[85]
TE TOA TAKITINI
Ehara
taku toa i te toa kotahi engari he toa takitini taku toa.
-
Tuhoto
Ariki
My
strength is not that of a single warrior but that of many.
Registered
at the GPO as a Newspaper.
Number
7
Hastings
1st
January,1932
SELWYN’S SERMON TO
THE HUI AT PERIA, 26TH OCTOBER, 1862
‘O how good and
pleasant it is when a family lives together in unity.’ (Psalm 133.1)
When I look at the
Scriptures, do I see a God who likes divisions? I look in vain from beginning
to end, for what I see rather is that God likes unity. It is Satan who
separates, it is Christ who brings together. This ideed is why Christ came into
the world, to be the Good Shepherd to bring together all the sheep wh0 have strayed
and to make them one flock. Satan’s work is rather to scatter the sheep (John
10.12 & 16).
You are aware of
this teaching. You have talked abut this teaching. You have frequently read
this Psalm: ‘O how good and pleasant it is when a family lives together in
unity.’ ‘O how good and pleasant it is when a family lives together in unity. ‘O
how good and pleasant it is when a family lives together in unity.’
People have come
from each tribe – Waikato, Hauraki, Ngatihaua, Ngaiterangi, Ngatiwhakaue,
Whakatohea, Ngatiporou, and Ngati Kahungunu, to this hui in a spirit of unity.
How good, how pleasant it is to be together, to be united.
One thing is
lacking; the Pakeha are not with us. And so the words of the Psalm are not yet
being fulfilled. The older brothers of the family have come, the younger have
stayed away. The younger and the elder should be united.
Who
are the elder brothers? You are the sons of Shem. Who ar the younger brothers?
They ar us Pakeha, the sons of Japheth. Are we to live apart or are we to live
together? Well then, I put my question peaceably to you.
Published by the Rev P Hakiwai and P H Tomoana and printed by
Painter & Wattie Ltd, Queen Street, Hastings, HB.
[86]
This is not an
ill-advised question. The Pakeha came to this land; but it was God who brought
them, the Pakeha ministers. The departing words of Christ, the Son of God,
were, ‘Go into the whole world and preach the Good News to all people’ (Mark
16.15).
This is the word
of God for all of us children of Japheth: ‘May God make space for Japheth and
let him live in the tents of Shem’ (Genesis 9.27).
This is the main
teaching of our Psalm. Don’t let us quarrel over that. We are older and younger
brothers. (Genesis 13.8) But let the living together of the older and younger
brothers be in unity, Let it be good and pleasant.
You have heard
what pleases God. Satan’s work is different. Let Israel be a warning to us.
Solomon, David’s
son, was a wise man. When he was old his heart went astray so that he took to
worshipping idols. So God said that his kingdom would be split in two. David,
thinking of his father, avoided the split. It was his son, Rehoboam, who at
last brought it about. Ten of the tribes formed the Kingdom of Israel, two the
Kingdom of Judah. The cause was the obstinacy of Rehoboam. He was a rash young
man who would not listen to the elders. This I know, that the real ancestor of
evil is stubbornness. If we talk to one another, peace can be made and there is
no fighting. Jeroboam rose up. God made him good but he chose to be evil. Had
he chosen unity all would have been well. But he chose what was wrong and the
split took place. He did not allow his people to go to Jerusalem to worship. He
set up a separate temple, another way of worship, and another set of laws. It
was what Solomon had done – a worshipping of idols. He had two calves made like
those worshipped in Egypt. He grew and grew into an evil King of Israel until
the ten tribes were taken into captivity and vanished. So his name was [? whakakaukia
- ? reviled]. ‘Jeroboam, son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.’ [1 Kings
22.52]
One thousand years
later Christ came. Some of the Children of Israel had returned to Samaria and
had carried on their dispute. You know the conversation Christ had with the
woman of Samaria. (John 4.9) What they persisted in doing was obstructing
others. They would not provide food, They blocked roads. They barred others
from water, They cut themselves off from other peoples. Jews avoided the
Samaritans. The Samaritans did not like people ‘whose face was set towards
Jerusalem.’ (Luke 9.53)
With the coming of
Christ there was an end to division and obstruction. The wall
[87]
that divided was
broken down. The curtain was torn. The mountains were levelled. The swamps
became plains The twisting roads were straightened.The rough places were made
smooth. The deep waters were dried up and became a highway for his Chosen One.
