupation for Maori girls at that stage?

A good education and a good occupation for girls is one that will help them grow into maturity, and become good leaders, and have self-respect.

It is right that they should consider marriage, but in cases that can be restricting, they can be treated as servants, or be regarded as being ignorant, no matter how competent they are. Therefore, I think a girl should seek to support herself as a nurse, a doctor, a seamstress, a clerk, a singing teacher, or other occupations open to women. All these are there if you respond to a call, to you as a woman and to me as a man.

[1955]

But are there not women who are good at such work, who when they get their qualifications are derided by their circle of women?

This is a time when knowledge in all areas is increasing. Therefore, I say, kind hearts should be open to girls entering upon work and jobs in which they can earn their own living by their own competence and skills. It is wrong that girls should grow up to be servants and slaves to men. That is something that in these days we must talk about to each other. So, if a husband treats his wife as a servant, as their cook and nurse, their daughter when she grows up will also be expected ‘to attend to all business’ [In English].

Is that to be her lot [?ioti]?

MAORI ILLNESSES AND MAORI CURES

You must thank T L Earnshaw and Henare Ahuriri from Tokoroa and their many friends who brought together these explanations of the illnesses and the helpful medicines of the Maori. Let us not lose these explanations. It would be good if they could be picked up by teachers of chemistry and medicine, so that we are not tied to the school learning of Pakeha times and their rules, and that they could be licenced and the old-time knowledge registered.

We see how advanced the people were from their use of herbage and sap for healing people’s illnesses, and so we thought to help by making you aware of these treasures.

There are many among the people who know the remarkable practices of those who have departed, such as incantations for snaring birds, catching eels, planting food, as well as the calls of many birds which tell us about days to come, whether they will be good or bad, or years of plenty or years of famine. What is wrong with publishing them lest they be lost?

Stomach Ache

The remedy is koromiko [hebe salicifolia]. Chew two or three pieces of the heartwood in the mouth then spit it out.

Bad cuts and chapped hands or feet.

The remedy is miro [podocarpus ferrugineous]. Cut the tree so that the gum flows. Spread it on the cut or chapped hands or feet. Coverit with a flax dressing.

Hair Loss

Take the seeds of the karo [Pittosporum crassifolium], pound them in a mortar until oily. Rub this on the head and the hair will grow

Problems of the Chest and the Breast.

Using a pestle and mortar, pound the bark of the koihu [pittosporum tenuifolium]. Then leave in water for several hours before crushing it in the water. Then wash the chest and the breasts with it. The water is good as a drink.

A Minor Burn

Smear it with karaka [corynocarpus laevigata] oil. Put the leaves over it and wrap it up.

When Wounds are Bleeding and Cuts.

The grass is patiti [microlaena stipoides]. Masticate it then stuff it into the wound and put on a dressing.

Influenza

The shrub to use is manakura [melicytus nicranthus]. Crush the outer bark. Put it in cold water and drink it. When one sees a change in the colour of the leaves it is a sign that influenza is about. Therefore, begin taking that medicine immediately.

Head Ache

Put the fresh leaves of the wharangi [brachyglottis repanda] in boiling water for several hours, then drink the water. This is also a good treatment for when one suffers a first attack of asthma.

Tooth Ache

Use the bark of the mapou [myrsine australis]. Wash it and boil it. Squeeze out the water. The leave it in the mouth to get rid of the tooth ache.

For Cleaning out the Bowels, Wounds, and Chapped Skin.

Use harakeke [flax – phormium tenax] as a purgative. The exudation may be spread on wounds and chapped skin.

Sores causing Pus and Boils and Abscesses.

Take the lower young branch of the mamaku [Cyathea medullaris – edible tree fern] and strip off the outer layer. Scrape the inner layer onto a dressing. Warm it up and place it on the sore. Itr is good to change the dressing every four hours

The liquid is good for washing the stomach after the birth of children.

Disease of the Throat – Quinsy – Suppurative Tonsillitis.

