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Ae Marika February 2011
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Ae MarikaTe Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi-O-Ngāpuhi Magazine Issue 23: February 2011
Ngāpuhi - This Is Our Time:Settlement Process Begins
• Where Does Responsibility Lie for Our Reo?
• The Internet Chef Barbies Some Mussells
• Ngāpuhi on New Look Auckland Council
• Tia Taurere Writes for us from CanadaIN T
HIS
ISSU
E
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Contents
CONTENTS
Tūhoronuku
- Settlement Process Begins ................................................................................................................ 3
- Settlement Gets Ngāpuhi Leaders Blessing ................................................................................ 5
- Next Steps for Tūhoronuku: Seeking a Mandate ....................................................................... 6
The Internet Chef
In this Issue Bridget Barbies Some Mussells .................................................................................. 7
The Newlook Auckland Council
- Māori Statutory Board Gets Some Unwanted Attention ........................................................ 9
- Ngāpuhi to the Bone: The Unlikely Councillor .........................................................................10
- How Auckland’s New Council Works ............................................................................................11
Waitangi Day Celebrations
- Hokianga Commemorates the Treaty .........................................................................................13
Who’s Responsible for Our Reo: An Indepth Look at the Issue
- Te Reo at Crisis Point: Waitangi Tribunal .....................................................................................14
- What the Waitangi Tribunal Found Out About Te Reo .................................................... 15-18
- The Māori Language Strategy: The Government’s Response ............................................19
- A Local Perspective ............................................................................................................................20
New to Ae Marika: Photo Essays
- Kaumatua-Kuia Ball 2010 .................................................................................................................21
Letter from Overseas
- Tia Aurere in Canada .........................................................................................................................22
News Briefs: 2010 Māori Sports Awards
- Basketballer Reuben Te Rangi and Swimmer Cameron Leslie ............................................23
Ae Marika February 2011
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Te Tiriti o Waitangi
The endorsement letter (on page 4) is signed by the
Minister of Māori Affairs, Hon Dr Pita Sharples and
the Minister of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Hon
Christopher Finlayson.
Te Rōpu o Tūhoronuku is a group created in 2009
to represent the interests of all Ngāpuhi in Te Tiriti o
Waitangi negotiations with the Crown. It is financially
underwritten by Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi-O-Ngāpuhi to
advance settlement for all Ngāpuhi.
In a letter to Te Rōpu o Tūhoronuku Project Leader,
Lorraine Toki, the Ministers said the strategy was “sound”
and they were confident the proposals in the strategy
“were in line with Crown criteria for a robust and
transparent mandating process”.
Said Ngāpuhi leader Sonny Tau: “This mandate strategy
endorsement from Ministers is a significant milestone in
our journey towards Treaty settlement.
“It is only three years ago that our Kaumatua and Kuia
told Ngāpuhi leadership to get on with settling our
grievances against the Crown. Since then we have
been consulting with our iwi throughout Aotearoa and
Australia. Overwhelmingly, they have told us to settle
and move forward as a people.
“Non-settlement is holding back Ngāpuhi … and
Aotearoa. When we look at other regions that have
settled, and see the progress they have made, there is
no question that every year delayed is a year of wasted
opportunity for our iwi.
“In terms of WAI 1040 Te Paparahi o Te Raki, Te Rōpu
o Tūhoronuku strongly supports claimants having a
platform to air their grievances. We do not support
the traditional elongated process associated with the
Waitangi Tribunal process. We believe the hearings
must proceed with some semblance of order, driven by
Ngāpuhi, not dictated or coordinated by lawyers as is
currently the case.
“We have written to the Waitangi Tribunal asking for
the allocation of a set number of weeks for Ngāpuhi to
present tangata whenua evidence, prioritise the issues,
then set a number of weeks for these issues to be heard.
“Te Rōpu o Tūhoronuku is open to working with those
who are committed to Ngāpuhi moving forward,” said
Mr Tau.
The Ministers’ endorsement of the strategy comes after
three leading Northland MPs – Hone Harawira, Kelvin
Davis and Shane Jones – issued statements late last year
in which they supported a comprehensive Ngāpuhi
settlement.
The strategy is posted on www.tuhoronuku.com and
Ngāpuhi are invited to provide comments.
An historic comprehensive Ngāpuhi Te Tiriti o Waitangi settlement came a step closer last month with
Government Ministers endorsing Te Rōpu o Tūhoronuku’s strategy to seek a mandate from Ngāpuhi iwi.
Settlement Process Begins
ISSUE 23
Te Rōpu o Tūhoronuku members (left to right) Rāniera (Sonny) Tau, Titewhai Harawira and Hone Sadler.
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Ae Marika February 2011Te Tiriti o Waitangi
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ISSUE 23 Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Settlement Gets Leaders Blessing
Te Tai Tokerau MP, Hone Harawira:
“A just and enduring settlement for Ngäpuhi must be
a priority for this government - to rectify the substantial
breaches of the Treaty in the homeland of the Treaty, the
land of Ngäpuhi, and to do so without delay.
“A just and enduring settlement for Ngäpuhi will be one of
the most significant and important of all Treaty settlements.
“A just and enduring settlement for Ngäpuhi will enable
the people of the North to move into a phase where the
development of potential stands alongside the redressing
of injustice.
