[1]
TE TOA TAKITINI
Ehara taki toa
i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini taku toa. – Tuhoto Ariki
Registered at the
GPO as a Newspaper.
Number 1
Hastings
1st
July, 1931
OUR PAPER
The whole world
knows of the Great Earthquake that struck Hawkes Bay on 3rd
February. The land was shaken and the stron things built by people were as
n0thing; they were smashed. The waters bubbled up. The glow of fire was
everywhere. Between the earthquake and the fire the large towns of Napier and
Hastings were destroyed.
Despite this great
disaster the people began to build anew their towns and properties.
Our
paper’s office along with the printing presses were caught up in the
destruction. Fire destroyed all the contents. The disaster particularly
affected the Diocese of Waiapu. The papers containing the old records and the
Diocesan accounts have all been burnt, along with everything relating to our
paper. The churches destroyed by the earthquake and all the office equipment
were valued at £112,000. It is taking a long time to recover from this
disaster. Now that our heads have calmed down we can begin to look into the
future. While other dioceses were considering their response we were putting
our back-bones into the work.
As for our paper, the following things were
decided:
1.
We
will try to publish our paper, Te Toa Takitini.
2.
We
will start afresh with all who take .the paper.
3.
The
subscription will be reduced to 6/- for the year.
*******************************************************************************
Published
by Rev P Hakiwai and P H Tomoana, and printed by Lovell and Painter, Queen
Street, Hastings, HB.
[2]
4. We will reduce the number of pages to 12. When the number of
subscribers reaches 500 we will
consider increasing the size.
5. If we rapidly receive subscriptions before the third edition of the
paper we will feel confident about continuing the paper.
6. Send news and letters to: The Editors, Te Toa Takitini, P O Box 300,
Hastings.
7. Send subscriptions to the Diocesan Office at the address: The
Secretary, Diocesan Office, P O Box 227, Napier.
The
Editors.
THE ACTIVITIES OF THE BISHOP OF AOTEAROA
For a long time our paper was forced to
sleep by the terrible earthquake which struck Hawkes Bay. It was our hope that
the teachings of our Heavenly Father have so entered our hearts that we have
been able to go on aware of God’s spiritual treasures. We have been 0bserving
and listening to powers superior to those of mankind. The affliction was not
just a lesson for the people of Hawkes Bay but a wake-up for us all. When the
Tower of Siloam collapsed eighteen people were killed. People thought that
perhaps it was because of great sin that this happened to them. Jesus’ response
was, ‘No, but I tell you that if you do not repent the same will happen to all
of you. (Luke 13.4-5) Therefore, people, do not squander what God teaches us.
Be gentle, be kind to one another. Bundle up your hearts and spirits with the
love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Parish of Taupo
On 23rd March the Bishop of
Aotearoa consecrated the new church at Taupo. The piece of land on which the
building stands is a gift of love from one of the chiefly elders of Ngati
Tuwharetoa, Mrs Ricketts, whose husband is a Pakeha. The money to pay for the
building of the church was contributed by Pakeha and Maori. The cost of the
building was £700. The whole amount had been paid before the day of
consecration. It is named for St Andrew. The ministers who assisted the Bishop
were Paora Temuera, Te Manihera Tumatahi, and M E Tetikao. Not many people went
into the church. After the service they went into the hall for refreshments ane
Pakeha and Maori celebrated this important
[3]
day for the Taupo district. After the meal
the Maori gathered at Waipahihi. The building was crowded with people. There,
Paora Rokino and others and the Ngati Tuwharetoa chiefs welcomed and blessed
this great day. In the evening there was a service in English and the church
was full. Greetings, people of Taupo. Greetings to the younger generation who
blessed your treasure. May God be gracious to you and protect and bless you.
Kia ora, all of you.
Parish of Te Kaha.
