TE PUTATARA
A Newsletter
for The Kumara Vine
P.O.Box 408, Wellington, New Zealand
ISSN 01142097 - Issue No 4/90 April 1990
Putatara! Putatara!
Toi te hapu, toi te iwi, toi te mana:
te mana wairua, te mana whenua, te mana tangata; te mana Maori.
Ka whawhai tonu ake! Ake! Ake!
E nga iwi o te motu, e nga tai e wha,
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.
Violence and the Police
In the early 1980's I watched the NZ Police furnish themselves with the weaponry of an army, and wondered where it would lead. A decade later I don't like the answers.
It all started much earlier, with the formation of the Armed Offenders squads, which were a result of policemen playing cowboys; and getting themselves shot up when trying to arrest armed offenders. The guiding principle of the NZ Police was that of "minimum force", and even after the Armed Offenders squads were formed (from ordinary beat policemen) the principle of minimum force was incorporated into the tactics of the armed squads. They waited out an armed offender, rather than shoot.
In the 70's and early 80's there was an international terrorist scare. I was in the Army at the time, and had some knowledge of how New Zealand equipped and armed itself to cope. When the Police first formed their Anti-Terrorist Squad and began to arm themselves with sophisticated weaponry, some of us in the Army were concerned that they would not be an effective force, because their training was based entirely on the principle of minimum force. They were trained not to respond with any more force than was absolutely necessary.
Dealing with terrorists requires exactly the opposite philosophy - that of maximum force. We thought at the time that our NZ Police would be a danger to themselves and the public if they tried to deal with terrorists, because their training in restraint would put them at the mercy of determined and highly trained gunmen.
But they persisted and armed themselves with sniper rifles, specialist shotguns, handguns, submachine guns and other military equipment.
Anti-terrorist squad members were drawn from the Armed Offenders squads, who were themselves ordinary beat policemen who received extra training, and were only called upon when required. The anti-terrorist squads however were retrained on the principle of maximum force. And so it was that ordinary beat policemen began to receive para-military training, and began to be indoctrinated in the use of violence as a legitimate response in the course of their duties. How many policemen have been so trained?
In the last decade hundreds have received paramilitary training. This, coupled with the long baton training they all now receive, along with the special training for the Springbok Tour, and the formation of team policing units, has bequeathed to us a police force which is now trained in violence and intimidation.
The Police Association has called for beat policemen to be armed; but they are already armed. They have the lethal long baton, and in almost every patrol car there is a handgun in the glove-box, and often a rifle in the boot. The team policing van is little more than a mobile arsenal.
Is there any longer a principle of minimum force? I think the Chase killing puts that old policy well and truly to rest. The dawn raid with weapons at the ready is now the norm; and it is a tactic which is a direct result of the decision in the early 1980's to form and train an anti-terrorist squad from beat policemen.
With such widespread training in the use of violence, and with weapons so readily available, they now have a psychological dependency on weaponry, be it baton or gun. It is only a small step from needing a gun in the car, to needing one on the hip. I know the mentality well, having been twenty years a soldier. A soldier needs a gun to stay alive for he cannot avoid violence. But a policeman needs a gun only to participate in violence he might otherwise avoid.
Though optimistic about the future of the tangata whenua, I am yet fearful of how an armed and intolerant police force might provoke a violent confrontation. They have been moving in that direction for the last decade. What will the 1990's bring?
Ross Himona
TE PUTATARA
"Ma te kupu ngawari e kaupare te riri; ma te kupu taimaha ia e whakaoho te riri.
Ko te arero o te tangata whakaaro nui e whakahua tika ana ia te mangai o nga kuware i te wairangi."
Nga Whakatauki 15:12.
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TE PUTATARA is published monthly by TE AUTE PUBLICATIONS, P.O.Box 408, Wellington, New Zealand.
Editor
Writer
Tea BoyRoss Himona
Copyright: Ross Himona, 1990
All material appearing in TE PUTATARA is copyright. Contributions are welcomed. Letters to the tea boy are also welcomed.
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1 copy $4.00
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12 months $45.00Subscribers please note that your subscriptions cover up to and including the month which appears on the address label of your envelope.
THIS MONTH
Violence and the Police............ 1
Fan Mail .......................... 3
Wellington Watch .................. 6
Treaty Debate: Reality vs Purity... 9
Te Rakau Hua O Te Wao Tapu.........12
Dispatches from the Dungeon Bar ...14
Fan Mail
## Tena koe, Ross Himona, e noho mai na te riu o Te Whanganui-A-Tara. Tena koe, i runga i te ahuatanga ki o tatou tini mate e hinga atu ra, e hinga atu nei. No reira, haere atu koutou, haere, haere, haere.
