In her first royal address since becoming head of the Kiingitanga movement, Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po told listeners that being Māori was not defined by having an enemy or a challenge to overcome.
Te Arikinui was visibly emotional throughout her speech, especially in the moments where she reflected on the passing of her father.
Her brother Korotangi Paki stood beside her throughout the speech, at one point she directed him to move his umbrella to cover her from the rain.
Her words are translated into English below.
“E te iwi, kua kotahi tau, ā, āe, i tōna tikanga, i te kotahi tau i te hinganga o tētahi e tata ana ki a koe, whakairihia ake ai e koe te pare kawakawa, puta ai hoki koe ki te wheiao, ki te ao mārama… i tōna tikanga. Ahakoa he whakautu tērā e pīrangi ana ahau ki te pāpāho i tēnei rangi nei, kia kore ai koutou e wari, e māharahara mai rānei ki ahau, kāore ahau i te mōhio āhea rawa rā ahau tae ai ki reira.”
On the one-year anniversary of the death of a loved one, the expectation is to remove the veil of mourning and move into the world of the living… such is the expectation. Though I would like to fulfil that expectation and alleviate any worry you have for me, I don’t actually know when I might arrive at that place.
“I tēnei tau nei, i ōna wā, ko te angaanga tinana noa iho i kite mai ai koutou, ā-roto, kāore he aha, te wairua kua oma kē, kua oma i ōna pono, kua oma i tōna ao hou, kua oma ki te kimi i te poho mahana i mōhio ai ia, ki te poho tonu rā i urupā atu ai ana māharahara tamāhine katoa ki te pō, te poho rā ia o taku pāpā.”
This past year, at times, you have seen a physical figure amongst you, bereft emotionally and spiritually – escaping the realities of a new life, fleeing in search of the warm chest of comfort that once allayed a daughter’s worries, my father’s chest.
She asked those in attendance to support her through her sorrow and thanked everyone for bringing life to the process of mourning.
Te Arikinui said over the week of the Koroneihana she had seen great examples of kotahitanga (solidarity) – whether it’s in the kitchen, among iwi groups, or organisations, and as she watched various groups on social media preparing for their performances.
Kiingi Tuheitia would be smiling because of the how people have mobilised in these challenging times, she said.
‘Being Māori is not defined by having an enemy or a challenge to overcome’
That brought her to the first topic of her speech – Kotahitanga. A word that her father became synonymous with during his last year of life.
Māori devote themselves to causes, she said. One of the beautiful things she had witnessed was the ability of te iwi Māori to unite, she said.
“Heoi’, āe, he ‘heoi’ tonu tō ēnei kōrero, ko te mate kē o tēnei momo whakakotahi, ko tēnei – te āhua nei, ki te kore tātou e ara, e hāmama, e hāpai rākau, whakarere haki, haka rānei, kua pōhēhē tātou, he koretake tātou, ānō me whai hoariri tātou e Māori ai tātou. Kāo!”
But there is a ‘however’ in this story. If we don’t rise up, yell, wield weapons, fly flags or perform haka, we mistakenly think we’re ineffective as Māori. Being Māori is not defined by having an enemy or a challenge to overcome.
“Taku Māoritanga kei roto i taku kōrero Māori, taku Māoritanga kei roto i taku tiaki i te taiao, taku Māoritanga kei roto i te pānui me te ako i taku hītori, taku Māoritanga hoki, ahakoa iti, kei roto i taku kōwhiri kē i taku ingoa Māori tēnā i taku ingoa Pākehā, he nui ngā momo whakatinanatanga o te Māoritanga, kaua kau noa i ngā wā o te porotū.”
Being Māori is speaking our language. It is taking care of the environment. It is reading and learning about our history. It is the choice to be called by our Māori name. There are many ways to manifest being Māori, not just in times of protest.
“‘Koinei pū taku pāpā i kī ai, ‘Kia Māori, i ia rā, i ia rā’, he mōhio nōna, me whāngai e tātou te mauri o te Māoritanga, āwhā mai, āio mai, porotū mai, porotū kore mai rānei, kei reira te tino whakamōhio ki te ao, e ora ana ahau, e ora ana te Māoritanga.”
My father said ‘be Māori all day, every day’, because he knew we needed to be strong in good times and bad, with or without protest. And that’s how we can express our vitality as Māori.
Te Arikinui launches two new economic initiatives
Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po also took the opportunity to launch two projects that were dear to her father, both economic initiatives.
Māori often think of economics as not a Māori concept, but she said the opposite was true and since the time of her ancestor Potatau Te Wherowhero the Waikato River had been a highway for trading goods.
First she announced the Kiingitanga would host ‘Ōhanga Ki Te Ao’ later this year – a summit to develop economic opportunities for te Iwi Māori.
“Nau mai, haere mai, e te iwi Māori, haere mai ki Ōhanga ki te Ao, e tūtaki ai koutou ki ōku nei hoa kei ngā tōpito o te ao. Kei te pīrangi rātou, kei te pīrangi te ao ki te mahi tahi me te Māori, ko te kotinga tēnei i te whakawhirinaki o tātou ki te Kāwanatanga, ko tētahi huarahi pea tēnei ki te Mana Motuhake kua roa e tūmanakotia nei.”
I invite you to join us for this economic summit, Ōhanga Ki Te Ao, where you’ll meet some global alliances who are eager to work with Māori. Ōhanga Ki Te Ao is a chance to achieve our economic aspirations independently of government in our pursuit of self-determination, sustainable futures and thriving peoples.
Poltical force emerging with Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po. (Source: 1News)
The second kaupapa she launched was Tahua Kotahitanga – a capital initiative with seed funding from iwi Māori entities.
“Ehara i te mea, he hōhonu te tahua pūtea nei, kāo, engari, e whakarewahia ana a Tahua Kotahitanga, nā te mea kua tini, kua mano ngā kaupapa Māori kua whakaurupātia e tēnei Kāwanatanga.”
The fund will help Māori to unlock investment opportunities, given the disestablishment of many Māori initiatives by the current government.
“Ehara te Mana Motuhake i te kupu noa iho ki ahau, he oranga tēnei nōku. Ko taku pāpā te ika o tāna anō kaupapa, ā, e kore e moumou i ahau tana hā ki runga ki te whenua.”
Independence is not just a word to me, it’s my life. My father didn’t get to witness the realisation of his vision, and I will work to ensure that the progress he strived for doesn’t lose momentum.
rnz.co.nz