“A just and enduring settlement for Ngäpuhi will enable
the North to open the door to other possibilities. A just and
enduring settlement for Ngäpuhi will be a blessing for the
whole nation.”
Labour MP Hon Shane Jones:
“Treaty settlements are an important part of Iwi
development and the Māori position in our overall society.
It is important that the settlement of Maoridom’s largest
iwi, Ngäpuhi, proceed with pace. The North will definitely
benefit from a settlement of this size.
“There may be internal challenges but such matters ought
not impede the overall progress that Ngäpuhi can make. I
look forward to supporting the Ngäpuhi claims and will
encourage my colleagues across the House to act in a
similar fashion.
“Ko te Tiriti he taonga i whakakaupapatia ai ki te Tai Tokerau.
Kua rite te wä me hohoro a Ngāpuhi ki te whakatutuki öna
take whenua, ngähere, moana, tangata, tikanga hoki. Me
aro mai anō te Karauna kia ea ai ngā moemoeā”
Labour MP Kelvin Davis:
“All Ngāpuhi have the potential to achieve greatness, but
for this to happen we need to operate with the collective
interests of all whānau and hapū that comprise Ngāpuhi iwi.
“Settling our claims is merely a step in our collective journey
towards greatness as a people, it is not a destination in itself.
“Settlement should be viewed as a tool for whānau and
hapū to achieve a greater vision.
“Once settlement has been reached Ngāpuhi whānau and
hapū must work together to develop the plans, projects
and dreams that will energise and inspire our people.
“Other iwi have led the way but Ngāpuhi have traditionally
been the leaders, not the followers.
(continued on page 6)
Taitokerau MP Hone Harawira (above); Labour MP Kelvin Davis addresses a crowd recently; Hon Shane Jones (Labour) above.
Ngāpuhi members of Parliament and a prominent kuia are supporting a comprehensive settlement
for Ngāpuhi.
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settlement will provide the foundation for Ngāpuhi to
break new ground as indigenous leaders.
“I envisage the day in the not too distant future where
Ngāpuhi whānau and hapū are the backbone of business,
art, spiritual, social, scientific and cultural enterprise in Te
Tai Tokerau, and are prominent leaders on a national and
international level.
“To fulfil that vision we need an enduring settlement to
resource Ngāpuhi whānau and hapū to achieve our true
potential and destiny as described by Sir James Henare, that
is to become truly great Māori.”
Titewhai Harawira
Ngāpuhi kuia and leader Titewhai Harawira says Ngāpuhi
are ready to talk to the Crown about settling.
The 78-year-old matriarch has worked tirelessly over the past
two years to advance a comprehensive Treaty settlement
for Ngāpuhi.
“From my experience over the past years, I am confident
Ngāpuhi hapū and Ngāpuhi living in urban areas can be
involved in this process. Through Te Ropū o Tūhoronuku
- the committee seeking mandate - all Ngāpuhi have the
opportunity to participate,” said Mrs Harawira.
Ae Marika February 2011Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Te Rōpu o Tūhoronuku hits the road in April and May,
holding 20 hui throughout Aotearoa and Australia (Sydney
and Perth) as it seeks a mandate to represent Ngāpuhi in Te
Tiriti negotiations with the Crown.
During the next month, all registered Ngāpuhi will receive
a schedule of hui dates and venues in the post. These and
much more information about the mandate process is also
available on the website www.tuhoronuku.com.
To find out whether you are registered, or find out how to
register, contact [email protected] or Freephone
0800 101 084.
Registered
If you are registered as Ngāpuhi with Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi-O-
Ngāpuhi, and are 18 or over, you will receive a voting pack
in the mail in early April.
This will give you several ways in which to vote:
1. By mail – just fill in the voting form and return in the
paid reply envelope supplied.
2. Online - you will be given the option to vote online by
following the instructions in your voting pack.
3. Free fax – you can return your vote by fax to the free fax
number supplied on your voting paper
4. Attend a hui – you can attend a Deed of Mandate
hui in your area and place your vote in the ballot box
provided at the hui.
If you are unsure about whether you are registered, phone
0508 666 447.
If you are registered and did not receive a voting pack by
15 April 2011, call free phone 0508 666 447 and request a
voting pack to be sent to you.
Not registered
If you are not registered and wish to vote, you will need
to attend one of the 20 Deed of Mandate hui being held
during April and May 2011.
These hui will be notified on our website www.tuhoronuku.
com and advertised extensively in local and area
newspapers.
You will need to bring a form of identification with you
to the hui, in order to register to vote.
You will then be validated by our Kuia or Kaumatua on
site. Once this has happened, you may cast your vote.
The Next Steps - Tūhoronuku to Seek Mandate in April and May
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Phone conversations with my Dad, who is back home
in New Zealand, usually involve a detailed description
of his latest feast of fresh seafood. “The mussel’s bub,
weeeeee you should see them! Fat! Juicy!” “Yeah,
thanks Dad,” chokes back a sob.
What can I say, it’s one of my absolute homesick
triggers and before I land back home in Aotearoa, I
am hitting up my relations to get the ‘welcome wagon’
out by way of freshly collected seafood for the hungry
homesick traveler. Don’t bother tying a yellow ribbon
round an old oak tree; just collect another sugar-bag...
I’m on my way home.
As I had never thought to look for mussels in the
freezer, I was pleasantly surprised to find one of
New Zealand’s favorite exports amongst the frozen
offerings in the local supermarket.