Tena koe Ross,
Tino tomuri ahau ki te tuhi atu ki a koe, i roto i te Tau hou 1990. Heoi ano, e ki ra te korero, "E pai ake te tomuri i te kore rawatu".
E mihi atu ana ki nga wahi korero o Te Putatara o te Tau ka hori ake nei 1989. Kei te haere mai etahi korero i kona, kaore e puta mai ana i nga Nupepa a, i te Pouaka Whakaata hoki. Koia na nga wahi korero kei te hiahia matou, he aha nga mahi a te Tari Maori hou. A, e hinengaro Maori me te whakaaro pumau hoki ki nga tikanga o te Ao Maori hei oranga mo tatou. No reira, ka whai tonu ahau kia puta mai ki ahau nga korero o te Putatara mo tenei Tau.
He kupu korero. Ki to matou nei Rohe ki te Wairoa, tino atahua te timatatanga o te Tau hou. Tuatahi, te waka hou a Takitimu. Mai te timatanga o te mahi i Porangahou, ki te haerenga ki Waitangi, tae noa ki te hokinga mai ki Ahuriri a, tae noa ki te wa i haere mai ai ki te Wairoa, kei te korero tonu hia i roto o Ngati Kahungunu. Ki a matou ki nga Kaumatua o tenei wa, e timatanga pai tenei mo te Tau. He aha? Na nga waka nei ka noho tahi, kai tahi, moe tahi nga Uri o nga Tipuna i haere mai i runga o nga waka o nehe ra. Kai whea atu te noho atahua i te noho tahi i runga i te whanaungatanga.
Tuarua, i te whitu o nga ra i muri mai i Waitangi, ka tae mai te KahuiAriki o Ingarangi ki te Wairoa. I runga i te tono ki aia, ka haere mai ia ki te whakatutuki i te karanga powhiri. Tino ataahua te Ra. Te powhiri, ki te whakapuare i te huarahi hou whakawhiti i te awa o te Wairoa. I te Ruatekaumawha o te Marama, i tae mai te KahuiAriki Maori ki te Wairoa i runga i te powhiri ki te Rimatekau Tau o Takitimu Whare. Ka kite matou i te Takitimu hou me te Raurunui o Turanganui haere atu ki Ngati Porou. Koianei nga ataahua i kite atu e matou i te timatanga o tenei Tau hou.
Ko te mea nui kei te whanga te Ao Maori, ko te Pire hou mo ratou. Mehemea, ka whakamama te takahi a te waewae i runga i tona mahunga. Katahi ka tino ataahua rawatu tenei Tau hou 1990.
No reira Ross, ko enei wahanga korero, hei hoa mo taku koha ki te Putatara.
Naaku noa,
na Kemureti Tipene Pani,
Nuhaka.
## Kia ora Ross,
I really enjoyed the Te Putatara which gave the true version of how Pakeha New Zealanders got to be called "Kiwis". Sounds good to me but did you consider all the possibilities of the situation. When Hone Heke said "Mr Governor, that's a fine chook you wear on your head", maybe he really said "rooster" not "chook". We all know the common name for a rooster is a cock. Does that make Hobson number one cock? Could it be that Hobson was making a cock-up, or could it be that the descendants of such a man are the true cockies? Ever wonder about the origin of that word?
Now, since then the true followers of "number one cock" have built themselves a new chook house. I hear they call it a beehive. Poor bugger white fella never could tell the difference between the birds and the bees.
Keep up the good work, or is that good word.
Arohanui,
Vicki Earp,
Adelaide, South Australia.
## Tena koe te Ti Boy,
I send you my subscription of $45.00 for your beaut paper and include $10.00 extra for you to keep the tea sup up. I know the way it is with bigtime Yuppie Bosses want the goods all the time (continuous cups of tea) but never to put their hands in the bottomless pits they call pockets to buy the means (tea bags, milk and sugar).
Also this makes me like a member of the club who has now paid the dues and won't feel guilty when you offer me a brew when I call. Please pass on the 45 bucks to Mr Big AFTER you have taken out your share.
Off fishing now, ka kite,
Scoff,
Hamilton.
* E Scoff, tanku rawa atu. Na te tiboy.
## Tena koe Ross,
I am reading the Issue 1/90 and have arrived at your invitation to nickname Wira G. which I would like to suggest is given some real consideration. I have no doubts that in Wira G. we (Maoridom) have a straight-thinking, honest, incorruptible man whose personal mana will be second to his efforts for Te Iwi Maori, and that he will clear his path of "encumbrances" to enable ITA to fulfill their role, and perhaps cause the replacement of the "stagnated" ones.