Rub down the [?paiwhara] grass. Leave it in water for an hour. Then pour it into the mouth and throat to ease it [?gargle], then spit it out to cleanse the throat.

Bladder and Kidney Problems.

Soak the leaves of the whau shrub [houname] in boiling water for one or two hours. Squeeze out the water and drink it according to the severity of the illness.

To clean Skin Problems or Bruising.

Pluck fresh new leaves of the ngaio tree [myoporum laetum]. Boil them in water

[1957]

for one or two hours. One can then use it to wash or dress the rash or bruising.

A Broken Bone.

The best thing to do in this case is to call the doctor. [? If the skin is intact on the side opposite the fracture that is good. A splint may be placed on the outside skin, but make sure the splint is shaped so that it fits any joints.   The outside skin should be massaged so that it is soft. It can be placed in water for a longtime and the fracture washed in that cold water.]

Stomach Pains

Use a pestle and mortar to soften the inner layers of the pukatea tree [laurelia novaezealandiae]. Leave them to soak for a long time in cold water. Drink the water.

For Sprains [or ?maunu].

Boil together the leaves of the manuka [leptospermum scoparium] and the pohue [calystegia sepium et al]. Use the water to wash the place.

Urinary Incontinence

Boil together equal amounts of the inner bark of the manuka and the root of the [?kawaka – phyllocladus trychomanoides or ?haloragis erecta], and drink the resulting liquid.

Goitre

Eat the edible seaweed, parengo, which some call kaerengo [porphyra columbina] as one normally eats if.

For Burns, either by fire or by scalding.

Boil the leaves of the makomako [aristotelia serrata] until they are very soft.  Wash the burn down then place the outsides of the boiled leaves on the burn, but [?first] put ointment on it.

Improving the Urine.

Take equal quantities of karamu [coprosma robusta] and kawakawa [macropiper robustum], boil for an hour then drink the liquid. It is said that this is an excellent remedy.

Typhoid Fever

Give the patient harakeke [phormium tenax] during the illness. Also provide him with the sap of the horopito [?pseudowintera axillaris or ?alseuosmia macrophylla] which has been mixed with water and boiled. Have the patient drink some of this three times a day, soon after the harakeke has done its work.

Threadworms in the Bowels.

A good remedy is to take equal quantities of the roots of the toetoe [used of various grasses], the tataramoa [brambles and bush lawyer], and pirita [supplejack and similar plants], mix them in warm water and drink a little of this in the morning.

For a Lazy Person who lies ill in bed for a long time.

Give the patient the sap of the turepo [paratrophis banksia] mixed with water to drink, and he will get some energy.

(These are the remedies.)

[1958]

The new Bishop of Waiapu and the Bishop of Aotearoa have announced their decision that they will not attend the 1930 Lambeth Conference.

AFFECTIONATE GREETINGS

We are about to enter a new year, therefore we want to thank those who have contributed articles to the paper, but we must especially thank Dr Wirepa, R T Kohere, Tuhi Taare Rangataua, Te Taite Te Tomo, ev Eruini Tikao, Ihaia Hutana and Dr Te Rangihiroa. Best wishes to you all for the New Year.

AMIRIA HAS DIED

Amiria, the widow of Nepe Te Apatu, of Waipawa died on the evening of Sunday, 15th December. She struggled with her illness for a long time. She showed great determination in fighting this serious illness. It was only after she reached old age that the illness became chronic. Farewell, Kui! You reached the figure laid down by scripture and went on to exceed eighty years. You were amazingly strong.

Go in the confidence [lit powerful hand] of your eldership. Much gratitude and wonderment have been expressed about your strength and your kindness in relationship to the activities of your siblings which were left for you [?koutou] to carry out recently.

We convey our love and our sympathy to your family and your grandchildren. Your many marae are filled with beautiful men and women. Go in peace and love.

Leave it to the voice of Te Toa Takitini to carry the voices of your children and your grandchildren to your many marae throughout the country, to your many lines of descent in various places. Your many relatives, and those to whom you have shown kindness, when they hear the news, will come with the abundant tears that are being shed for you.

