This page brings together the Whiti Te Rā! Monday Motivator messages produced by the Toa Leadership Hub and sent out to the Iwi via email and social media. Whiti te Rā! is sponsored by Oranganui Legal.
Each message centers on a whakataukī that relates to leadership, a Māori leader who exemplified it, and a reflection or lesson that may inspire us in the week ahead.
Whiti te rā!
Whiti te Rā is sponsored by Oranganui Legal.
He wāhine, he whenua, e ngaro ai te tangata
Without wāhine and without whenua, humankind is lost
There are countless kuia in our Ngāti Toa whakapapa who wielded considerable influence in their time. One of these was Waitohi, sister of Te Rauparaha and Nohorua.
A renowned deed of Waitohi to ask her Ngāti Raukawa kin to return to Maungatautari and bring her relations south. According to Te Manahi of Ngāti Huia, “We came at the desire of Waitohi. Had Te Rauparaha called, the people would not have assented. It was at the word of Waitohi”. Waitohi also allocated the lands to the Ngāti Raukawa hapū once they arrived. Her daughter Te Rangitopeora was known as the Queen of the South and was one of the Ngāti Toa signatories to the Treaty of Waitangi.
This whakataukī speaks about the connection in Māori philosophy between wāhine and whenua. Whenua being both the word for land and the word for placenta; the placenta buried in land of significance to the whānau; whānau meaning both family and birth; and all life seen as being born from the womb of Papatūānuku – without which there would be no life; no humankind. Mana wāhine is fundamental in Māori philosophy and history and will continue to be vital to Māori leadership going forward.
Sources:
He tao rakau e taea te karo, he tao kupu e kore e taea te karo
The thrust of a spear can be parried, but not the thrust of words
Moana Jackson (1945 – 2022) of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Porou, was a quiet revolutionary who powerfully guided the reclamation of tikanga Māori in response to colonisation and Pākehā law. He specialised in constitutional law, the Treaty of Waitangi and international indigenous issues and wrote significant works that have had enormous influence in the fields of law, criminal justice, and indigenous rights.
Said one of his protégés: “The real magic of Moana Jackson was his ability to say profoundly radical and transformative things in such a calm and measured manner that they seemed logical and simple... More importantly, he made us believe in ourselves and our ability to survive and flourish as iwi Māori.” His cousin Ngahiwi Tomoana described him as the Whispering Jesus – “he never raised his voice, never got demonstrative, but each word was like a hammer dropping”.
Unlike a physical weapon which can be dodged, the thrust of our words, when spoken in calmness and wisdom, can be even more powerful.
Sources:
https://e-tangata.co.nz/reflections/portrait-of-a-quiet-revolutionary/
Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro, nōna te ngahere. Ko te manu e kai ana i te mātauranga, nōna te ao.
The bird who feasts on the miro berry, theirs is the forest. The bird that feasts on knowledge, theirs is the world.
Dame Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira (1932-2011) of Ngāti Porou was a key revitaliser of the Māori language whose work continues to reach thousands of learners, young and old. Dame Kāterina and Ngoi Pēwhairangi introduced Te Ataarangi program, known to many as ‘the rākau method’, which was inspired by Egyptian Caleb Gattegno’s ‘Silent Way’ techinique.
A mokopuna of Dame Kāterina reflected that it was the wish of her kuia that they always kept an open mind to the knowledge and wisdom that the wider world has to offer. Just as Dame Kāterina, we too can strive to be the manu that seeks that mātauranga of the world – and bring it back home for the benefit of our people.
Sources:
https://teara.govt.nz/en/te-tai/te-mana-o-te-reo-maori-katerina-mataira
“E kore au e mate. Ka mate anō te mate ka ora anō ahau”.
“I shall not die. When death itself is dead – I will live on”.
Riwha Tītokowaru (1823–1888) was a prophet, a successful military strategist, a visionary, a peacemaker and a renowned Taranaki leader. His fighting tactics during the New Zealand land wars on the Taranaki west coast in 1868–69, and his standing up to confiscations of his peoples’ land earned him the respect and fear of Pākehā.
According to historian James Belich, “Tītokowaru is arguably the best general New Zealand has ever produced, but his career as prophet, peacemaker, and leader of non-violent resistance was longer and at least as significant… [his war] is a dark secret of New Zealand history, forgotten by the Pākehā as a child forgets a nightmare.”
Many lessons can be learned from Tītokowaru: to be strategic, to be prepared for both conflict and peace, and to know that with a spirit of defiance, great odds can be overcome.