With an ever so slight deterioration in quality, I thought
that mussels on the barbie would be a great way to
highlight a beautiful New Zealand product in a real
Aussie sort of way.
Firstly I make two dressings to drizzle over the mussels.
The first one is tomato and chilli and the second is a
mayo and anchovy. They get drizzled over the mussels
once they are removed from the barbecue.
Recipe
Tomato and chilli dressing
2 firm tomatoes - cut in quarters with flesh removed
and the skin cut into very small dice.
1/2 cup of sweet chilli sauce
1 small handful of fresh corainder leaves - chopped
fine
1 Tbsp of salmon sauce
1/2 small red onion ~ cut into very small dice
Mix all the ingredients together and season well with
salt and pepper. Cover with cling film and rest the
dressing for a couple of hours before using to allow
the flavors time to develop.
(continued on page 8)
ISSUE 23
Bridget Tackles An Ozzie-Kiwi
TraditionMaori have been harvesting mussel or Kutai from the
shores of Aotearoa since the land was inhabited over
1,000 years ago and the mollusk was amongst one of the
first commercially gathered products in New Zealand.
The Internet Chef
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Mayo and anchovy dressing
1/2 cup of best food mayonnaise (Best foods is the
best for this)
2 large anchovy fillets - mashed well with the back of a
large knife to form a smooth paste.
Mix together the mayo and anchovy mash with a fork
until well combined.
Slowly incorporate 2-3 tbsp of cold water and mix well
to form a dressing that is of a consistency that it can
drizzle well.
Season well with salt and pepper.
To cook the mussels
I like to cook steak or meat in clarified butter on the
flat grill of the barbecue before I cook the mussels as
this allows the mussels to cook in the juices and flavors
that the steak leaves behind.
Clean and de-beard your mussels by pulling the
“beardy” looking part that protrudes from the shell.
The best way to do this is if the beards are proving
stubborn is to yank on them with a tea towel. Refresh
briefly under cold running water.
Heat the barbecue up until searing hot and position
the mussels in a single layer on a flat grill. Cook the
mussels only until the shells open. Seafood flesh
requires only short cooking times as lengthy cooking
will result in moisture loss through evaporation
leaving the flesh rubbery and unappetizing.
Ae Marika February 2011The Internet Chef
The Internet Chef, Bridget Davis, was recently ranked number one influential food person on Twitter, Australia.
She also has been ranked in the top 15 food Tweeters in the world. Not bad for a Māori girl from Karetu. In the
next issue of Ae Marika she will explore the use of technology in making healthier food choices.
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ISSUE 23
Creeping Into the Public Gaze
That was until newly elected council members had
time to digest the implications of new legislation
foist upon them as a result of the largest local body
amalgamation in the country’s history.
Some important considerations overlooked by the
lawmakers and promoters had unwittingly included
giving the new board and its members voting status
on each of the council’s 11 committees. The result
was a revolt by right leaning councillors who never
envisaged the board had such rights.
Recently the right got their own back when the
council was setting its budgets, slashing the board’s
budget in half and setting the stage for a new
showdown that will end up in the High Court.
The brief history lesson is important because in
setting up the newlook council, Māori protaganists
pushed for separate Māori seats. Local Government
Minister Rodney Hide declined to oblige, promoting
the one rule for all theme.
In this issue of Ae Marika we discover there are at
least four members of the newlook council with
Māori whakapapa; two to Ngāpuhi. Likewise, two of
the Māori Statutory Board’s members are Ngāpuhi
as well.
On the pages that follow we talk to one of the
least obvious councillors and discover not only is
he staunch Ngāpuhi, he’s a key figure ensuring the
doors continue to swing both ways in an already
soured relationship.
We also find out how this new beast called the
Auckland Council works.
TE REO MĀORIAuckland Council
Up to the New Year, the Auckland Council’s Māori Statutory Board had done a good job of flying
under the public radar.
Ae Marika February 2011
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to draw a line in the sand and get clarification
around what this legislation means and then we
can all move on.”
Alf has a good grasp of his Ngāpuhi whakapapa,
even though being half Samoan on his father’s side
he tended to be pushed towards his Pacific roots.
His mother was Sissy Remana and his whakapapa
is to the Moon (Munu) , Neho, Cassidy and Colenso
(Koroniho) in Awarua on the back roads of Kaikohe.
Growing up, he said, his grandmother tried to
teach them as much about their Māori side as
possible.
“I remember when this Pacific liaision job came
up at the cops, and there was this other one as
the Iwi liaision and I went to one of my kaumatua
– Maurice Wilson – and I asked him which one I
should take,” said Alf.
“And he said if you’re want to be tuturu Māori you’ll
follow your father’s line, and I was like man!”
His memories of Kawakawa are scratchy because
he left at a young age. But one of the vivid
memories he has is of the old “outhouse” – the
outside toilet.
“I used to hate that thing and the smell and it was
such a blessing when I left and moved to the city
to flush toilets.
“I remember the trips up North for tangi and stuff
and I used to think about the old outhouse and
used to hang on till we got to the service station.
It’s my pakehafied-ness, if I can use that word. ”
Alf said he still comes home at least once a year to
visit his mother’s grave, but rarely gets the time to
return North other than for tangi.
He is one of six children and had two of his own
– one of which is about to embark on a double
degree at Auckland University of Technology.