On 27th March the Bishop ane Te
Naera Te Houkotuku arrived at Torere. This was the Bishop’s first visit to the
Parish of Te Kaha. Canon Pahewa was waiting for the Bishop at Torere. There are
many people in the village and they all belong to the Missionary Church. After
the laments and the speeches there was food. In the evening there was a
service. The building was completely full and the hymns and prayers were
beautiful.
On Saturday 28th there was a
Communion Service at 8 a.m. There were 38 communicants. We arrived at Maraenui
at mid-day to find the people sitting. The greetings and blessings were very
good. Most of the people of this village are Ringatu but the welcomed the
Missionary folk and it was as if they belonged together.
At 4.30 we arrived at Omaio. Kopu travelled
with us to guide the Bish0p. There are many people in this village and Evening
Prayer service went well.
At 7 a.m. there was a Communion Service in
the beautiful Omaio Church. We returned to the marae where we saluted the deceased
Wiremu Wepu. After the tangi we went on to Te Kaha. This large church was full.
At the mid-day service 46 people took communion.
At 3 p.m. there was a Confirmation Service.
Fourteen people were confirmed. We had breakfast at 6 a.m. on the Monday and at
7 a.m. we went on Pahewa’s buggy to Raukokore. At 11 a.m. we arrived and had a
service. Two were baptised and 30 took communion. The church was full. At 3
p.m. there was a Confirmation Service at
which 9 were confirmed. We returned to the Meeting House and at last there was
time for the speeches of welcome. At midnight we slept. At 6 a.m. on Monday we
said Morning Prayer and at 7 a.m. we left for Te Kaha where it was raining. At
11 a.m. we got out of the Canon’s buggy and into a car. We arrived at Omaio at
3 p.m. where there was the Baptism of and elder, a wedding, and Confirmation. At
4 p.m. we went from Omaio to Torere.
[4]
On the way I and my elder, Te Naera, were
given Maori food – kumara and dried kahawai – by Te Weihana and his wife. We
arrived at Torere in the evening . At night there was a Confirmation Service at
which 9 people were confirmed.
Early on 1st April we said
prayers. Then, after the thanks, I and my elder returned to Rotorua. Arriving
there, we found that there had been a death in the town, Pirika Hohepa.
The people of Te Kaha were full of praise
for their shepherd, Canon Hakaraia Pahewa. All the arrangements for the
gatherings and the activities of the Bishop were excellent. It is impossible to
express adequate gratitude for the hospitality.
Families, chiefs, my children, greetings to
you all.
IMPORTANT DAYS IN 1932
First Day of Lent (Ash Wednesday) 10th
February
Day of Resurrection (Easter Sunday) 27th March
` Day
of the Ascension (Ascension Day) 5th
May
Day of Pentecost (Whit Sunday) 15th May
Beginning
of Advent 27th
November
THE RETURN OF SIR MAUI POMARE TO TARANAKI
(The Editors apologize that this article
has been so long in appearing. This was because of the disastrous earthquake.
Because the article is so informative we are publishing it now.)
The Blessings and the Laments.
To the tribes, the hapu, the many chiefs,
and the Country’s Remnant, peace be upon us all. We are approaching the
Birthday of our Lord, and the New Year, the time when the Remnant will give
praise for their preservation with great gratitude. Perhaps it is not right to
express these things so long after the departure of our beloved friend, related
to so many of us, Sir Maui Pomare. Although he has descended to the afterlife [Po],
the love, the memories, and the pain at our loss is still in the hearts of each
of us.
[The following verse is in English.]
But now that thou art lying,
My Dear old Carian Guest,
A handful of grey ashes,
long, long ago at rest;
Still are they pleasant
voices, thy Nightingales awake,
For Death, He taketh all away; but them He
cannot take.
[5]
These words are from a lament by a man who
wrote poetry and songs, William Cory. He wrote these words while at Cambridge
University for a Greek. Heraclitus was an educated man, very wise and learned.