Sources:
https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/1t101/titokowaru-riwha
https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/sites/default/files/tuhinga.25.2014.pt2_.p16-24.harwood.pdf
E kore e ngaro te kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea
The seed sown in Rangiātea will never be lost
Hana Te Hemara (1940-1999) of Ngāti Raukawa, Te Ātiawa and Kāi Tahu was the driving force behind the 1972 Māori language petition that led to the revitalisation of te reo in Aotearoa, and a tireless campaigner for indigenous rights for decades after. The petition, supported with 33,000 signatures, sought to persuade the Government to teach Māori language and culture in schools.
The whakapapa of the Māori people, language and culture stems back to Rangiātea – the island of Ra’iātea in Tahiti. 50 years after the Māori language petition, Māori can be proud of our efforts to keep our language and culture alive. But te reo Māori faces new challenges in 2022, not least of all from online entertainment and social media which are largely English-speaking and deliberately designed to be addictive.
Amongst other things, we can learn from Hana Te Hemara to stay vigilant. Only if we are proactive to create space for te reo to be used in our everyday lives, homes, and communities, will the seed sown in Rangiātea continue to propagate. Nō reira kia kaha te kōrero Māori!
Sources: ·
https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/29-08-2022/remembering-the-remarkable-hana-te-hemara-50-years-on
“I pēwhea tō tieki i te taonga i ōhākīngia ki a koe, ki a kotou?”
“How have you treated my gift of the Māori language to you?”
“Kia tae atu ahau ki te aroaro a te Atua ka patai mai te Atua ki ahau, “I pehea to tieki i te taonga i ōhākīngia ki a koe, ki a kotou?” He aha te whakautu maku?”
“When I arrive at the presence of the Almighty I will be asked, “How have you treated my gift of the Māori language to you?” What will my answer be?”
It’s a hypothetical statement made by a gentleman who personified an unwavering commitment to his people, their tikanga and their development. Te Ouenuku Rene of Ngāti Toa, in his presentation of the petition to Parliament, called for Māori language tuition to be available in all schools. This was in 1972.
50 years on, we still have a long way to go, with around 11% of the Māori population now fluent. But the many gains that have been made were the result of the same unyielding determination that our pakeke Te Ouenuku Rene showed in his lifetime. We will all need to continue to do that and instil that spirit in the generations to follow.
Source:
Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe me he maunga teitei
Follow your treasured aspirations, and if you bow, let it be to a lofty mountain
Mira Szászy (Ngāti Kurī and Te Aupōuri) emerged from a humble upbringing to become one of the greatest Māori leaders and proponents of mana wāhine in the twentieth century. Throughout her life, Mira pushed for education, health and social reforms, and helped shape twentieth-century cultural and gender politics and forge new pathways for Māori women. She dedicated her life to te ao Māori, Māori women, and upholding the principles of humanity, social justice and equality.
When we dedicate our unique abilities, as Mira Szászy did, to goals which are greater than our individual selves, we can live a life filled with purpose and meaning which can impact the world greatly. Let us set our sights on the lofty mountains – on the goals that go beyond mere personal gain.
Source:
E koekoe te tūī, e ketekete ana te kākā, e kūkū te kererū
The tūī chatters, the parrot gabbles, the wood pigeon coos
Huirangi Waikerepuru (1929 – 2020) was a key figure in the campaign to gain state support for the revitalisation of te reo Māori. As chair of Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau i Te Reo, he led the Māori Language Claim which in 1986 resulted in the Waitangi Tribunal finding that te reo Māori was a taonga which the Crown must recognise and protect.
He went on to lead a claim (alongside the New Zealand Māori Council) on the allocation of the radio spectrum, which resulted in Government funding for Māori Television and 21 iwi radio stations across the motu.
Māori television and radio have helped promote and maintain the diversity of tribal dialects and histories in recent decades. In a more general sense, valuing diversity is also a key part of effective leadership. Just as a healthy forest resounds with a multitude of distinct birdsongs – an organisation which recognizes and enables its peoples’ unique abilities and contributions is one that will thrive. Kia pai tō wiki!
Sources:
https://waateanews.com/2020/04/09/te-reo-maori-champion-huirangi-waikerepuru-dies/
https://teara.govt.nz/en/te-tai/te-mana-o-te-reo-maori-dr-huirangi-waikerepuru
Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai
Nurture the seed and it will blossom
A 20th-century ariki tapairu was the late Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu, who succeeded her father, King Korokī, in 1966, to become the first Māori queen in the Kīngitanga. Affectionately known as ‘the Lady,’ Dame Te Ata was held in high esteem not only because of her inherited status but also because of her humility, her tireless work with numerous organisations and the many relationships that she nurtured.
Relationships, or whanaungatanga, can be seen as the glue that holds tikanga Māori together. Interdependence is a source of strength. If we take the lead of Dame Te Atairangikaahu and carefully nurture our relationships – to people, to the environment, to our tūpuna and to our uri – our whānau will be better placed to face the challenges of the future.
Sources:
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/te-mana-o-te-wahine-maori-women/page-3
https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/the-legal-force-of-tikanga/