The 34-year veteran cop finds less time for his
day job with his council duties and said even
though he is Māori, one of three on the newlook
organisation, he doesn’t consider it his sole duty to
advocate for Māori issues though it seems that way
some times.
“I supported Māori seats on the council and
even under the former council, I was seen as
an advocate for Māori issues there because I
believe our Māori community have a significant
contribution to make and are quickly becoming
economic powerhouses as well,” said Alf.
Meet Councillor Alf Filipaina - Ngāpuhi to the BoneHe’s the link man in the newlook Auckland Council and fiercely Ngāpuhi.
But you wouldn’t recognise it judging by his surname.
Alf Filipaina was elected Manukau ward representative on the council at
last year’s local body elections, and is the organisation’s link to the Māori
Statutory Board that has been hogging all the headlines lately.
The controversy surrounding the board set up to give Māori a voice on the
new council, has not phased the Kawakawa-born cop.
“I’m happy they’re [the board] going to the high court because they’ve got
Auckland Council
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ISSUE 23
The newlook council
replaced the Auckland
Regional Council,
Auckland City Council,
Manukau City Council,
North Shore City
Council, Papakura
District Council, Rodney
District Council,
Waitakere City Council,
Franklin District Council
and any associated
community boards.
It has two complementary and non-hierarchical
decision-making parts:
• The governing body, consisting of a Mayor
elected by all Aucklanders and 20 councillors
elected on a ward basis.
• 21 local boards with members elected by local
board areas.
The governing body and the local boards share
the decision-making responsibilities of Auckland
Council:
• The governing body focuses on the big picture
and region-wide strategic decisions.
• Local boards represent their local communities
and make decisions on local issues, activities
and facilities.
Auckland Council delivers services through the
council organisation and council-controlled
organisations.
Council-controlled Organisations.
Council-controlled organisations (CCOs) delivers
some services and manage some facilities on
Auckland Council’s behalf.
CCOs are organisations, trusts or companies in
which council controls 50 per cent or more of the
votes or has the right to appoint 50 per cent (or
more) of directors or trustees.
The CCOs are independent of the council’s
operations and, in the case of companies, are set
up under company law and have their own boards
of directors. However, they are also accountable to
Auckland Council.
Māori Statutory Board
The Māori Statutory Board sits outside the
structural framework of the council. Its aim is
to ensure council takes the views of Māori into
account when making decisions.
Its board members include two men who
whakapapa to Ngāpuhi:
• James Brown.
• Tony Kake.
Mr Brown is the chairperson of the Ngai Tai ki
Tamaki Tribal Trust and chief treaty settlement
negotiator for Ngai Tai ki Tamaki among other
things. He has previously served as chair and
member on a number of standing committees of
councils throughout the Auckland region.
Mr Kake’s whakapapa includes Ngati Hau of
Ngāpuhi. He is the CEO of the Papakura Marae,
with previous experience as a Funding and
Planning Manager in Maori Health for the Counties
Manukau District Health Board, and has more
than twenty years experience in community
development and social policy.
Auckland Council
How Auckland’s New Council Works
James Brown Tony Kake
Cr Des Morrison, who also has whakapapa ties to Ngāpuhi
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Ae Marika February 2011
Some of the scenes from Waitangi Day celebrations in and around Waitangi this year.
While the media circus acommodated the
cacophony of noises that followed Hone’s
reprimand, behind the scenes both Māori and non-
Māori alike enjoyed an eclectic blend of cultural
displays, market stalls and events that forms the
culture of the Treaty commemorations at Waitangi.
From the annual political pilgrimages – where
National and Labour dare to dip their toes in the
cesspit of Treaty-related issues – to the traditional
pre dawn ceremonies, coupled with the pomp and
ceremony of the New Zealand Navy’s inquisition
once again, Waitangi Day in the Bay of Islands never
fails to deliver something for everyone.
Noise Provides Background to Waitangi Day Celebrations 2011The fallout from the Maori Party’s hardline on Taitokerau MP Hone Harawira provided the background to this
year’s Waitangi Day celebrations at Waitangi.
Waitangi Celebrations
Also at Waitangi was the Iwi Chairs forum. Rāniera (Sonny) Tau, Ngāpuhi (standing); Naida Glavish, Ngāti Whatua on his right. Prime Minister John Key looks on. Sonny is supported by Ngāpuhi kaumatua Hone Sadler on the far left.
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ISSUE 23 Waitangi Celebrations
Celebrating the Treaty has become an annual event in the Hokianga as well. Scenes from the 2011 commemorations.
It’s been running for 13 years, but the weekend’s
celebration of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi
at Mangungu Mission House a week after Waitangi
Day on the Hokianga was by far the biggest.
Over 2,000 people turned up for the annual
event at the historical site, that commemorates
the largest gathering of Chiefs – 70 of them – to
sign the Treaty on February 12, 1840. One of the
highlights were the young kaihoe taking part in
the commemoration onboard the waka for the first
time.The day also featured performances by award
winning musician Ruia Aperahama, performances
by Mataini representatives Te Whare o Puhi, and a
re-enactment of the signing of the Treaty by Te Kura
o Horeke.
Hokianga Treaty Celebrations Reach 13th Year
Accompanying the Prime Minister were various aides including Lewis Moeau to his right. Ngāti Kahu Chair Dr Margaret Mutu is to the right of Mr Moeau. Seated next to her is Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Findlayson.