In view of my personal beliefs in the abilities and integrity of this man, I feel his name should reflect the actions he is more than capable of and which many are already well aware he possesses. He should be named "Whirlwind Wira" as he is a whirlwind, waiting to unleash tremendous powers that lie concealed beneath a calm face (te mask of Tumatauenga).
Heoi ano, na,
Barry Te Kowhai,
Rotorua.
* Ka pai tena ingoa! Let's hope he doesn't blow himself out like Cyclone Koro and Tawhiri Tamati!!!
## Jake (or) Fatman, or whoever the Editor is?
It's nice to be kept informed and Puutaatara does more than it's fair share. It never ceases to amaze me who actually receives it and reads it. Keep up the good work. Spent a good two days in your neck of the woods at Te Raakau Hua O Te Wao Tapu excellent. I came back a green colour envious I guess.
Kia kaha, kia toa, kia maia.
Kia mataara, Naku noa,
Hone Kaa,
Radio Aotearoa.* I read this month's "Metro" from your neck of te ngahere. I'm now ceaselessly amazed! I guess their Maori columnist reads Putatara too. The green colour you caught actually comes from all the political tutae down here.
## Kia ora Ross,
I hope you, Jake and the Ti Boy are able to keep the old printing press rolling out many more Te Putatara. Aunty and Uncle love reading your newsletter, they're even thinking of taking out a subscription. Uncle just loves hearing about all those Maori big wigs (and small wigs) running around trying to be like Pakeha bureaucrats. He reckons he even knew some of them, back in the old days when they didn't have wigs.
Poor old Aunty, she just doesn't know when you're being serious or pulling her leg. Like the other night she was sitting by the fire reading the March Te Putatara, when suddenly her false teeth shot out faster than a rocket from a bazooka. She screamed at Uncle, "Look, it says here that Tipene O'Regan is an authentic iwi representative".
"Don't be silly", Uncle said, "You got to represent the iwi before you can be one of those. It's probably that Ross Himona just being funny". Well, Aunty wouldn't wear it. She reckoned that if the Government could make an authentic iwi in that new Ruin an Iwi Bill it could probably make someone an authentic iwi representative. Anyway that's why I'm writing this letter. You see, Uncle reckons Aunty's false teeth are a deadly weapon. So before the police started searching her wardrobe, he was hoping that next time you were going to write something funny about Tipene, if you could put "(joke)" after it for Aunty's sake.
Kia ora,
Milton Tawhai, for Uncle.
Porirua.* E Milton, Tipene is in the phone book; Uncle could talk to him direct if he wants (joke).
## Dear Sir,
I have read many of your Newsletters and would like to know more. I received my first copy last year from my mother who was manager of the Ngatiwai Trust Board in Whangarei..And I was wondering if it costs anything to get more. As a student I find myself very interested in your work and reviews as they are put in a harmonious way.
So if you would by any chance be able to give more information it would be greatly appreciated by myself and friends. Thank you very much.
Melissa Nuku
6th Form,
St Josephs Maori Girls College.* Kia ora Melissa. The Sloppy Joe library used to subscribe but they haven't renewed. Maybe you could get the library to buy it again. Thanks for your letter, and keep your eye on the mail.
## Tena koe Ross,
I suppose you had given me up as another one of those koretake Maori who don't like to pay subscriptions but like to receive Te Putatara. Well don't get too disillusioned, here is my subscription. Sorry it couldn't be more but you see I am one of those who absconded from Te Tari Maori when it closed down and I am now unemployed and enjoying it. However I do miss the disclosures, sorry dispatches, from the Dungeon Bar now that I am not able to travel freely on the Government account. I look forward to receiving my first paid for issue of Te Putatara. In the meantime I wish you well for future publications. Kia kaha.
Anne McGuire, Gisborne.
Wellington Watch
a roundup of capital events
Peter Boag Retires
The Chief Executive of the Department of Infernal Affairs, Peter Boag (the Empire Builder), has announced that he is to retire before the General Elections; which is not very interesting eh, except that he will leave with some "fond memories" of his many marae visits. Liked the marae hospitality did Peter. The grapevine reports that he could be retiring because he can't bear the thought of preparing for a new group of slush merchants (the National Party).