Go to Te Kakakura, to Taipua, to Taitoko, to Te Whiti, to Tohu, to Te Wherewhero, to Te Kani-a-Takirau, to Wi Pere and Pitau, to Huata, to Te Wainohu, to Whaanga, to Kereru, to Te Heuheu, to Taiaroa, to Tamahau, and to your many relatives who have gone before you. Disappear, Kui, beyond the horizon!

Your pets are growing. Before many days the new net will be really fishing. The children will be elders. The grandchildren will be grown up. Farewell, in the importance and greatness that your people have conferred on you. Farewell! Farewell! Farewell!

            Tears pour from my eyes

            At her departure.

            We blame Maui for those holes,

            A myriad of holes.

            Give me a lashing for the canoe’s bow-piece

            So that I can fix it on. (That is sufficient.)

                                                            Te Toa Takitini

[1959]

THE WAIATA OF PAREIHE AND THE LAMENT OF PATUKAIKINO

The waiata to Te Wera and Te Whareumu at Taanenuiarangi

[I can usually rely on my four volumes of Nga Moteatea and my several dictionaries for help in translating waiata, but none of them helped me to make sense of the brief passage from Pareihe’s waiata, so I shall just reproduce the Maori text! – Barry Olsen]

Kaore te po nei te kaikainunui

Ko Te Wera Hauraki i konei maua.

Maaku e iri atu ki tenei awe tukituki papa,

Ki tenei awe pu-mahuru, maaku anake ko era.

The writer says that when it is sung the name of Te Whareumu is substituted for that of Te Wera Hauraki.

PATUKAIKINO’S LAMENT FOR HIS FATHER

My Magellan Clouds, my mana in the heavens!

Farewell, Koro.

You are elevated above Pukekaihau,

Te Matau and Te Whitiotu.

You have given Kekeparaoa and Toka-a-kuku.

When you return it will be to Omakukara and Rotoatara.

The land is laid bare!

Lie there, Koro, within Te Awapuni

To listen to the roar of the sea,

Your skin moistened by the cold water,

Carried by the winds of Heretaunga.

Wi and you others, trying unsuccessfully to catch the south wind,

Weep!

Grieve for the one you loved!

This day the fish goes forth from his cave.

 

[1960]

AN INVITATION

To the tribes, the hapu, the nobility; to the powers to the voices, to the assemblies of people; to the remnants on each marae of Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu.

Greetings to all the tribes living on the marae bequeathed to you by your ancestors over past years.

This is an invitation to you to come here to Waimate on 12th January, 1930, to the hui to celebrate the centenary of Te Waimate.

1.      During 1830 the Faith was set up in Te Waimate, the central pillar, from which the Word of God was distributed to  the country’s marae. Agriculture and sheep farming began at Te Waimate; the first of the Queen’s Highways was made with its bridges from Kerikeri to Te Waimate; Secondary Education started at Te Waimate. This will be a Hui at which the country will remember the centenary of the Home Marae which gave birth to these great treasures.

2.     It will also be a hui during which the whole country, Maori and Pakeha, can praise God for the blessings of the past one hundred years. In 1814 the Faith arrived at Oihi; in 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed; treasures which have bound together Maori and Pakeha from the time of your ancestors to the present day.

3.     This will also be the occasion for the unveiling of memorials to Mr Marsden and his missionary colleagues who first brought the Faith to the Maori People.

4.     It is a national gathering.

Ko te Toki Kanohi kia kite mai.’

May everyone’s faces be seen here.

It will a time when the nation’s tribes meet, when the nation’s thoughts are shared, and when our dead are remembered.

5.     The appropriate times to arrive on the marae are on the Friday 10th and Saturday 11th. Sunday 12th will be a day for services and celebrations. Monday will be a day on which the tribes can raise issues.

Welcome! Bring your thoughts!

Welcome! Let us bring our dead!

Greetings for the Birthday of Our Lord and for the New Year.

From Ngapuhi ki Taiamai.