He died a thousand years before this lament was written for him in appreciation
of his wonderful works. He had written some works of instruction, leaving his
words to be learned afterwards by those seeking enlightenment. Those works were
named by the poet, ‘Nightingales,’ in Maori ‘Manu korihi pai’ – ‘Birds
who sing beautifully.’
Because the work of this man is similar to
that of Pomare I have applied the lament to him.
[The following is a back-translation of
the writer’s Maori version of the above stanza. – Barry Olsen]
But although you now sleep,
my beloved friend,
A heap of ashes, and have
rested for a long time,
Your sweet voices, your
beautifully-singing birds still live.
Death has taken all but it has not taken
them.
When Sir Maui Pomare went to his rest far
away the whole country was touched, as well as Samoa, Rarotonga, Tonga, and
other small islands of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa [The Pacific]. Great sadness came
upon the Tai Hauauru. The post on which they leant had fallen. They waited for
the ashes to be returned.
On 25th August, Lady Pomare
arrived with the ashes of her husband [?mokai]. The Bishop of Wellington
held a service for the deceased.
On 27th, a train
took him from Wellington to the marae of his ancestors, parents, and younger
siblings. The first marae they stopped at was Waikanae. Thousands of people
were there. The tribes represented were:
Ngati Tuwharetoa Ngati
Apa
Ngati Whiti Rangitaane
Ngati Pikiahu Ngati
Whakatere
Ngati Waewae Ngati
Turamga
Ngati Kawhata Ngati
Huia
Ngati Parewahawaha Mua
Upoko
Ngati Kikopiri Ngati
Wehiwehi
But all of Ngati Raukawa and their
remaining chief were there. All the young chiefs were behind the parents and
elders. Three from Ngati Toa attended – Hohepa Wineera, Hari Wi Katene, and Te
Hou Horomona. These were the tribes and hapu that Pomare was related to and
they led the tangi and the greetings, and they spoke about him and what he had
done for the Maori People. His parents, his ancestors and his tribe were
extolled in his presence.
[6]
These tribes had been gathering at the
marae at Waikanae awaiting the ashes. When they arrived they were greeted with
the laments mentioned above. I heards some wonderful laments sung by Te
Kahukura over the ashes of his younger brother. These are the words that I
remember particularly:
A chastisement, a blow, a song of death,
An ominous wind, a wind that consumes people.
Ri! Ree!
And who is the person who has enthralled you?
You have been bewitched by Te Kai Mokai,
You have been bewitched by Te Kaiwhainoa,
Judging
by your appearance!
When these things were proceeding, I heard
some grumbling that the deceased had not been carried aside to other Tai
Hauauru marae. But the tribes being referred to had all come to meet the ashes
and the bereaved, the widow and their children. The Government Ministers, the
Member for Te Tai Tokerau, Tau Henare, the Member for Te Waipounamu, Tuiti
Makatanara,, the leading chiefs of Te Tai Rawhiti, Wiremu Potae and Henare Ruru,
along with Taiporutu Te Mapu and the Te Arawa Chiefs, and Maku Erihana of
Heretaunga, had all come.
On the morning of Friday 29th,
it rained very hard. There was thunder. It was like a tangi, a farewell speech
from Rangi and Papa to this man. At 10 o’clock in the morning the deceased
arrived on the Manukorihi marae at Waitara. They had not been there long before
Nohomairangi Te Whiti stood [?whakamatoke] to express gratitude to those
who had brought the ashes. These were his words, ‘Welcome! Is it you there? Or
are those the ashes of a goat?’ Afterwards Takarangi stood. ‘Welcome! Is it you
there? Or are those the ashes of a cat?’ Such speeches lacked compassion. There
was no loving greeting to the widow who out of love had made the effort to
bring the ashes of the bones of her beloved chief to his own people,
recognising her dedication in bringing home ‘The Ashes of Te Tai Hauauru.’ The
writer was not aware of any expression of love, and I was fearful at heart that
the siblings, parents and grandparents of that woman might be offended. One
person thought that that woman should be thanked for her dedication, and that
people should be aware that the woman’s family are still grieving.