The interesting bit will be who replaces him. The Department of Infernal Affairs is actually the biggest slush fund in Government. It looks after Parliament, and it looks after the Lotteries, and heaps of other obscure and slushy things. Now, the Chief Executive of this department is privy to a whole pile of strange and secret goings-on, including the disbursement of political slush. He is in a position to do a lot of gentle blackmail and even a bit of corruption, if he's that sort of person, you understand. So the Chief Executive has to be a person of high ethical standards and not someone who would be prone to using his position for personal gain, be it power or money.
E hoa ma, you keep your eye on this one. It's going to be interesting.
Shades of South Africa
Banning Orders: Waitangi 1990
Quote:
"To [name of alleged and suspected but not yet tried and convicted Maori protester and disturber of peace and decorum].
"I [name and rank of allpurpose policeman, prosecutor, judge and jury] pursuant to an authority issued by the Waitangi National Trust Board, and being the occupier of the land known as the Waitangi National Trust Board Land as described in the 1st and 2nd Schedules to the Waitangi Trust Board Act 1932, hereinafter referred to as the "said land" warn you to stay off the "said land".
This notice is given pursuant to Section 4 of the Trespass Act 1980 and the penalty in the case of an offence against Section 4 is a fine not exceeding $1000.00 or imprisonment not exceeding 3 months pursuant to Section 11 of the Trespass Act 1980.
Every person commits an offence against this Act who being a person who has been warned under this Section to stay off any place wilfully trespasses on that place within two years of the giving of the warning.
Signed: [Policeman]
Date: 6/02/90"Mr Murray Grant, Secretary of the Waitangi Trust Board, in a letter replying to a request for official information writes: "The trespass notice was not authorised at a Board meeting...I am not in possession of any authorisation notice. I am arranging for a copy to be sent to me by the Trust Manager who, I understand, signed the authorisation in accordance with regular practice."
If I were on the Board, I would be very disturbed about the use of my name, without my prior consent; by my Trust Manager in collusion with the Police; to deny the civil rights of my fellow citizens, without trial. If I were on the Board I would either have someone hung, drawn and quartered or I would resign.
The members of the Waitangi Trust Board are:
The Governor General (Chairman),
The Prime Minister (Deputy Chairman),
Minister of Conservation,
Minister of Maori Affairs,
Ken Williams,
Ellen Hulme,
Dame Te AtaIRangikaahu,
Tom W.Reed,
Bob Whaitiri,
Jock McEwen,
William Busby,
Ian Torlesse.
Iwi Transition Agency: Te Tira Ahu Iwi
E hoa ma, have you fullahs noticed how the kumara vine is getting very twitchy about te TAI?
I hear that Te Runanga O Ngati Porou, Te Runanganui O Turanganui-A-Kiwa and Te Runanganui O Ngati Kahungunu are up in arms about the nonperformance of the Gisborne Regional Office of te TAI. Seems that there is virtually no communication of substance from the Assistant General Manager. Given that communication and information form the lifeblood of modern management, an absence of it is a very good indication of a lack of management. Just like the Head Office of the old Tari Maori eh.
The AGM at Gisborne seems to be trying to form his own regional iwi called Ngati Tai Rawhiti. He's not talking to the real iwi and his network looks very much like the old guard of NZ Maori Council, Maori Land Advisory Committees, National Party, and the Freemasons. E hoa ma, I have it on good authority from the kumara vine that he is a practicing freemason. He avoids answering the hard questions too; just the way freemasons are trained.
Well, he was appointed by the old guard of Neville Baker and Kara Puketapu, so there's little wonder he can only see the old guard to consult with eh. The Iwi Transition Agency is still bedevilled by the remnants of that old guard you know. That's the lot that are about six years out of date who don't realise that iwi authorities of one form or another have been up and running for about four years already. You mark my words, that old guard is hanging in there hoping that the National Party will toss out the iwi and return power to the brown public service.
Paikare Wira, doesn't time fly? The first six months have passed. You can't afford to have lame managers below, as well as a lame minister above. "Ruia taitea, kia tu ko taikaka anake."
Maybe the whole structure devised by Kara and Neville is to blame. You could try tossing out all the regional Assistant General Managers; the iwi authorities won't miss them because they look too much like the old Tari Maori hierarchy.
The other thing of note in ITA is that their budget got blown out by corporate services. Millions. The kumara vine reports that they've had to make it up by chopping what was left of the Housing budget, and a few other things too; over $500,000 in some districts. That's a lot of houses the people won't be getting this year.
Security and Secrecy
You know how I used to go on about the Dear Old Departed (Good Job!) Department of Maori Affair. You might remember that they were obsessed with keeping their secrets secret. Would you believe that the other day I wandered into te Iwi Trains Agency (Te Iwi Express), and the lift wouldn't move when I pressed Number 7. Well, I always knew that the lifts in Massey House were even slower than NZ Rail, but this was ridiculous: they wouldn't start at all.