W Panapa (Secretary)

Waimate North

Bay of Islands

2nd December, 1929

[1961]

TE AUTE COLLEGE

(The College Report)

To the Chairman of the Te Aute Board, Napier.

Dear Father,

I send you this report on the work of the College during 1929.

There were 87 students this year compared with 89 last year. Four were young pupils who lived at the College but attended Pukehou School.

Because of my illness the work of the College was somewhat disrupted and some of the other masters had the burden of undertaking extra duties. However, I thank my teachers for their commitment to doing the work while I was absent.

At the end of last year, two of my teachers left, D T Okey BA and J Dugdale BA. Their positions were taken by E Dwyer HDA and K Ellicot. In the middle of the year Ellicot left and his place was taken by R D Sharpe.

The Examinations

These are the successful results in the November and December examinations:

            Matriculation                       2

            Public Service                       5

            Intermediate                         3

            Junior McLean                     1          Tu Wirepa                

Senior McLean                     1          T Wikiriwhi

            Buller Scholarship               1          C Bennett

            Proficiency Certificates       4

The Education Department has awarded a Scholarship to John Bennett but because of illness he will not be able to take it up this year. Hirone Wikiriwhi is at Canterbury College. The Te Arawa Board is supporting him. John Greening is at Hawkesbury Agricultural College supported by the Maori Purposes Board. A Waaka, R Pene, and T Wikiriwhi  obtained positions in Government Departments during July.

 

Prize List 1929

Dux of School                       Edwin Paku

Proxime Accessit                  Lindsay Watson

Divinity Prizes

            Form VI         Bishop’s Prize           Lindsay Watson

            Form V           Chaplain’s Prize       W P Hunter

            Form IV         Chaplain’s Prize       Harold Merrett

            Form III   Williams Memorial       Hakopa Nepe

 

[1962]

 

Agriculture A            Chaplain’s Prize       Pera Te Ngaio

Agriculture C      Williams Memorial        Reuben Nehemia

1st Prize for Profiency – Dux                       Edwin Paku

2nd Prize for Proficiency – Proxime

                                                Accessit          Lindsay Watson

Special Prize for Mathematics                   Pohukua Turei

Special Prize for Maori                                Rawiri Durie

                                                Form V

1st Prize for Proficiency                               W P Hunter

2nd Prize for Proficiency                            Jack Ruru

3rd Prize for Proficiency                             Charles Bennett

Special Prize for Progress                           William Oaks

                                                Form IV

1st Prize for Proficiency                              Tutu Wirepa

2nd Prize for Proficiency                            Haere Parata

Special Prize for Progress                           Len Rangi

Special Prize for Progress                           Werepu Te Ohaere

Special Prize for Geography                       George Fabling

                                                Form III

1st Prize for Proficiency                               Kuru Waaka

2nd Prize for Proficiency                            James Smith

3rd Prize for Proficiency                             Hakopa Nepe

1st Prize for Progress                                   Douglas Bainbridge

Special Prizes for Progress                         Tom Huka

                                                                        Rongo Paerata

                                                                        T Anaru

                                                                        Roy Niwa

Special Prize for English                             Mae Schultze

                                                Agricultural Form

                                                            Section A

1st Prize for Proficiency                               Mokena Kohere

2nd Prize for Proficiency                              Pera Te Ngaio

3rd Prize for Proficiency                              Stephen Ngata

Special Prize for Science                             Tom Robinson

Special Price for Farm Work                      Paul Gemmell

                                                            Section B

1st Prize for Proficiency                               Ihaia Trainor

2nd Prize for Proficiency                            Wano Anaru

Special Prize for Practical Work                Fraser Wainohu

                                                            Section C

1st Prize for Progress and Proficiency       William Grace

2nd Prize for Proficiency                            Jack Reedy

Special Prize for Farm Work                      Dave Hehe

                                                Prefects’ Prizes

John Keretene (for Service), Ra Paenga, and Ewin Paku.