14
In a blunt assessment of te reo, the tribunal noted:
• Younger speakers of te reo were diminishing
and native speakers were not being replaced.
• Since 1993, the proportion of Māori children in
early childhood education attending kohanga
reo had dropped from just under half to under
a quarter.
• At school, the proportion of Māori children
participating in Māori-medium education has
dropped from a high point of 18.6 percent in
1999 to 15.2 percent in 2009.
• The total number of school children in Māori-
medium learning has dropped from each
successive year since 2004.
• If the peak proportions of the 1990s had been
maintained, there would be 9,600 more Māori
children attending kōhanga reo and and extra
5,700 Māori school children learning via the
medium of te reo.
• At the 2006 Census, there were 8,000 fewer
Māori conversational speakers of te reo than
there would have been had the 2001 proportion
been maintained.
Assessing the reasons why, the tribunal said the
Crown’s performance over the past 25 years had a
number of shortcomings in fulfilling its obligations
to Māori, including policy failures and a lack of
resourcing.
While it didn’t lay all the blame at the Crown’s
feet – saying Māori too needed to guard against
complacency and whakamā – the reo ‘movement’
had been weakened by government failure too.
The report concluded there needed to be four
fundamental changes:
1. Te Taura Whiri should become the lead Māori
language agency.
2. Te Taura Whiri should function as a Crown-Māori
partnership through the equal appointment of
Crown and Māori representatives to its board.
3. Te Taura Whiri would need increased powers
to ensure public bodies are compelled to
contribute to te reo revitalisation.
4. Regional public bodies and schools would be
required to consult with iwi in the preparation
of their plans.
“In the end, the question is whether we as a nation
wish to preserve te reo as a living language or not.
If we do, our proposals merely reflect the urgency
ot the situation and the pressing need for thorough
change,” said the tribunal’s Chief Judge, Joe Williams.
Ngāpuhi kaumatua, Nau Epiha.
Ae Marika February 2011Te Reo
Who’s Responsible for Te Reo?The Waitangi Tribunal set alarm bells off when it described the state of te reo Māori is at crisis point in its initial
report on the Wai 262 claim.
15
ISSUE 23 Te Reo
Historical Decline and Post-1986 Revival
Our assessment of the Crown’s current te reo policies
and practices necessarily begins with a brief overview
of the state of the Māori language throughout the
twentieth century. We traverse the historical period
(pre-1975) only briefly, in accordance with the
presiding officer’s 2006 ruling that the remaining
hearings would focus on post-1975 events and that
no substantive findings would be made on historical
claims. We draw heavily on the account provided by
the Tribunal in its 1986 report on the te reo Māori
claim, which shared our focus on the post-1975
period.
In short, many developments over more than two
decades have today contributed to a full array
of contemporary Crown measures and policies
aimed at reviving and promoting te reo Māori. The
two biggest areas of investment have been Māori
language education and broadcasting. Many of these
initiatives were first undertaken and driven by Māori
themselves.
Towards English Monolingualism, 1900–75
While many Māori were bilingual at the end of
the nineteenth century, most spoke te reo as their
‘ordinary means of communication’. Then came what
the te reo Māori Tribunal identified as the first of three
25-year periods in the history of the Māori language
in the twentieth century.
During the first, from 1900 to 1925, Māori children
went to school as monolingual Māori speakers and
all effort was focused on them learning English. The
children had to leave te reo at the school gate and
were punished if they did not.
Between 1925 and 1950, the children of the first
period grew to adulthood and, while they spoke te
reo to their parents and older relatives, they would
not speak Māori to their children. Parents simply did
not want their own children to be punished in the
way that they had been. Of course some children
were taught te reo, or at least could understand it
well, but by and large English had become their first
language.
The period from 1950 to 1975 was one of
accelerating monolingualism, as education
policies were compounded by urbanisation and
associated practices such as ‘pepper-potting’. The
new generation of parents was convinced that their
children had to speak English to get ahead, and thus
a whole generation grew up who either knew no
Māori or knew so little that they were ‘unable to use
it effectively and with dignity’. The total domination
of English-language mass media also acted as an
‘incessant barrage that blasted the Maori tongue
almost into oblivion’.
The main evidence provided to the Wai 262 inquiry
about the twentieth-century history of te reo Māori
was Dr Williams’s report Crown Policy Affecting Maori
Knowledge Systems and Cultural Practices . Like the
te reo Māori Tribunal, Williams noted the research of
Professor Bruce Biggs, which showed that the ability
to speak te reo amongst Māori children declined
from 90 per cent in 1913 to 80 per cent in 1923 to 55
per cent in 1950 to 26 per cent in 1953–58 and to 5
per cent in 1975.
The Health of Te Reo in the Mid-1970s
Professor Biggs’s 1975 figure presumably derives
from the research of Dr Richard Benton for the New
Zealand Council for Educational Research. Between
1973 and 1979, Benton surveyed 6,470 Māori families
(comprising over 33,000 individuals) throughout the
North Island. (continued on page 16)
In order to put the Waitangi Tribunal’s report into context, here we reprint part of the report’s historical
information on the decline of te reo.
What the Waitangi Tribunal Found Out
Ae Marika February 2011
16
Te Reo
He concluded that, in the mid 1970s, there were
64,000 fluent speakers of Māori within the Māori
community (approximately 18 per cent of all
Māori) and another 30,000 who could understand
conversational Māori quite well.