So I asked someone and they said that you couldn't get past Floor 5. You had to have a pass to go higher. They said there was even a gate across the stairwell. Paikare, you all know me eh. I said to myself, this is not going to stop the dreaded Putatara. So I studied the new security system, and before you could say "Te Ti-boy" I was sitting in the General Manager's Office on the 7th floor. No pass. His secretary must have a false sense of security now because she wasn't guarding his office either.
After I finished congratulating myself, I started to wonder why my old mate Wira had gone to so much trouble to try to keep me out. Most unusual. Then it struck me! He's not trying to keep me out at all. Wira, you're brilliant. It's his new strategy for protecting the iwi.
He's going to lock all those crooks inside Massey House!!!!
Ministry of Maori Affair
Manatu Maori
You can have a rest this month John, but don't get complacent. Thanks for the official information; and thanks to the Chief Ombudsman for making sure I got it, finally.
E John, how did Hiwi the Kiwi Tauroa get appointed to your ministry? Must be that boring old brown male Education bureaucracy again. That old guard network of yours will get you into trouble with the iwi one day. Too many collaborators and power seekers eh. Funny how some of you education people can't see past your mirrors to the real iwi.
The Saga of the Pakeha Defective
Now you all know about Mr Trevor Morley who is the Pakeha private detective that someone hired to check up on some Maori people eh.
Well, Bert McLean of the Tamaki Maori Development Authority (TMDA), he found out that Trevor was trying to find out some things about TMDA. So Bert had his lawyers send a request for official information to Cyclone Koro, just in case Koro knew anything about this investigation, you understand. Koro replied! The kumara vine reports that Koro denied all knowledge of Trevor Morley and his investigation, but suggested that any queries could be directed to a certain Mr Neville Baker.
E ki Cyclone Koro. You been reading Te Putatara?
He doesn't subscribe eh.
What's up at the Chathams?
The Government is planning to form a new body for the Chathams based on the model of the Maori Development Corporation. Neville Baker and Waari Ward-Holmes (who??) have been two of their main consultants, and Kara Puketapu seems to be in the act somewhere. Which explains why Te Runanga O Wharekauri-Rekohu has been left out while they consult only with the old guard down there. The old guard is the Chatham's County Council and the old Maori Land Advisory Committee, neither of which represents the people. Ward-Holmes wouldn't know an iwi if he tripped over one, and IOU Baker is only interested in rebuilding his old power base.
IOU Baker has been getting close to Infernal Affairs lately. Hika ma, I bet he applies for the job of Chief Executive to replace Peter Boag!!
the treaty and public debate
purity vs reality
Although I wholeheartedly support the Treaty movement and often write on treaty issues, I am getting just a little weary of reading and hearing of the Treaty being invoked to oppose almost everything that almost everyone doesn't agree with.
It seems to me, more often than not these days the treaty argument is dragged out and used because people are too lazy to think through the issues they espouse, and too lazy to present their own reasoned and logical argument to support their opinions. In an increasing number of cases the Treaty is invoked to support otherwise insupportable opinion, or plain crackpot theory. This does little to serve the cause of the Treaty: on the contrary, it serves only to diminish the Treaty's mana.
Even amongst some of the highly educated, and others who usually think carefully through their arguments, the Treaty has become little more than an article of a politically correct but sometimes inappropriate faith. The Treaty is indeed one of the main issues of our time, but it is not the only one. And often the treaty argument is used by the highly articulate to oppose, but without any consideration at all for the opinions and needs of the people.
"Ko te kai a te rangatira, he korero." Talk is indeed the sustenance of rangatira, but rangatira are those who are also providers for their people. No reira, high principles are a fine thing, but the people will starve on high principles alone.
The needs of the people vary from place to place. However, in almost every place they are unemployed, and have no stake in the economy. Most of them will never in their whole lives enjoy any of the riches of this bountiful country, which was once theirs. They only stand and watch, without a voice in their own destinies.
Those who do have the voice and the ability to capture an audience; they would do well to travel the road back to the people, and to make sure that they speak from the hearts of the people. I can not and do not claim to know what the people need and want, but I can talk of our marae at Te Hauke. In doing so maybe I can highlight some of the practical problems of rural Maori. These are the problems of reality, not easily overcome by the rhetoric of treaty purity.
Kahuranaki Marae at Te Hauke has a vested interest in having the Treaty honoured, for our tipuna Te Hapuku was one of three who signed it on 24 June 1840. Nevertheless, our problems and tasks will not be solved by Treaty rhetoric, but by hard work alone. And the hard work will still be there long after the Treaty is honoured.