 

[1963]

                                                Monitors’ Prizes

Kura Turei, Ned Kihi, Jim Aupouri, W P Hunter and Jack Ruru.

Ernest G Loten

Head Teacher

Te Aute College

BEST WISHES FOR THE FUTURE, HUKARERE COLLEGE

We have heard good accounts of the achievements of Hukarere this year. Now it is to be called a College.

Best wishes, Hukarere. Be strong. Hear! Hear!

            Congratulations to Mere Hall.

 

TO MR BROWN

First Archdeacon of Tauranga.

(Archdeaon Alfred Nesbit Brown)

On Sunday, 1st December, 1929, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, a Memorial Service was held commemorating the centenary of the arrival of Mr Brown in New Zealand in 1829.

The service was held at his home in Tauranga on the spot where he erected his church. The church is no longer there but his church bell still stands in that place. That bell was rung when Mr Brown was alive. It stopped being rung from the time he died to the present day.

It was silent for forty-five years and then it was rung by specially chosen people. They were two Pakeha elders and one Maori elder, Te Reohau Piahana, all of whom remembered Mr Brown and how he used to ring the bell. They struck the bell in turns. What was done that day was very moving. When the bell was first struck the people began to come down – Pakeha folk, elderly Maori men and women, and even the infants. When the second sounding of the bell was nearing its end, the ministers came and stood amongst the congregation in the place assigned to them.

The Reverend H F Hall, Vicar of Tauranga, led the service.  The Reverend Manihera M Tumatahi of Te Ngae led the singing of the Maori hymns. The Reverend E M Eruini Te Tikao of Ohinemutu read the lesson in English and Maori. The Reverend Rewi M Wikiriwhi and Archdeacon F W Chatterton spoke to the Pakeha people about Mr Brown’s achievements, and about the great work in the Church

[1964]

during Mr Brown’s century – benefits for the Pakeha and benefits for the Maori.

Nearly 400 people gathered for that service, most of them Pakeha; not many Maori came on that day. One reason was that it was a long way to travel from their Maori villages. It was also in the evening at a time when they had to milk their cows. Although there were not many Maori there were enough to celebrate the day. This was a great service and will not be forgotten. It will have been a sign, something that will be remembered by this generation for many years to come. O God, have mercy on your Pakeha people and your Maori people in the Parish of Tauranga, and your servant, the Reverend A F Hall, and his work in the Church.

Mr Brown was born in Colchester on 23rd October, 1803, and educated in London. He was confirmed by the Bishop of London in 1823 and ordained as Deacon on 10th June, 1827, and as Priest on 1st June 1828. In June, 1829, he and his wife left London for New Zealand, landing at Paihia on 29th November, 1829. They stayed at Paihia to learn the Maori language and the culture. After five years they moved to Tauranga, arriving on 6th September, 1934. They lived at Otumoetai, a large Ngaiterangi Pa. He was the first minister in Tauranga and spread the faith among the people there.

Many of the hapu of Ngaiterangi eagerly took up the faith in former times. As evidence of their embracing of the faith the elders gave Mr Brown some land as a site for the Church’s work and for his house. Many of the young children of Ngaiterangi lived at Mr Brown’s mission school at Tauranga. The elders of Ngaiterangi nobly gave some of their land to the Church. From 1834 to 1863  the Church was established amongst Ngaiterangi. Mr Brown was their minister and he was like a father to them. The tribe lived in peace. There was no growth of wickedness, and no [?whakatonunu], nothing.

During the time of the conflict which flared up at Gate Pa in 1864 there were troubles here and alarms in every place. The Hauhau people fought the Pakeha. As an outcome of this war the lands of Ngaiterangi were confiscated by the Government to the distress of the hapu of Ngaiterangi. The work of Mr Brown was impeded by those troubles. Ngaiterangi forsook their faith and their Church practices and their father, Mr Brown. They isolated themselves for 29 years

[1965]

after the fighting at Gate Pa.  One man stayed loyal and loving towards Mr Brown, Hamiora Tu and his own hapu, and Ngati Tapu of Te Matapihi. There were other chiefs of Ngaiterangi who stayed faithful to Mr Brown, continuing to associate with him following Gate Pa and right up to his death in 1884. It is now 45 years since the death of Archdeacon Brown. He was buried at Te Papa amongst Ngaiterangi and his chiefly friends who gathered at that marae of ours and that village of ours.