However, he identified only two domains where
fluent speakers felt secure: on the marae and at
certain religious observances. Moreover, in only
170 of the 4,090 households surveyed with resident
children was the youngest child rated as fluent.
Writing in 1991, Benton commented:
It was clear that Maori was, by the 1970s, playing
only a very marginal role in the upbringing of Maori
children, and that, if
nature were left to take
its course, Maori would
be a language without
native speakers with the
passing of the present
generation of Maori-
speaking parents.
Later, in 2001, Benton
and fellow researcher
Nena Benton reflected
that the number of
pre-school children
who could speak Māori
fluently in 1979 was ‘almost certainly less than a
hundred’.
Māori Initiatives to Save the Language
In response to the dawning realisation that the
language was in serious peril, a series of Māori
initiatives began that effectively brought te reo back
from the brink. In September 1972, the Ngā Tamatoa
Council (led by Hana Jackson) presented a petition to
Parliament signed by 30,000 people, calling for Māori
culture and language to be taught in all New Zealand
schools.
Jackson’s accompanying submission referred to
speaking Māori as ‘the only real symbol of Maori
identity . . . For us to be able to speak Maori is
the truest expression of our Maori tanga. It is the
substance of our Maori tanga. It is our link with the
past and all its glories and tragedies. It is our link with
our tipuna.’
The presentation of this petition led to the annual
celebration of Māori Language Day, which in 1975
became Māori Language Week.
After 1975, Māori protests and petitions continued
unabated. It is little wonder given the prevailing
mood of the Government (for example, the Minister
of Māori Affairs Ben Couch said in 1979 that he saw
no need to take further
legislative steps to
protect the language).
Thus, in 1978, another
30,000-signature
petition was presented
to Parliament, this
time by the T e Reo
Māori Society of
Wellington. It sought the
establishment of a Māori
television production
unit within the New
Zealand Broadcasting
Corporation.
Another petition in 1981, signed by 2,500 people,
called for Māori to be made an official language of
New Zealand.
The te reo revival was gathering pace. In 1979, Te
Ataarangi – a community-based Māori language
learning programme – was initiated to teach
speaking and listening skills to adult Māori. Te
Wānanga o Raukawa was established in 1981 to
teach Māori culture and knowledge at tertiary
level because of the lack of such provision in
the mainstream system. (continued on page 17)
Hana Jackson’s petition
17
ISSUE 23 Te Reo
The first urban Māori radio station,
T e Upoko o te Ika in Wellington, broadcast for one
week during Māori Language Week 1983.
Most significantly, perhaps, 1982 saw the advent of
the kōhanga reo (or language nest) movemen for
Māori preschoolers. Its philosophy centred around
kaupapa and tikanga Māori, as well as whānau
involvement – in particular through the teaching of
tamariki by their grandparents.
The first kōhanga reo opened in Wainuiomata in April
1982. With some support from the Māori Education
Foundation and the Department of Māori Affairs,
numbers rose rapidly, and by 1985 there were over
6,000 children attending 416 kōhanga reo. This was
clearly a grassroots movement of incredible energy
and momentum.
Frustration at the lack of opportunities for children
to keep learning in te reo at primary school led to a
Māori immersion primary school (or kura kaupapa
Māori) being established, by Māori, at Hoani Waititi
Marae in West Auckland in 1985. This was perhaps
the most significant development in Māori language
schooling since the country’s first bilingual school
was designated at
Rūātoki in 1977.
The birth of kura kaupapa was followed, Te Reo Māori
Society patron, in January 1988, by the ‘Matawaia
Declaration’ in which bilingual school communities
called for the creation of an independent, statutory
Māori education authority to establish Māori control
and the autonomy of kaupapa Māori practices in the
education system.
These developments demonstrate that, alongside
land, the health of te reo has been one of the two
great galvanizing issues in Māori protests over
Treaty rights during the last three or more decades.
Propelled by a profound depth of feeling and sense
of purpose, efforts to safeguard the Māori language
gave great impetus to the Māori ‘renaissance’ overall.
The Inquiry into the Te Reo Māori Claim
In the mid-1980s, Māori concerns over te reo that had
been building over the previous 15 years became
focused on the Waitangi Tribunal. The te reo Māori
(Wai 11) claim was brought by Huirangi Waikerepuru
and Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau i te Reo Māori (the
Wellington Māori Language Board) and primarily
sought to have Māori made an official language of
New Zealand. The claimants also laid a number of
complaints about the education system and the lack
of broadcasting support for te reo.
In its 1986 report, the Tribunal stated that it was
‘clear that the Maori language in New Zealand is
not in a healthy state at the present time and that
urgent action must be taken (continued on page 18)
Minister of Māori Affairs, Hon Pita Sharples (pictured standing), at the opening of Hoani Waititi in 1985.
18
Ae Marika February 2011Te Reo
if it is to survive’. The Tribunal felt there was a danger
of Māori becoming like ‘Church Latin’, only ever being
used on ceremonial occasions. It did note, however,
the advent of a ‘remarkable thing’ – the kōhanga reo
movement – which it felt demonstrated the ‘valiant
efforts’ Māori parents were prepared to make to
repair the damage to te reo.