Our village was devastated in the 50s and early 60s. Not only were many of us leaving home to make our careers elsewhere, but local government conspired to get rid of us. At that time there was money about, as the farming boom was in full swing. Many of our parents were finally able to build new homes, but local government by-laws prevented them, and so they built elsewhere in nearby Hastings and Flaxmere. Even if local body building permits were available, housing loans were impossible to get to build on multiply owned land. Over the next thirty years the population of Te Hauke dwindled to a handful. In 1989 our village shop/post office closed after NZ Post pulled out.
Today we have the usual concerns about refurbishing the marae kitchen, and about rebuilding the marae ablutions and toilets. But those are just minor projects; they are just a start.
As a marae we are committed to rebuilding our village; to bringing the people back and providing them with a strong and enduring economic base. We are committed to nothing less than the long-term survival of our hapu, despite the best efforts of generations of settlers and their central and local governments to destroy us.
To bring the people back we need housing, and so we are working with Housing Corp to build papakainga housing. This has also led us to develop a training scheme to train our own builders.
To build houses we will need to solve our water and sewerage problems. We live beside our lake and draw water from ground-bores. Our sewerage is discharged into septic tanks in the same ground. Our lake must also be protected from seepage. One day we will need to build a water reservoir on the hill. Very soon we will need to devise a sewerage system for the whole village. From past experience we know we will be doing all this with very little help from local government.
Once the people start to return we will need to reopen the shop, and we will need to find employment for them to get the readies to spend in the shop. This provides the impetus for our training programmes, and perhaps some business development programmes.
As a small experiment we are looking at creating businesses which can be owned either by the hapu as a whole, or transferred to individual ownership.
The land which still remains in the hapu has been fragmented by 150 years of disastrous government land policies. Most of it is now leased, and it will be a very long time before it could possibly be brought into production as a hapu capital asset. The land and the lake are our taonga; our only capital assets. They are rich indeed but their riches flow into the pockets of Pakeha lessees, and it will be a long time before the flow is reversed. Even so, bringing the capital assets back under the control of the hapu for the long-term benefit of the hapu is absolutely necessary.
Therein lies our dilemma. Without the capital base to fund our ventures we must look elsewhere. Perhaps the iwi authority, or the incorporated runanga, will help us to inch nearer to our goals. Perhaps it won't, but anything is worth a try. There is today a great deal of cynicism about the new ways government departments are seeking to control Maoridom, and rightly so, but Te Hauke cannot afford the luxury of standing on principle on every issue. We have to take what we can whenever we can. For without immediate control of our traditional capital assets we must rebuild our economic base from scratch. That is the long haul of reality.
The grandiose schemes of Aotearoa Fisheries, Maori International, the Maori Development Corporation and some Maori Trust Boards are to us singularly unhelpful and unimpressive. From our end of the iwi they look more like schemes for the grandiose. A new and even more insidious brand of colonialism that will do nothing for our capital base.
Part of our economic base is the skill of our young people. For that we look to our kohanga reo, to our bilingual school and to our training schemes. As yet we have not completed our plans for tertiary education, but we do know that the more qualified our people are, the easier the job will be.
Although money may seem to be our greatest need, it is not. We know that wherever and whenever highly skilled people congregate and commit themselves to a common cause, their goals will be realised. The key to achieving our goals for our marae is networking. With about 6,500 beneficiaries of hapu lands there must be a large reservoir of skills and talents out there in the cities that belongs to Kahuranaki. We have found some of it, and one weekend each month it gathers with the home people to plan and work for the marae. Networking and education; together they will create the economic base.
On top of all this there are the usual concerns for our children, and their health and welfare; for the care of the elderly. Some of our members are involved in providing pastoral care for our rangatahi in the local prison, and others in mental institutions. We have the Maori committee, the marae committee, the marae trustees, the kohanga committee and staff, the school board of trustees, the kokiri committee, the Maori wardens, Maori Women's Welfare League, and Sect 438 land trustees. Just like any other marae.
Kahuranaki Marae is not special or unique. There are hundreds of others, each with its own special problems and concerns. Each of those marae has more work ahead of it than any iwi authority or incorporated runanga. Those of us who live in the cities sometimes forget how easy it is, having our water, sewerage, roads and transport provided by the city council. All we have to do is pay rates, or rent. We sometimes forget that it is easy for us to be ideologically pure on treaty issues, for we don't have to live with all the consequences of our principles.