It is being said by some people in these days that the land confiscated by the Government in Tauranga was Ngaiterangi land that had been plundered by Mr Brown, and that this was the cause of all Ngaiterangi’s misfortunes.  Mr Brown is not here to answer your words about him. The last word in answer to your charge lies with your friend, Time. Mr Brown lived among the hapu of Ngaiterangi from 1834 until 1863, that is, he lived with Ngaiterangi for twenty-nine years. They loved each other. He was a father to them. They had accepted him as a member of their tribe. He had spent this very long time living among Ngaiterangi when the fighting at Gate Pa began. It was only after the battle at Gate Pa that the confiscations took place. Had Mr Brown been responsible for the confiscations, Hamiora Tu and the other chiefs would not have allowed him to live in Tauranga; perhaps he would have been put to death or he would have been expelled. But it was the Maori who gave him the land and it was the Maori who built him his raupo whare for him and his wife to live in. As it was, Mr Brown continued to live in Tauranga after the Battle of Gate Pa for twenty years until, on 7th September, 1884, he entered upon the long sleep.

He had lived in Tauranga for fifty-one years and was eighty-one when he died. Mr Brown and his wife had one child, born at Paihia in 1831. This child was a boy called Marsh. He died at Tauranga in 1845 when he was fourteen. Ngaiterangi grieved over this child and on the day of his burial, 200 of them came to the grave to weep over the boy. Mr Brown’s [second] wife died  on 26th June, 1887, and was mourned by Pakeha and Maori at her burial.

Those who know the stories of the past are aware of the work of Mr Brown with the Maori. The stories tell of the loyalty of Maori and Mr Brown to each other.

[1966]

A Commission sat in 1927 to look into the land confiscations beginning with Opotiki, going on to Whakatane, and ending with Tauranga. The decision of the Commission was that the Government should pay the Maori an amount equivalent to the value of the lands that had been confiscated. The Government admitted that it had been wrong in confiscating the lands from the Maori. If the accusations made against Mr Brown that he had plundered the Tauranga lands had been correct then where were the absent people to lay out their grievances against Mr Brown?

When the Commission was in Tauranga, the lawyer for the Crown said that he had searched amongst the old accounts and found this statement. ‘Some land had been given to Mr Brown by Hamiora Tu, the chief of Ngati Tapu, and other chiefs of Ngaiterangi, as a base for the work of the Church in Tauranga.’

There are some sections in the township of Tauranga which have been allocated as Crown Grants to the chiefs of Ngati Pikiao. Does Ngati Pikiao really have rights to these lands? This much is clear, Mr Brown did not give it to them, nor did Hamiora Tu and other Ngaiterangi chiefs give it to them. But when will this be sorted out?

‘Mene, Mene, Tekel and Parsin.’  (Daniel 5.25)

A FAREWELL MESSAGE

To my Maori Minister friends in the Diocese of Waiapu. Greetings to you in your parishes. May Almighty God strengthen you in your work to do his will in the years to come, and may he bless and keep you and your families against the coming Day of our Lord. May each of you remember that you are ‘labourers together with God’ (1 Corinthians 3.9).

Therefore, seek to know what he would like each one of you to do each day.

Do not be lazy, and do not devote your energy to doing what you want to do but to what he wants you to do.

The Holy Scriptures have been written to guide and to teach us ‘to understand what the will of the Lord is’; and it also tells us that we are all to seek this out and know it. (Ephesians 5.15-18)

Therefore, let each one be careful about what he does and what he preaches lest it not be what God wants. Take care lest, on the Great Day of Jesus Christ, what you have done in these days is burned in fire. See 1 Corinthians 3.10-15.