The Tribunal reflected that Māori would become
an increasingly large part of the N ew Zealand
population into the future, particularly amongst
the school-age population. It also anticipated that
more and more people would be inclined to identify
with their Māori ancestry. New Zealand’s population
appeared to be undergoing a profound change,
which meant that ‘the demand for fluency in the
Maori language will increase rather than diminish.
If there are difficulties put in the way of those who
want to attain that fluency then serious social
tensions could develop’.
The Tribunal warned that the sense of social injustice
associated with Māori concerns for their language
could become ‘explosive’. It also said that te reo Māori
was ‘the embodiment of the particular spiritual and
mental concepts of the Maori’, which in turn provided
useful alternatives
to Western ways of thinking. The Tribunal cautioned
that, without te reo, ‘this new dimension of life from
which New Zealand as a whole may profit would be
lost to us’.
The Tribunal recommended that:
• Legislation be introduced enabling anyone to use
the Māori language if they wished in all courts
of law and in any dealings with Government
departments, local authorities and other public
bodies.
• A supervising body be established by statute
to supervise and foster the use of the Māori
language.
• An inquiry examine the way Māori children were
educated to ensure that all those who wanted to
learn Māori could do so from an early age, with
financial support from the State.
• Broadcasting policy be formulated that had
regard to the Crown’s obligation to recognise and
protect the Māori language; and;
• Bilingualism in Māori and in English become a
prerequisite for any jobs deemed necessary by
the State Services Commission.
The Tribunal did not recommend that te reo Māori be
a compulsory subject in schools, nor that all official
documents be published in both English and Māori.
At that time, it said, ‘we think it more profitable to
promote the language than to impose it’.
19
ISSUE 23 Te Reo
The Māori Language Strategy (2003) is the
cornerstone of the government’s response to the
decline in te reo.
The strategy is premised on five key goals:
1. Strengthening language skills – build the overall
pool of Māori language speakers, and the quality
of Māori language skills.
2. Strengthen language use – foster opportunities
and outlets for people to use their Māori
language skills.
3. Strengthen education opportunities in the Māori
langugage – focus on Māori language education
provisions. Also opportunities for non-Māori to
actively engage in learning and using the Māori
language.
4. Strengthening community leadership for the
Māori language – plan language activities and
initiatives at a local level.
5. Strengthen recognition of the Māori language –
create a positive and receptive environment to
encourage people to use their Māori language
skills.
The strategy is a 25-year plan with its primary goal
to ensure that by 2028 te reo will be widely spoken
by Māori and commonplace within Māori homes
and communities. The upshot being that “all New
Zealanders will appreciate the value of Māori
language to New Zealand society.”
One way of gauging the effectiveness of the strategy
is to consider the latest information from census data
and surveys.
Overall, the results are consistent with the tribunal’s
findings. However, in Te Taitokerau, here’s what we
found out about the health of te reo:
• According to the 2006 Census, the Māori
language rate for Māori adults in Te Taitokerau is
32%, among an adult Māori population of 27,900.
• Te Taitokerau has the second highest Māori
language rate among the eight regions in the
HML Survey. The HML Survey shows that more
people can understand the Māori language
(46%) than speak it (29%).
• There are significant differences in the proportion
of Māori language speakers across age groups.
For those people aged up to fifty-five, the Māori
speaking rate is 25%, whereas for those people
aged fifty-five or over the rate is 51%. However,
the population of Māori speakers aged over
fifty-five is small compared to the population in
younger age bands. Older speakers are also more
proficient in the Māori language than young
adult speakers.
• Since 2001, there have been marginal shifts in
Māori language proficiencies within the Māori
population in the region. For example: speaking
proficiency has decreased slightly from 32% in
2001 to 29% in 2006, and listening proficiency
has decreased slightly from 47% in 2001 to 46%
in 2006.
• Fifty-one percent of Māori adults are dissatisfied
with their level of proficiency in the Māori
language and desire to increase their language
skill levels.
The Response to the Loss of Te Reo
Ae Marika February 2011
20
The survival of te reo has thrown up some interesting
issues. Ngāpuhi television presenter Julian
Wilcox recently argued the pros of making te reo
compulsory. The New Zealand Educational Institute’s
Takawaenga, Lauren Park, agreed saying the time was
right.
Interestingly, the posh private boys school Kings
College in Auckland, has done just that; made te reo
compulsory for year 9 students. We asked Ngāpuhi
Kaumātua Nau Epiha for his thoughts. And our te reo
columnist Kene Martin wraps up our coverage of the
issue.
Te Reo is the life essence of Māori Existence
“From the time when tauiwi first landed in Aotearoa
te reo o te kāinga began to disappear. That it was
the beginning of the destruction of our reo,” says
Ngāpuhi Kaumātua Nau Epiha.
He recalled the affect that the tikanga of tauiwi had
upon his childhood and his whanau. “Our reo was
diminished by the politics of that period. The world
of te reo, the world of my parents and grandparents
was impacted upon by the ignorant practices and
policies of tauiwi.”
Matua Nau believes that te reo, a taonga handed
down to us by Io Matua Kore, has been taken over
by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language
Commission) and it’s leaders. “We are now in the
world of destruction with our reo. A system has
now taken over the mauri of our reo, the tapu of
our reo and worst of all the mana of our reo. For
example in Ngāpuhi we say mangu for black, not
pango; wharetiko for toilet not wharepaku. Hence
the reason why I’m saying the real language of our
ancestors was executed and it never arrived to us –
the generations of today. The language of Taura Whiri
has taken the place of te reo o te kāinga.”