We should never forget that the marae is our base, and our strength. It is from the marae that the iwi and Maoridom will eventually be rebuilt. So we should never forget to consult with the flaxroots before we open our mouths. We will not find the flaxroots in the bathroom mirror.
To all of you out there fighting for the Treaty, keep up the good work. Kia kaha, kia toa, kia manawanui. But keep in touch with reality.
Waikaremoana Guided Tours
Pig Hunting
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Tramping
Contact: Noel Himona
P.O.Box 351
Wairoa.
Tel: (0724) 23729
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Cnr Russell & St Aubyn Streets
Hastings
Every Saturday 7 am to 12 noon
Art, craft, kits, rewana, cakes, eggs, fish, Fat Mama's raffles, seedling, donuts, popcorn, kaanga piro, pot plants, clothes, pickles, bone carving, preserves, Rawleighs, VERY CHEAP VEGES, watermelon, watercress.
Phone 68 419 A/hrs.
Te Rakau Hua O Te Wao Tapu
a blooming of contemporary Maori performing art
"Te Pu Repo" Canon Hone Kaa thought he was green with envy (see Fan Mail). The Maori arts community at Te Whanganui-A-Tara was set alight. Even the editor of Te Putatara, that staid and conservative retired military officer and pillar of the establishment, was deeply moved by the month of performing arts at the Depot theatre. I didn't spend much of March in Wellington but when I was in town the Depot was high on the agenda. For me it was one of the highlights of 1990; from the dawn ceremony on 3rd March to the final party on the 31st.
In "Broken Arse" we saw some superb young Maori actors. Apirana Taylor in particular showed how much he has matured in his craft and his was a powerful performance. Peter Kaa as (Canon) Egg (he's te nephew to Te Pu Repo himself) gave a brilliant comic parody of his uncle, and of his lineage of parson persons. But overall I thought this adaptation of Bruce Stewart's short story of prison life was a bit overdone, and a bit too complicated with too many themes running through it, and too many messages crammed into and obscuring the story; but nevertheless I enjoyed it. And as Keri Kaa would (and often does) say; "Where's your script know-all?" I haven't got one eh.
I thoroughly enjoyed the two one act plays by John Broughton; "Te Hara" and "Nga Puke". Te Hara, featuring Tungia Baker, Tina Cook and Mere Boynton, was pure Maori drama, with a classic kick in the tail of the story, which was to do with the concept of tapu. Tungia Baker brought all her acting experience to bear on this short piece and she was well supported by Mere and Tina. Tungia's finale was a masterpiece which moved the audience to tears of sadness.
Nga Puke, on the other hand, was a very simple love story, set in the time of World War II, movingly acted. In their performances Tobias Mills as the young Maori man and Maggie Harper as the young Pakeha woman brought tears of joy to the audience. Maggie is already an accomplished actress, but Tobias showed that he too has what it takes, and we will be seeing more of this young man in the years to come. Even the hardened old soldier in me enjoyed Nga Puke. Love lives on.
I want to see more of John Broughton's work. He has the stage in his pen.
"The Late Night Show", on the night I caught it, was a selection of Hone Tuwhare's poems dramatically presented by Jim Moriarty, Tungia Baker, Rena Owen, Zvonimir Mesarov and Tui Farrell. A great show well-performed but the feature performance for me was Rena Owen, who learnt her acting in Britain and has brought her talent home to be appreciated by her own people.
I missed "Korero mai wahine ma" which was a series of readings and performances by Maori women writers, poets and actors and included waiata, poems, short stories, skits and karanga. And I missed "He Oriori Mo Te Tamariki", a 40 minute show especially devised for 712 year olds, written and performed by Tina Cook and Whetu Fala. Koretake eh.
[Never mind though. I managed to catch the final stage show at Nga Paiaka, featuring Black Katz (Ngatai Huata-Harawira) and Kahurangi (Tama Huata). It was freezing cold, but as usual both turned on a thoroughly professional show. Kahurangi was the mainstay of Nga Paiaka's entertainment throughout the whole of March and Tama obviously worked hard to help keep Paiaka going. He even had a little help from local DJ Brannigan Kaa].
Back at the Depot I caught two performances by Masapa singing their own compositions and a selection of contemporary Maori songs. Keep your eye out for this group as they gain experience and professionalism.
For me the high point of Te Rakau Hua O Te Wao Tapu was "Hei Wawata" performed by our very own contemporary dance company Taiao, from Tamaki Makaurau. Not that the plays and other performances were inferior, but I have taken a personal interest in this company which started out as an ACCESS scheme, originally called Te Kanikani o te Rangatahi. Even that philistine Jake reckons that Taiao was his favourite too. Fat Man stays away from anything too energetic eh.