[cf. Isaiah 40.3-4] All the birds of the air are called to the one tree to
shelter there. All the sheep are gathered into one flock. All the fish are
together in the one net. Children of Shem, Ham and Japheth, children of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – all of you, come to the one God, to the one Lord, to
live by the one faith, having the one love, upholding the one law.
Here we ae,
younger brothers and older brothers, holding the same faith. A Pakeha bishop is
the younger brother; Maori ministers are the older brother. My long-held desire
was to ordain Maori ministers to share the same status. Although there are
Pakeha who say that that can’t be right, I don’t agree. I have struggled for
this for twenty years. Look around. This fruit is from God. I look at my older
brothers sitting here, these Maori ministers, and say with my whole heart our
Psalm: ‘O how good and pleasant it is when a family lives together in unity.’ ‘O
how good and pleasant it is when older brother and younger brothers are
united.’
I end with my
Maori illustration.
I saw a stream
flowing into a swamp. Despite its size it was clear water. But this was its end
where it ceased to be – it was neither lake nor land. People did not drink from
it, horses did not trample in it, no canoe went on it, it was not ploughed by a
plough, no ship sailed on it. However despite its size the stream was confused
and did not want to flow into the river. As it was, eels slithered around there
and pigs rooted there.
But the beautiful
stream, the good stream, had been born anew from the womb of heaven. See how it
dashed over the rapids, how it leapt over the waterfalls, in an effort to
achieve its goal which is to increase the size of the river. Whne it arrives at where it disgorges it
loses its name. So Puniu disgorges and becomes Waipa which eventually
disappears, becoming Waikato and then Waikato disappears and becomes the great
ocean. Initially it was the size of the stream which disappeared not the
river. Now it was the size of the river
which was to disappear into the ocean. Likewise, the stature that I have is
that of an individual man but I am incorporated into the Church. It is the
Church’s destiny to be incorporated into Christ, and Christ is to be
incorporated in God ‘so that God may be all in all.’ (1 Corinthians 15.28)
[88]
NEW YEAR’S
GREETINGS
Greetings to the
tribes of the country, and greetings to the Church of God in this New Year of
our Lord, 1932.
At this time we
and all the peoples of the world are afflicted. This is God’s work. He has seen
how we have strayed and forgotten him. There are times when suffering is a good
thing. If a child misbehaves and does not listen it has to suffer to be set right. We are people who have misbehaved n the
presence of our Father. Therefore, return, return, return to your Father.
Return to what is spiritually enriching. Hold lightly to material things,
things that decay, things to be left behind. The things that last are spiritual
treasures.
On each day we can
ask ourselves Paul’s question: ‘Lord, what am I to do?’ Each day when we awake
we should ask, ‘Lord, what am I to do today?’ And your Father will answer so
that you don’t fall among the thorns.
So, the Season’s
Greetings. The country’s tribes, be committed to one another. Be loving, be
kind, be patient. Our great work is to grow the kingdom of our Lord Jesus
Christ. In that way we will be blessed,
From your father
in the Lord.
Frederick A
Aotearoa.
TE WAIPOUNAMU –
THE SOUTH ISLAND
The Work of the
Bishop of Aotearoa.
On 20th
November the Bishop returned from his journey around the marae of the remnants
of Te Waipounamu. He visited the marae in the villages of the Dioceses of
Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin. The people of Te Waipounamu gave him a great
welcome.
The Bishop says
that it is difficult for the people of Te Waipounamu to retain their Maori
identities. Very few of them speak the Maori language. He took most of his
services for the Maori in English so that the people could understand. Only the
very old could speak Maori but there are few elders still alive. The children
and adults younger than thirty or forty have difficulty understanding Maori.
