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Arohanui Ki Te Tangata 6 of 6 |
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te Runanganui o Taranaki Whanui ki te Upoko o te Ika a Maui Inc. |
THE
PEOPLE PULLING TOGETHER
MUCH of the fund raising for the new
meeting-house was carried on in the old residence of Mr. Puketapu which
unlike the other old houses was not pulled down when the new houses went up
in Waiwhetu. It was to have been pulled down but again the old man's
stubbornness won the day. He wanted it left to use as a
meeting-house-community centre. For 12 years, for three and four nights
every week it has been that. That old house became the centre of all things.
There the people have been welded closer. There the idea of the new house
matured. Now the old house must go. With all the magnificence of the new
house the people will miss the old place. It will be with a tinge of sadness
that they see the house pulled down. No more will be heard the call: "Come
on, there's something doing at 'Paddy's' old place." (Paddy is the name by
which Mr. Puketapu is affectionately known).
"With all the magnificence of the new house, we will miss
the old place."
"Paddy's " old house which has been the centre of all
things for the Maori community at Waiwhetu, now to be pulled down.
Overall £17,000 was raised by the people and
donated in grants. In addition a £6000 government subsidy was received.
The final cost of the meeting-house will be
£27,000 but the organisers are optimistic that the relatively small deficit
will be raised in the near future.
In recent years the emphasis has been on
combined Maori and pakeha effort in a drive to complete the project. It
would be wrong though to minimise the Maori vision, energy and impetus which
spear-headed the scheme and without which the house would not have been
built. For over 20 years the Maori people of Waiwhetu have laboured and
struggled in a sustained drive to achieve their ambition.
At one time the Waiwhetu people taxed
themselves a weekly levy to build up the meeting-house funds. Fund raising
went with a swing. The people were pulling together.
This voluntary effort has been maintained
during the construction of the meeting-house and the organising of the great
hui to mark the official opening of the building.
The Maori people have given thousands of
pounds of voluntary labour and suffered personal hardship and sacrifice to
reach their goal.
Representatives of many tribes have laboured
to bring the meeting-house dream to life.
When organised European settlement began in
the Hutt Valley, Waiwhetu was occupied by Te Ati-Awa-No-Runga-i-te-Rangi
of Taranaki. These people still form the nucleus of the settlement. But in
recent years people "from the four winds" have settled in the district.
Though the planning of the house and the
initial inspiration to build it came from Te Ati Awa, people "from the four
winds", including the pakeha people, have played a full part in the project.
Thus an old Maori prophecy has been fulfilled.
"Ko ta te rino i wawahi ai
Ma te rino ano hei honohono; Ko ta te kakaka i
haehae ai
Ma te kakaka ano hei tuitui." ("What the
pakeha sought to
disrupt
The pakeha will seek to restore; What the
Maori has lost
The Maori will strive to regain.")
Though the pakeha people have disturbed and
destroyed much that is
Maori, here it has been restored, the two
people pulling as one.
The dream of Arohanui ki te Tangata (Goodwill
to All Men) has come to life.
". . . kia haere mai
Te Atakura
He tio, he huka
He hauunga . . ."
("Let the red tipped dawn
Come with the sharpened air
A touch of frost
And the promise of a glorious
day.")
The best known counsel given to the young
Maori people of modern times is contained in a message which Sir Apirana
Ngata wrote in a little girl's autograph book not long before he died.
This message is widely and frequently quoted
as Sir Apirana's final message to young Maoridom.
It can be well applied to the spirit in which
young people have centred their hearts on the treasures of their ancestors
at Waiwhetu in the building of Arohanui ki te Tangata.
Sir Apirana's message has been given various
translations.
The following is the translation given by the
Rt. Rev. W. N. Panapa, Bishop of Aotearoa.
(Translation)
to Rangi
Grow up oh
tender plant
To fulfil
the needs of your generation;
Your hand
clasping the weapons of the pakeha As a means for
your physical progress,
Your heart
centred on the treasures
Of your
Maori ancestors
As a plume
upon your head,
Your soul
given to God
The author
of all things.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Some people have been privileged to
devote many hours of their time to work on the house in varied forms. We
especially acknowledge the generosity of the following in this respect:
the late Mr. Gordon Wilson, Mr. Blake Kelly and Mr. G. Warden of the
Government Architect's Office, Mr.
S. R. Morris, Manager of J. M.
Construction Company, the Rt. Hon. Walter Nash, Mr. L. C. Winslade,
Mr. J. D. Cable and members of the Hutt Valley Junior Chamber of
Commerce and Industry Inc.
* * *
Except where otherwise stated the photos
in this publication are by the National Publicity Studios.
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Copyright © 2008 te Runanganui o Taranaki Whanui |
Herewith,
reproduced for the first time, is the original message.