From the very beginning in "Topu" it was obvious that Taiao have come a long way in a short time. When they were last in Wellington they were a band of gifted amateurs; now they are professionals. Their standard of choreography and performance is uniformly high as they have strengthened themselves both physically and mentally. Whereas Stephen Bradshaw used to stand out as their most disciplined dancer, the others have reached his level of performance and together they have broken through the invisible wall into creativity.
Although it might be unfair to praise a single dancer above the others I will, for I saw in the eyes of Hori Ahipene the fire of greatness as a dancer. He has reached beyond the mere physical and mental performance and has reached into the wairua of dance. There is much for him to discover there.
"Hei Wawata" comprised five pieces; Topu, Hoki ki te Timatanga, Taitama, Mythology and Hauora; and by the end of Hauora the choreographic and dance talents of the entire group had been displayed to their fullest. Stephen Bradshaw states that "Hei Wawata really did commence as a dream, our initial reason for this performance was to create a platform for young Maori who are involved in contemporary movement and thought."
"Taiao is committed to developing dance that is of a universal language but grounded in our social, spiritual environment and realities of Aotearoa."
They have certainly already achieved what they set out to do. It might be time they lifted their sights even higher. This Taiao must almost be ready to put together a show to take overseas.
Jake really enjoyed the final party. Made a bit of a fool of herself too.
NGARIMU ESSAY COMPETITION
18 July 1990
Three Categories:
Form 1 & 2 (Maori & English)
Form 3 & 4 (Maori & English)
Form 5, 6 & 7 (Maori & English)
Topics:
10 topics to choose from, given on the day of the competition.
Prizes:
1st Book to value of $30
2nd & 3rd Cheque Voucher $20For information contact your local school or Ruth Ferris, Ngarimu Secretary, Ministry of Education, Private Box 1666, Wellington.
Dispatches from the Dungeon
Paikare! You know I been out of town so much lately I haven't been down the Dungeon Bar at all this last month.
Been round these different places working for a living eh. You can't pay the bills on the subscriptions we get, but never mind, there were lots of those in the post box when I got back, thank you very much all you nice fullahs. Well. The first message when I got back was, "They've all been looking for you down the Dungeon. Lots of juicy information from the kumara vine."
Where have I been? What I been up to? Wouldn't you like to know, I'll bet. Trouble is if I tell you, then you might tell someone else, and they might tell someone else, and their whanaunga might tell someone else in the SIS. I know that's how it goes because that's how most of you get to read Te Putatara eh. I decided to save the SIS the trouble of reading someone else's copy so I send them their very own one for themselves, free of charge! True, e hoa ma, true. And I send one to police intelligence too! Just to make sure they find out about everything from me first and not from someone else's whanaunga.
Never mind where I been, but I found another bar just like the Dungeon eh, and it was real grotty too, just like the Dungeon. I was there with some Tuwharetoa people and it was beside a lake eh. Well, we went from there to another pub because it was a bit more classy, and then we ran into a whanaunga of those Tuwharetoa who invited us to a party at his whanaunga's place, only his whanaunga didn't know about the party already.
I was the driver cause those fullahs conned me into going with them cause I only drink orange and they drink everything that's going. Well, I found out that I was going to be the one to break the news to the generous whanaunga about his party too! Aue hika. When we got to the door they pushed me through first and said tell your mate Tim about his party Ross. Tim Who, I said. You mean that Tim, I said. If his whanaunga do this to him, it's no wonder he hasn't got any enemies eh. Then I did a bit of a panic. What if Georgina came to the door? Just as well eh, she wasn't home. Come to think of it eh, I bet the young whanaunga from the more classy pub had already sussed that one out. Anyway we had a little party at the very hospitable and generous whanaunga's place, with me drinking the old L&P without the bourbon, cause they didn't have any orange juice without the vodka. Beats the Dungeon any day you know. I've been partying out in the provinces.
When I got back I found out I was going to breakfast with the Governor General. True, would I tell tito to you e hoa ma. No I wouldn't eh, but I still heard you all muttering something about shipping bulls. Well, there was about a hundred others at that breakfast at the Wellington City Art Gallery to launch "Mana Tiriti" which is a joint Maori/Pakeha exhibition, but I still had breakfast with the Paora Reeves. Mind you, if he'd known Te Putatara was there he mightn't have said some of the things he did eh. This time he didn't lose his shoes because he didn't take them off. Not like when he opened the new Kuratini marae.
While I was there, this person came up and said where you been, I been waiting for you down the Dungeon.
I've been home too, at Te Hauke.