The Bishop spoke at length urging the people to teach their children the
language and customs of the Maori. It is fine to have English as a ladder to
access the learning of the new world, but they must hold on to the language God
gave the Maori People.
[89]
One thing that
surprised the Bishop was that they had held on to some Maori customs. Although
they have lost the language they still do the [powhiri – welcome] and
sing Maori love songs to English tunes. They also treasure the noble Maori
traditions of cherishing people, of kindness, and of love.
The marae of the
Maori People of Te Waipounamu visited by the Bishop were Motueka, Takaka,
Okoha, Wairau, Tuahiwi, Kaiapoi, Hokitika and Arahura, Lincoln Agricultural
College, Moeraki, Puketeraki, Waikouaiti, Invercargill, the Borstal Institute,
Bluff, Cola Bay, Riverton, Wyndham, Kaka Point and Te Kaika.
The total Maori
population of Te Waipounamu is a little over 1000. Temuka has the largest Maori
population. The Bishop laid the foundation stone for a new church there. The
old church has stood for many years. Sir George Grey laid the foundation stone
on 11th July, 1865, when he was Governor of New Zealand. This churh
stood for sixty-five years. The church was twenty-five feet in length and
fifteen feet across. Later it was lengthened by twenty feet. The timber was
sawn by their own hands in the local bush. The old church was close to falling
down so for many years the Maori of Temuka have been collecting money to build
themselves a new church. They have raised nearly £800 and are now building the
new church. It is being made of strengthened concrete out of a concern for
earthquakes lest they suffer a quake like that at Napier. The new church will
be completed near the end of February or in March.
Greetings to the
remnant of Ngai Tahu and other Maori hapu of Te Waipounamu. Set your minds on
your Heavenly Father as your helper and your guide and the protector of you and
your children.
SOME OF THE
MATTERS DEALT WITH BY THE MAORI SECTION OF THE DIOCESE OF AUCKLLAND
The Fund to
Support the Bishop of Aotearoa
The amount the
Committee has in hand for this stands at £344/6/1. The Trustees for this fund,
held by the Bank of New Zealand, are the Chairman and the Secretary.
A new development
is the strong growth of this fund now. The business has been handed over to W
Cooper, Chairman of the Investment Offices. He has agreed to the arrangement
whereby he may take a proportion of money from the shares in lands held by
Church members, and amount agreed by them, all the money to go to the fund.
[90]
The Fund for
the Memorial to Ruatara and Others.
This matter was
discussed and agreed by all who attended the Te Wimate Centennial Hui, namely,
that at some time a memorial will be erected to the first elders who embraced
the treasure of the Faith. After the payment of the costs of that hui there
remained £6/10/- which has been placed with the Kaikohe Post Office as the
basis of that fund. The Trustees of the fund are the Chairman and the
Secretary.
TATAU, TATAU - WE
ARE ONE
Greetings to you
both, the captains of Te Toa Takitini, the messenger who brings information to
the marae and people. Many greetings.
There was nothing
written except on page 51 of Te Toa
Takitini, Numbers 4 & 5, and you did not include an explanation of this new
saying, ‘Tatau, tatau!’ – We are one.
But first I must
say that no-one heard Timi [Sir James Carroll] or anyone else use that
expression ‘Tatau, tatau’ before 1916. Everyone agrees that it was this elder,
Timi, who used these new words.
In 1916 Timi went
to England as part of a Parliamentary Group in response to an invitation from
the Mother of Parliaments in England. When Timi arrived in England our young
men were at the battlefront in France. Timi crossed over to see his young men
in the trenches and then returned to England.
A large banquet
was held in London. Timi was one of the guests and was invited to speak. At the
banquet were important leaders from every part of the Empire and from countries
involved in the war against Germany – France, Japan, Italy and America. I cannot
give you a verbatim report of what Timi said but I can perhaps give you the
sense of his speech.