Te Kahukura stood on the marae and
expressed his anger that Taranaki had not given the appropriate welcome to the
widow and the country’s tribes that had come onto the marae. In the days of the
ancestors it was only when blood flowed from the skin that the time for showing
compassion, for lamentation and sorrow, was at an end. As the Given this
example, Te Atiawa, Pomare’s own tribe, has failed in not welcoming and showing
hospitality.
I, the writer, heard what Sir
Apirana Ngata said:
‘Ka tere Raua, ka tere Pīpīwhākao.’
Raua
and Pīpīwhākao are afloat. [cf Nga Pepeha 1146]
His translation gave us to understand that
all of the Tai Rawhiti would come to the unveiling of the Memorial Stone to Sir
Maui Pomare, but first they are to complete the
This will be a good time for
me and my beloved friends who long to see this wonderful day. We hope to see
the swift fulfilment of thex ‘Great Idea’ that he wanted completed. But
remember our ancestors’ saying:
‘Ma tini, ma mano, ka rapa te whai.’
By large numbers will the chase be spread out. [cf Nga Pepeha 1774]
In this way this awesome project will be
easily and quickly completed.
[7]
WHAT GIFT COULD THE PEOPLE GIVE TO THE
BISHOP?
This is a question that should have touched
our hearts when a Maori bishop was appointed for us. No-one was able to say
that there was not work for him to do, or for his Maori ministers spread
throughout the country. Our heart’s desire is to facilitate the work of growing
our Church, to quickly have in place good working structures, and to set out
working practices. It is also right that we take up the paddle and give thought
to ways of helping our Bishop as he goes about seeking to increase our love and
thinking about how to help us to participate together in the project to enhane
the spiritual and physical well-being of the people. These are good objectives
that we should welcome widely for the sake of our Bishop as he visits the
sacred marae of our ancestors. And in doing so we will be supporting the gift
bequeathed us by our ancestors [? who trampled on our anxieties and
apprehensions at a time when Maori mana and sacredness were undisturbed].
Whoever our ancestors were, they spoke with one voice: ‘IN TIMES TO COME HOLD
TO THE FAITH.’
There was no Maori Bishop in those days but
from the letters we see that they thought that the time was coming when there
would such. That elder instructed his son and grandchildren to study the work
of mission.
The young people now have a great treasure
of the Church – A BISHOP.
The elders who foresaw this happening were
fortunate. The answer to the question lies with all the people who find
themselves in these days of the Maori bishopric. It is up to us and our part of
the Church.
[8]
But although this is the case, it is right
that we offer a gift. You young people with all the languages, it is right that
you put into Maori the beautiful words that have been written and have found a
place in the hearts of our elders and children and have become hymns. This
would be a means whereby those with the ability or the capacity to share, can
indeed share the thoughts of the faith that are at present asleep within them. They
would find satisfaction in taking up those ideas which would enliven the
spirits and bodies of believers, or of those weighed down with burdens, those
in pain or experiencing sadness – with a crushed heart or a praying heart.
Such are the circumstances which underie
this idea that the young people of the Church become involved in this part of
the work.
Look at the words of our hymns; look at
their teachings. They are all treasured in the English language and it is good
that they have been translated into Maori fo us to sing to our Creator. Bishop,
you are the ‘First of the Church,’ therefore it is good that you participate in
our hymn singing, that you add your voice to ours singing those hymns in peace
with a fine voice, a sweet voice, a voice that glorifies God as the indwelling
Spirit directs your heart.
It was said above that the Bishop is ‘First
in the Church,’ therefore it is appropriate that we should help his work by
adding our voices in this aspect of the life of the Church as a gift to the
Bishop and his ministers in the parishes and congregations.
I am convinced that there are some of you
who have been given the ability to write beauty words for hymns and songs,
while some have the ability to compose tunes for hymns and songs, therefore, I
am asking you to set down your dreams, your poems and your hearts’ inspirations
and to send them in to be seen by a group chosen to evaluate such things.