When looking at the best way to revive te reo, te
reo o te kāinga, te reo tūturu, he says that, “Building
relationships – whanau coming together and
working together - is key to reviving, maintaining and
uplifting the life essence of te reo. Thereby ensuring
that it will survive with its mana intact . Ae marika te
mahi o te wā”
Te Reo Tūturu o te Kāinga - Kene Martin
Tino mamae ahau i te mohio kua kore taku reo, te
reo o rātou mā, e hiahiatia e nga uri o tēnei wā. I te
wā e ako ana ahau, i tuhi ahau wētahi waiata me ngā
pukapuka i roto i te reo tūturu o te kāinga. Ko te tino
kaupapa o aku tuhi waiata, tuhi pukapuka raini mo ā
tātou tamariki, he ako kupu, ako hitori i mahue mai e
ngā tupuna ki muri, he ako te reo o te kāinga me te
ako i nga tamariki ki te panui me te tuhi kōrero. Ka
nui te hari o ngā tamariki ki ngā waiata me ngā kōrero
i roto i ngā pukapuka. Tino horo rātou ki te hopu i
ngā kupu, engari i te wā i waiatatia ki nga tamariki
katoa o te kura, i reira tētahi rōpū e pupuri ana i ngā
tohutohu o te Taura Whiri. Horekau pai tō rātou titiro
mai ki ahau me ngā tamariki, i te mea horekau pai ki
ngā kupu o aku tūpuna. He pai kē atu ngā kupu o
Taura Whiri. Ko te hanga nei e whakangarohia ana
ngā reo o ā tātou tūpuna.
Hei aha noa iho! Me ako, me kōrero tonu tātou i te
reo i roto i ō tātou kainga. Ka mau tūturu tō tātou reo.
Ko te pai o tō tatou ake reo o te kāinga, i te rongonga
o te mita o tō reo, ka mohiotia ko wai koe, no hea
koe, i runga i ngā marae maha o Aotearoa.
Whakaoratia tonu tō tātou reo, te reo o te kāinga.
Te Reo
Kene Martin
21
ISSUE 23 Kaumatua-Kuia
Photos from the Kaumatua-Kuia Ball in Kaikohe, November 2010
Ae Marika February 2011
22
My family and I are currently living on Coast Salish Territory (Vancouver), Turtle Island (BC, Canada). The name
comes from their Creation story.
Ngāpuhi Overseas
My children are aged 10, 9, 7 and 2 and my
husband is tangata whenua, First Nations, from the
Blackfoot-Anishinabe iwi, Alberta.
We look at this time on Turtle Island as an
adventure – discovering new lands and sharing
cultures. The world is our place of learning.
There are many similarities with the First Nations
culture and Māori culture, such as Long Houses
(wharenui) Totem poles (ngā Pou) canoeing (waka
toa) weaving Cedar (Raranga Harakeke), and
Residential Schools (Missionary schools) to name a
few.
On a spiritual level, with their tikanga of ceremony
and traditions, and their connections with
Papatuanuku me Ranginui, as well as the birds and
animals.
Our family eats traditional foods such as Buffalo,
Caribou, Elk and Moose. Here on the West Coast we
also eat a lot of Salmon. I learnt how to jar or can
Salmon so we have some stored for the winter.
The winter is heavy here in North America, being
close to the Arctic winds. The ocean is freezing all
year round. Recently there was a Full Moon Eclipse,
on Winter Solstice, it was a powerful time.
We woke before the sun and drove to a Sweat
Lodge ceremony at the University of British
Columbia (UBC) prepared by the First Nation
community. There were two sweat lodges: one for
tane, and another for wahine.
A big fire was burning outside, heating up the
grandfather volcanic rocks. There was much
tikanga to be acknowledged before, during and
after the ceremony. We smudged (cleansing with
cedar and sweetgrass, sage smoke) with an eagle
feather fan, and then proceeded to go into the
darkness of the dome shaped whare, likened to the
womb of Papatuanuku.
In the centre was a shallow hole to cradled the
red hot rocks. There were six rocks for the first
round, four rounds in total, acknowledging tupuna,
wahine, tane and lastly ourselves.
More red hot rocks are added in each round – so
the lodge got hotter and hotter towards the end.
The smells were enchanting of cedar, sweetgrass,
sage and other medicines that I am yet to learn
about.
The women had drums and rattles and feathers
of sacred birds. They sang ancient songs and said
many karakia. I took the time to mihi and waiata
tautoko. The purpose is to cleanse the body, mind
and spirit with karakia, acknowledge tupuna and
appreciate all creations.
Ngā mihi aroha ki te whānau
Tia Taurere
23
ISSUE 23 ARTS WINNER
Disabled Māori Sportsperson of the Year 2010, Cameron Leslie, Ngāpuhi, in action. Photo credit: Hannah Johnston
Junior Māori Sportsman of the Year 2010, Reuben Te Rangi, also of Ngāpuhi. Photo credit: SPH-SYOGOC/ Yeo Wee Han
24
For contributions to Ae Marika or any queries, email [email protected]
or phone 0800 4 NGAPUHI (0800 4 64 2784). Opinions expressed in Ae Marika are those of the
writers and not necessarily those of Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi-O-Ngāpuhi.