Timi stood to
speak and told the gathering of his Maori People. It was not even one hundred
years ago that the English were fighting the Maori, a fierce people. The the
Treaty of Waitangi brought peace. Since then (sic) Maori have been loyal to the
King and the Empire. At the time of the Boer War the Maori asked to be
permitted to take up arms and fight for the Queen and the Empire. From their
knowledge and in their wisdom the English did not allow this. However, eager
young Maori went with the Pakeha battalions. With the outbreak of this war the
Maori People again asked permission to take up arms. This was agreed. Then, at
last, Maori were convinced that they were indeed citizens of the Empire and had
a King. They had seen the fulfilment of the promises of the
[91]
Treaty at this
time; it was renewed, signed and sealed with the blood of our young men. Pakeha
and Maori have advanced together and have fallen together on the battlefronts
at Gallipoli, in Egypt, in Palestine, and in France. They have become close
family. Timi said other things as well to those helping with the war. (Those
people were very impressed by our elder’s speech.)
Coming to the end
of his speech, Timi said, ‘Remembering all this we can. use these words of
greeting amongst ourselves in the Maori language, ‘Tatau, tatau! We are one.’
Timi returned home
and his children called out, ‘Kia ora!’ The elder responded, ‘Indeed, tatau,
tatau!’ At last the people at home heard that saying, invented spontaneously in
the presence of the great powers of the world at that famous venue in London.
So, my friends,
don’t be deceived. Does Te Toa maintain that it is a new saying? Yes! But it is
also a huge saying, an expansive saying, a saying of consequence, a saying of
great depth. A blessing? Tatau, tatau!
Tutepuaki
Turanganui-a-Kiwa
17/11/31
A GREETING
To Te Toa
Takitini, greetings. The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom. [Proverbs 1.7] Honour the King and the
assembly of nobles, in the grace of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
There is one God, one baptism and one faith for the whole world, for ever and
ever. Amen. [cf Ephesians 4.5]
You who are the
embodiment of Tuhoto-Ariki’s saying – the Toa Takitini [Many Warriors],
greetings. Sir, go forth to be a garment for the [? kaokao-roa] of Maui
lying here, encircling and enclosing the country and all its headlands and
valleys. Let the old women and old men
hear my greetings. I place in your strong hands, sir, the expressing of my
gratitude to the 4166 people who signed their names to the documents to decide
who should join the assembly of leaders [? Parliament ? Legislative Council],
and appointed me as spokesman for the Tai-Hauauru Electorate.
May
I also thank the Maori Minister, Sir Apirana Ngata, who supported the decision
of the Assembly to make me a member. Consequently, what I say is, ‘The day is
near when the Maori People will thrive!’
Greetings, Maori Minister. My friend, I wish you joy every day. The
wishes of all your people in the country were fulfilled when you were put in a
position of authority. Therefore, do your Ngati-Porou haka which says,
[? Hoatu karia ona kauae, purari
paha, kaura mokai, i aue!]
O God, have mercy
on the whole world. Much love and long life to you’
Taite
Te Tomo
Kakariki
6.12.31
[92]
THESE DAYS
The old year has
passed. It was a difficult year. And many people passed away with the old year.
There was much sadness, much distress and suffering. There was the upheaval –
the Earthquake. There was the drought. People were not adequately recompensed for
the produce they sold, and the prices of what they bought went up. People were
continually cast on the heap of the unemployed. Everyone is upset when they
look back on the old year.
But there were
some good things about the old year that are not acknowledged by the ignorant
heart. Perhaps the most important was that people were all in the same boat and
they helped one another. At last we saw people wh0 were well off helping those
who were poor. There was a helping spirit towards others which had been
constrained in times of plenty. Many people who were suffering from the
hardships of the times found it difficult to help others. However, even though
the ability to help was lacking people still wanted to help. Perhaps there were
some who were rich who wouldn’t bestir themselves to do something.