This is the gift that I am suggesting we
contribute to the work of the Church. It would be good if you set up singing
groups in your parishes to enhance the worship.
A group has been set up here in Hastings
called ‘A Group to Support the Church’s Praises.’ The officers are Rev P
Hakiwai (Chairman) and Rev Wanoa (Secretary). Pare Hakiwai and Puna Tomoana are the [?Okenihi
- ?Organists].
The Bishop is grateful for this initiative
and the work being done. He has requested that we ask the young people in that
group to make themselves available to help with the Church’s singing.
[9]
Greetings, whanau. Be strong. The Bishop
says that Singing Groups are an ancient tradition. In the Bible we read of
people being set apart to sing the hymns of their day.
A LETTER FROM THE COUNTRY
To the Editors.
Greetings to you both.
Te Toa Takitini, please take this
information to the marae you go to to be seen by the great and the humble, by
all the remnants. I am Ihaka Wiremu Ngawati, a disciple who has come out of the
Ratana Church, the reason being that many of their teachings differ from those
of Scripture, and also from what my ancestors taught me. The scriptures say
that if prayer is not mad in the name of Jesus it will not reach the Father.
Therefore, Remnant, since I joined the Ratana Church I have not been able to
add the name of the Spokesman or Piri Wiri Tua to my prayers. Instead, I add
the name of Christ, and so I have left the Ratana Church.
The second reason why I left the Ratana
Church is that Ratana teaches that we are not to give the Remnant’s bread to
outsiders, not even to one’s relatives. The scriptures do not say that, rather
they say, ‘If your enemy is thirsty give him something to drink.’ [Romans 12.20]
My ancestors said, ‘Whanau, afterwards hold on to love, hold on to kindness,
hold on to the Faith.’ Therefore. I am not able to carry on my bacdk the
teachings of the Ratana Church. Therefore, Remnant, I have returned to the
Church of my forebears, the Missionary Church, to the home of my parents and
grandparents, and of those who have gone to their rest.
Tribes, greetings to all of you. I am very
happy to have returned after straying, especially now the Church has a Maori
Bishop. I was happy and rejoiced because what my ancestors had hoped for had
come to pass, something they could not envisage, something unheard of. In my
day I have seen and heard. Hence my body and soul rejoice. It is the mana of my
ancestors that provides the strength and the glory that shelters the
generations after them. Therefore, I give praise and glory to the Holy Trinity.
May God bless our father, the Bishop of Aotearoa, that he may have many, many
days as Bishop for the Maori People.
Yours sincerely,
Ihaka W Ngawati
Otira
Bay of Islands
[10]
WRITING HYMNS
At the gathering of the
Hawkes Bay Choirs at Kohupatiki, the Bishop of Aotearoa said in his speech that
he would like some members of the Church to write hymns for us, the Maori
People. He pointed out that there was not a single hymn that we sing at our
services, the words of which were swritten by a Maori. Our hymns were turned
into Maori by our parents on the Pakeha side, most of them by Edward Williams,
the father of Canon Arthur Williams. The Bishop thinks that the time has come
for Maori, who are inspired in their hearts, to write words for the hymns with
which we praise our Heavenly Father. In response to his urging, some of our
people in Hastings have been trying out words to some hymns. But the Bishop’s
words were addressed to the whole Church throughout Aotearoa. The tunes can be
Maori or English, both are acceptable. This one that has been completed by one
of the women of Koupatiki. We have printed it as an example to others. The tune
is a waiata, an easy Maori tune. The hymn is rather like a lament. It is very
satisfying to listen to things we understand sung to a Maori tune.
A Maori Hymn
(Rangione Peneti)
1.
Father,
who made earth and Heaven,
Look graciously upon your servant.
2.
Lord
Jesus, have mercy on me,
Here weeping over my sins.
3.
Most
Holy Spirit, the One who gives peace,
Grant me your blessing.
4.
