The backbone of the Hui-ā-motu

The iwi of Te Rohe Pōtae have once again supported the Kīngitanga, among at least 12,000 attending the historic hui-ā-motu called by Kīngi Tuheitia at Tūrangawaewae last Saturday.

The  substantial responsibilites given to Maniapoto included the pōwhiri and the paimārire, the raising of the flags at Tūrangawaewae.

The hui made international news, with the worldwide press reporting on the scale and importance of the gathering.

In the words of one local kaumātua, the overarching purpose was safeguarding the future for our mokopuna.

“At the end of the day, that kaupapa was for the rangatira mō āpōpō, the chiefs of tomorrow.

“We have to make sure they’re okay before we go,” said Tohutika (Jerry) Heke.

While Prime Minister Christopher Luxon did not attend, National MP for Northcote, Dan Bidois, was one of three of the party’s representatives, the others being Takanini MP Rima Nakhle and Hamilton West MP Tama Potaka.

Dan, the chairperson of the Government’s Māori Affairs committee, is Maniapoto and Ngāpuhi: his father’s marae is Te Kauae at Hangatiki.

The hui was a positive experience, he said.

“I really enjoyed it.

“I didn’t agree with some of the extreme kōrero that was reported on, but by and large it was a really good kōrero about the challenges of Māori and the future for Māori.

“How do we make sure that the spirit of the Treaty is adhered to, and that Māori achieve their own understanding of mana motuhake?

He described it as “a really good discussion,” about how this country could improve outcomes for Māori.

Dan attended the breakout room devoted to nation building, “in part because I believe strongly that we need to bring this country together”.

“I was really keen on the different perspectives around how we move for

ward as a country. There were some really good speakers including former National PM Jenny Shipley and a number of Māori academics.”

He also went to the workshop on the Treaty pātai, which was “a little more political, a little bit more extreme”. This workshop was an opportunty to “just listen”.

That meant seeking feedback from people he met at the gathering and treating the hui as a learning experience.

Like Potaka, he reasserted that although the Government would allow Act to present its expected bill on the Treaty principles for discussion in Parliament, they would not otherwise support it.

“National’s view is very strongly that we will not support it beyond that. Our view is very clear that the Treaty of Waitangi speaks for itself. It is a founding document of this country.

“We respect the document, and our view is that we have no plans to change that document in Government.

The hui-ā-motu was the start of an important conversation about the future. And at Rātana Pā (also this week) and Waitangi, two other important hui in the Māori calendar, that discussion would continue, he said.

“About the future for Maōri, and how do we improve Māori outcomes, whether it’s economically, whether it’s culturally or and socially.

“I look forward to being a part of that discussion, to listening and learning and finding a way forward for Māori, and also for this country as a whole.”

“I look forward to being a part of discussions about the future, and what that looks like.”

Centennial Park School deputy principal Annabelle Waugh also found the hui valuable and rewarding.

“It was an uplifting and positive experience being amongst a crowd of like-minded people, with a common purpose of ensuring that the Treaty of Waitangi and our reo rangatira isn’t undermined by the current coalition Government.

“When the people came in their busloads from the many different tribes, it was a very emotional sight, sound and feeling.

“It sounded like an ancient wail descended on Turangawaewae as the karanga went back and forth, hailing the entrance of thousands through the gates towards the meeting house, Mahinarangi, where the King was seated under the mahau.

“The group was so large that almost half of the Waikato (welcoming) hau kainga needed to leave the aatea and move to an area by the riverbank, where they could observe the proceedings via big screens.”

After the formalities, the crowds split up to attend workshops fronted by many well-known personalities, Annabelle said.

These were based on “rangatahi focus, national identity, te reo and tikanga, proposed reforms and people and economics.”

“I attended a couple and was impressed how iwi groups had met prior to the hui-ā-motu to discuss reforms they would like to see made and how they were well prepared to express them.

“Overall, I was amazed and proud with the turnout, impressed with the organisation and preparations made to host such a large gathering, encouraged to hear the voices of so many working towards a common goal, encouraged by the positive and uplifting atmosphere and quite simply, “proud to be Maaori”.

“I am humbly grateful to King Tuheitia for his call for kotahitanga and I’m sure the hui-ā-motu and his words and actions will resonate throughout not just Aotearoa, but for all indigenous and fair-minded people across the world.

“A huge mihi to Te Aroa Pou for organising practices and the trip for our Maniapoto delegation.

“Ngaa mihi kore mutunga ki te Kīngi Tuheitia. He mihi hoki ki te Kingitanga, ki ngaa ringawera hoki mo oou koutou manaakitanga,” Annabelle said – expressing unending gratitude to Kīngi Tuheitia and the Kingitanga.

Delegation organiser and MFM presenter Te Aroa Haami Pou – speaking yesterday from Rātana Pā – said the Maniapoto group left Te Kūiti at 4am.

“More than 400 from Te Nehenehenui travelled to Tūrangawaewae Marae early Saturday morning to ensure that we were all there for karakia at 7am.

“The people of Te Nehenehenui have been long standing supporters of the Kīngitanga ever since its inception, so we had to make sure that we were present to assist the Kīngitanga and wider Tainui waka in welcoming the many iwi from across Aotearoa to Tūrangawaewae Marae.

“The wairua was different to all the other times we’ve travelled up to Ngāruawāhia.

“For us it was because of the kaupapa of kotahitanga and mana motuhake. It was the first time I’ve ever seen all Tainui waka iwi present and united, with the rest of the motu, Te Aroa said.

“We have made a commitment to follow and support Kīngi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII, as he takes the kaupapa and the mauri of kotahitanga to all major Māori gatherings on the calendar, starting at Rātana Pā, then onto Waitangi in February.”

Tohutika Heke, who was quoted in the opening of this piece, said the crowd’s size alone had thrilled him – as had the numbers on the paepae.

“They just kept on coming and coming. The North came down, the South came up, there were people from the East and the West.

“They came from all over. There were Ngāti Pākehā, Ngāti Māori, Ngāti Islander, even a few Chinese people. They were all supporting our cause,” he said.  

“We were all unified. This so-called Government is really stuffing things around – that’s the plain language,” Tohutika said.

“We’re going to fight, peacefully of course.”

He had enjoyed the “deep, thoughtful and intense” speeches by local orators Rahui Papa and Paraone Gloyne. The speakers referred to the past to help us go forward, he said.

After that, it was time for the workshops.

The one he attended featured well-known te reo Māori educator, his nephew Paraone Gloyne, who cracked up the crowd with a speech about alternatives to the phrase “whare tangata”, the place where people come from. It drew more than a few giggles, he said.

The atmosphere was peaceful and supportive, with murmurs of “aroha mai” as people negotiated their way through the thousands.

The numbers present, and the atmosphere, harked back to his mother’s time.

“We were all looking after each other,” Tohutika said.

But the key highlight was the king’s speech.

In his oratory Kīngi Tuheitia shared some of the most touching words, from a long career in the public eye.

“It was the first time we had ever heard him speak like that. He was really open. He was so proud of the turnout.

  “Hopefully our messages get through,” he said.