So, what about the
new year? Many are still waiting hopefully for the prices they receive for
their produce to go up. And many who are unemployed are still trying to get
work. Some have a different attitude and are impatient. But we are still alive
in heart and soul and the land is still yielding its fruits. Why should we be
frightened of today’s situation? Of course, if we measure the value of our
lives in the number of round shillings we have then we may be dismayed. We
don’t see many round shillings. There are still many of them but it only the
few who have them.
There is no-one in
the world who understands today’s problems. The world’s wise people have given
much time to seeking a remedy but have not found one. There is still plenty of
money, plenty of the fruits of the earth, and many people. It would seem that
the powerful in the world want to stop and have a holiday. They are saying,
‘We’ve worked hard in recent years, so let’s have a rest.’ No-one lokes to work
too much. Only if someone is to be paid for a job will he do it. Some, it
seems, are asking to be paid for just sitting.
Times of food
shortage are nothing new in the world. They have lasted from 3½ to 7 years in
some parts of the world before coming to an end. The one we are experiencing
now has lasted for 2½ years. What is new is that it involves the whole world.
No nation has escaped it. At last it has started in some places; some people
who had not been troubled are now suffering greatly. But the time is coming
when this will be severe. It has not been foreseen when it will end.
[93]
What the
Scriptures say. If people ignore God, if they get exalted ideas of themselves,
if they are tempted to boast of their wisdom, God will bring upon them famine,
epidemics and tribulation. One can say that that was the state of things after
the Great War. Pe0ple heaped up possessions and forgot God. Possessions and
learning were the important things. If there was worship, it was wrongly
directed.
In the case of the
civilizations, the great nations of the world, this meant a clean sweep of
everything. As for the small peoples, the native populations, they were not
much affected. It was thought that we Maori would not be too troubled. For us
food is the important thing. If our stomachs are full we have no anxiety. But
in recent days dome of us have taken to Pakeha ways, wanting more and more
money as food for the heart. A few of us are in this situation, but most of us
are still like our forebears. Ngata said, ‘We can live on Maori foods!’ So do
your utmost to cultivate fern root and to keep piling up the relishes of former
days.
SHARED THINKING.
The Parish of
Tokomaru is grateful for the noble thought of the Ratana, the Mormons and the
Ringatu here.
The Ratana held
and evening of entertainment which raised £17/6/-. In their generosity they
gave that money to the Parent Church to help with the work of the Parish. This
was wonderful. We thank Te Haua Whakataka and all your supporters.
We have received a
letter transferring our minister to the Parish of Waipawa. The Church people
here were very sad on hearing the news. On Sunday, 10th January, a
meeting was held of all the people of Tokomaru, including Ratana, Mormons and
Ringatu. We sought a means of retaining our minister. Everyone said, ‘Leave our minister alone.’
The meeting decided that we should set up a petition.
The Ratana said,
‘We did not wait for a meeting to be set up; we just sent out our petition. If
the Bishop doesn’t agree to our petition, that’s O.K. At least we have made
known what we think.’ Hirini Waiti spoke
for the Mormon Church. He said, We’ve done our own petition. You of the Parent
Church should do your own.’ Wiremu Potae of the Ringatu Church spoke of his
love for the minister. Peta Mauku of the Ringat said that we must have a
petition. With our present minister, all the people of this place have lived in
harmony.
The [Wetere - ?
Wesleyan ?Vestry] Committee of the Parent Church moved ministers, they alone.
Editors, this is a
beautiful sign – a sign of how the Churches here are united.
Te
Uranga Potae
Tokomaru Bay
[94]
LETTERS RECEIVED
To the Editors of
Te Toa, Greetings to you both.
On 3rd
January, 1932, at 9 a.m. Sir A T Ngata and Tai Porutu arrived withd the members
of the Te Arawa Lakes Board, and Tiweka Anaru, the Registrar of Waiariki.
Some of us living
of the island were seeing Sir A T Ngata for the first time. Certainly we had
heard his name and voted for him but had not met him, and we were keen at that
time to meet him in person. And that happened on this occasion; our dreams were
fulfilled and here he was in front of us.