God,
Holy Trinity, yet One,
Set your heart upon me, kneeling here.
5.
My
wicked heart pains me.
Only you, Lord, can save me.
6.
In
this dark world I have been set free.
It is your power that gives me life.
Amen.
[? NGA TATAI-ARO-RANGI]
P[araire] H T[omoana]
Words of Encouragement
You people who believe that Jesus Christ is
the Saviour, the Son of God, take forward strongly the work of the Church. (The
Preacher)
The Stone, Jesus of Nazareth, that was
rejected has been made by the builders the Keystone of the Corner. (Scripture)
[Psalm 111.22]
[11]
Be strong! ‘E roa raro! E tata runga.] (Taharakau)
‘Below is far! Above is near!’ [cf Nga Pepeha 244]
Welcome to the marae. ‘He manuhiri
tu-a-rangi.’ ‘Visitors from afar.’
[cf Nga Pepeha 546] ‘He kotuku
rerenga tahi.’ ‘The white heron of a
single flight.’ [cf Nga Pepeha 513]
‘Ehara taku toa i te toa
takitahi, engari he toa takitini taku toa.’ (Tuhotoariki)
‘My strength is not that of a single
warrior but that of many.’ [cf Nga Pepeha 93]
‘Nau ko te rourou, naku ko
te rourou, ka ora te manuhiri.’ (Taharakau)
‘By your food basket and mine the guests
will be satisfied with food.’ [cf Nga Pepeha 1981]
‘Na reira ruia taitea,
ruia taitea, kia tu ko te taikaka anake.’ (The ancestors.)
‘Cast aside the sapwood and let the
heartwood alone stand.’ [cf Nga Pepeha 2178]
‘He ao te rangi ka uhia;
he huruhuru te manu ka rere.’ (Tamaterangi)
‘As clouds deck the heavens, so feathers
enable the bird to fly.’ [cf Nga Pepeha 352]
‘Nau ko te rakau, naku ko
te rakau, ka whati te hoariri.’ (Taharakau)
‘By your weapon and mine the enemy will be
destroyed.’ [cf Nga Pepeha 1981]
‘Ahakoa hoki iti te
tawharau, he tangata i tupu ake i roto i te kopua kanapanapa.’
(Terehunga) ? ‘Although there was little shelter,
a man grew from within the dark green pool.’
‘Ahakoa te waewae i tutuki,
i tutuki i tutuki ana i te whenua, i te tangata kua hangatia i noatia mai i mua
o te tangata.’ (Whatuiapiti)
? ‘Although one’s foot stumbled, it
stumbled against the land or the person who was there before one.’
[? Tatai-aro-rangi]
But we have deliberately set apart the mark
of the noble person; the sign of the chief and, let us say, of the believer.
‘He whare maihi i tu ki te
paenga he kai n ate ahi. Tena he whare maihi i tu ki roto i te Pa-tu-watawata,
engari tena.’ (Taharakau)
‘A carved house standing in the open is
food for a fire. A carved house standing inside a palisaded pa is the mark of a
chief.’ [cf Nga Pepeha 838]
ODD ITEMS
The Prince of Wales is now 37 years old.
According to rumours he is looking for a wife.
Dr Te Rangihiroa MD DSO has been appointed
to teach at Yale, a leading American University. The salary is £2000 a year.
Dr Pohau Erihana MB BS has been appointed
as doctor for the islands of Rarotonga.
Major Dansey of Rotorua has been appointed
by the Maori Minister to deal with the country’s unemployed Maori.
Piri Wiri Tua is now keeping racehorses.
Two of his horses ran at the races here in Hastings.
The sports most popular among Maori, tennis
and hockey, are now in recess until the weather is better. Only Rugby carries
on at this time under the NZ Rugby Union. The Union wants a Maori team to play against
the visiting team from Sydney.
[12]
[I have not translated this page. It
contains the Church’s Calendar of the daily Psalms and Bible Readings for July
and August. – Barry Olsen]