Think about the saying of your ancestors:

[1967]

            ‘Ruia taitea, ruia taitea. Waiho kia tu ko taikaka anake’

            Strip away the sapwood and let the heartwood alone stand.

                                                                        [cf Nga Pepeha 2178]

The Kingdom of Heaven will soon be upon us, that is, the Day of Jesus Chrit is near when each person will receive the appropriate reward according to his works, whether good or bad, or just wrong.

Therefore, my friends, be industrious in your work and especially in doing what Christ commanded. Preach the Gospel of his Kingdom. Cast out demons. Heal the sick. (Matthew 10.7-8) ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord. (Matthew 3.2-3) ‘Turn the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just.’ [Luke 1.17] See the Collect for the Third Sunday in Advent.

There is only a brief time now for you to do what you want to do. Satan and his hosts know that they have little time left to them, and so they use their understanding and their strength to disperse the battalions of Jesus Christ, to trouble them, to mislead most people into the evils of this world, lest we defeat them and be found by Christ waiting for his coming and doing what he commanded.

This is my final message to you, my friends, my brothers, my children in the Lord.

This old man is coming to the end of the days allocated to people in this world at this time. I turn seventy in April and I no longer have the strength to do the mission work for which the Bishop of Waiapu commissioned me in 1919 and I do not have an assistant in the work.

I have asked for someone to help me but that has not been granted, however, a different group has been set up to further mission throughout Aotearoa.

For eleven years now I have devoted my knowledge and my energy to that ‘mission’ work, to reviving the weary, which is what the Bishop told me to do. I have seen most of you – not all of you as I wished to do. I have devoted myself to teaching the school children in the mornings, visiting the sick in the afternoons, and preaching the sacred Good News to everyone in the evenings during the mission days. And I have sought to drive out demons and to lay hands on the sick in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, as he commanded us all to do.

Many people have found light and life for the mind, body and soul.

I have to confess that I have perhaps randomly visited most of your parishes because they have not supported the idea of a mission conducted [?only by me].

[1968]

It was the Bishop of Waiapu who told me and you that we should hold missions. It was something called for by the Bishop and by the Pakeha women of the mission houses. I also asked some of you to agree to this. Only two of you liked the idea and considered holding missions in their parishes.

Had my motion been passed at the October Synod I would have devoted myself to helping that committee in the following days and years. This was indeed my desire; this was what I earnestly wanted you to agree to.

I withdrew from Synod because I realised that most of you did not like the idea of setting up a committee to pray for the sick and to counter the authority of the Maori tohunga. What was said implied that the Maori tohunga were better than me; that their Maori activities were better than my ministry in the name of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Enough! I leave it to you to choose what you prefer.

 Since you did not like the idea or want to hold missions in your parishes; you also did not support my motion to set up a committee to help you in your parishes, to enquire into and to seek the reasons for the different illnesses afflicting the Maori and the Maori Church. Also, a different group consisting of three young Maori has been set up to conduct missions in every parish in Aotearoa in the course of this year. And since that group started their work in August and September in the parishes of this Diocese, it is clear to me that there is no work for me now among the Maori People who are so dear to me.

It is, as the Maori proverb has it:

            ‘Ka put e ruha, ka hao te rangatahi.’

            The old net is laid aside; the new net goes fishing. [cf Nga Pepeha 100]

So, may the new group be very effective in ‘catching people,’ as were Peter and the others. [Matthew 4.19]

Each of you is to energetic in his work helping them so that their work may bring in much fruit.

Work in your own parishes. ‘Cultivate your fallow ground. Don’t sow amongst the blackberries.’ [Jeremiah 4.3]

Cut down all the brambles that grow strongly in each parish – Maori things and Pakeha things. Pull them out by the roots. Put all your effort into ploughing, to harrowing, and to cultivating your part of our Lord’s vineyard. Remember to sow ‘the good seed’ which are ‘the words of God.’

Enough. I end what I have to say here. Work there where you are.

From the one you have rejected.

Canon Arthur Williams

Pukehou, Napier.

16th December, 1929.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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