Consequently we
gave Sir A T Ngata a warm welcome and were grateful to all the people of the
Tai-Rawhiti Electorate who had chosen him to be member for us Maori people. At
last this island of Moutere was being walked upon by the chiefly feet of the
Maori Minister, a great man to all of us.
We were very
grateful and proud that Sir A T Ngata and the Te Arawa chiefs had come to our
Motiti. At last, this part of the Patu-wai hapu of Ngatiawa were able to learn
about several important matters of which we were not previously aware and to
listen to our elders. We are a hapu who, in past years, lived in darkness but
now the Sun from the East has shone upon our island and our hearts rejoice. One
wonderful thing that we observed with the coming of the Minister to our marae
was how our Patu-wai chiefs stood to make welcoming speeches and how the
slender became expansive in a way not to be suppressed by human hands. However,
time would not permit this and by the third morning time decreed that the
expansiveness should stop.
The following
matters were put before the Minister.
That our lake
should be viewed sympathetically by the Government. (Agreed)
Te Umuhuri Kerekeha
requested that a flag be made to commemorate his visit to Motiti. (Agreed)
Te Umuhuri’s
second request was for his dining hall at Hinewai to be completed. (This was
agreed by the Minister and the Chairman of the Te Arawa Lakes Board, Tai Porutu.)
Tribes and
authorities, we have put our hands to the plough of the Minister. You will have
to wait for the outcome.
Greetings to you
all.
Henare
Kereitana
Petera Matehaere
[95]
THE ENGAGEMENTS OF
THE BISHOP OF AOTEAROA 1931
Confirmations
Diocese of
Waiapu
March 29 Te Kaha 14 October
9 Te Aute College 17
30 Raukokore 9 12 Nuhaka 11
31 Omaio 2
31 Torere 9 Diocese of Auckland
May 13 Whakarewarewa 1
July 19 Kohupatiki 5 April 12 Ohaeawai 16
Sept. 15 Manutuke 4 13 Utakura 5
17 Uawa 16 14 Whangapae 3
17 Tolaga Bay 2 15 Ahipara 11
18 Kaharau 11 16 Kariponia 19
20 Tikitiki 11 17 Te Kao 3
20 Tikitiki 2 18 Waimanoni 25
22 Tikitiki 1 19 Pukepoto 11
22 Te Araroa 7 20 Pamapuria 19
24 Wharekahika 21 Peria 15
(Hicks Bay) 10 23 Otiria 38
25 Mangahanea 7 28 Mangakahia 46
25 Kaharau 2 29 Taita 27
27 Waipiro 9 30 Waimamaku 19
27 Waipiro (Adults) 4 May 3 Te
Iringa – Kaikohe 26
27 Tokomaru Bay 22 10 Manaia
– Hauraki 8
Diocese
of Wellington
July
12 Wellington 12
14 Aorangi
– Feilding 12
Diocese
of Christchurch
Nov. 1 Arowhenua
– Temuka 9
(To
be continued.)
[96]
CALENDAR
OF PSALMS AND READINGS FOR SUNDAYS AND FEAST DAYS FOR JANUARY 1932. [I have not translated this calendar. –
Barry Olsen]
A NOTICE
This is to inform
you that a Hui will be held at Nuhaka. It will be called ‘The Resurrection’ and
will inspire the work of the Church of England. It begins on 24th
March, 1932, and ends on 28th. More information will be forthcoming.
Bring the Heretaunga Choirs.
Wi Mataira
CLERGY
APPOINTMENTS
Rev Ngatai Wanoa
has been moved from the Parish of Waipatu to the Parish of Tokomaru; he will
work with Rev Tamahori. Rev Wiremu Moana of the Parish Tokomaru has been
appointed to the Parish of Waipawa. Rev Rangiaho of the Parish of Porangahau
has been appointed to the Parish of Waipatu.
Raniera Kaa of
Waiapu will be ordained Deacon in March. His placement will be at Kawakawa
where he will work with Rev Poihipi Kohere.
