Te Kopara 65
[3] Te Kopara, Number 65, Gisborne, 31 May, 1919.
‘Iti te Kopara, kai takirikiri ana i runga i te Kahikatea.’
Although the Bellbird is small, he plucks at the Kahikatea. [cf Nga Pepeha 908]
THE HUI OF LOVE
(Written for Te Kopara by Doctor Wi Repa.)
When the people arrived on the marae the clothes, the language, the entertainments, the provision of food, the stalls, the instruments, the electric lights, were all the same as the Pakeha; only the skin was different and the large amount of money.
On the marae were some Maori – an acting head of the Government, a Minister in Parliament, a lawyer of the Supreme Court, ministers of the Church, doctors, military officers who beat Pakeha in their examinations – but are we able to say that all is right with Maori, are they doing well, are they equal to the Pakeha?
In my opinion we are not strong. Why is this so? Each thoughtful person will have their own answer to this question. Here briefly are my thoughts. The people lack understanding – what the colleges understand, that there is no strong desire for unity. The kumara tubers of the people are fine. Our failing is that those with understanding are just an odd one or two. Learning is confined to one group only. The voices of the guides have not yet been incorporated into one voice of the people. Those with learning are far ahead of those behind. The voice of those with learning is a voice in the wilderness – like a solitary pipit [pihoihoi].
So, was there something that enabled those at the top to get there? What was their ladder? The ladder was education. The large schools make available this ladder. It is a ladder available to all – to chiefs, to commoners, to the King, to the poor. All peoples of the world have progressed, levered up by the School. The brains of a person are superior to his flesh. It is by taking this path that Germany, Japan, America, England and all the peoples of Europe have progressed. The leaders of Russia, by oppressing the people to ensure they did not acquire learning, have caused its decline.
Bennett’s text for his sermon at the Hui was: ‘Those who honour me, I will honour.’ [1 Samuel 2.30] This war showed that those peoples who honoured God
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were honoured by him. But what was the nature of this ‘honouring’? Just praying? Didn’t Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Austria all pray? And all these nations were defeated. So what does it mean to honour? It means to respect the gift God has given to the world as a way of revealing himself – wisdom. This is what separates the nations of the world, places the strength of the mind above physical strength.
There was a sermon delivered to the French before the war. ‘We will not be able to pursue our contestants if we depend on physical strength. We must leave that honour to them. Rather let us turn to education so that our land becomes an Athens for the world.’ Maori are a very small people. If we are to fulfil our hopes in the world’s race we must turn to supporting the schools. If there is not a proper school then build one.
Peoples who turn to supporting education will not disappear. Although the Jews were cursed by their God, the Lord of Hosts, they have not disappeared. They are amongst the flock of great peoples of the world. Why have they not disappeared? Is it because of God’s prophecies? Perhaps, but the strength given to them to fulfil that prophecy comes from their commitment to nurturing the schools.
English was widely heard being spoken on the marae of the Hui, along with many Pakeha songs, and Pakeha harps and cymbals and flutes were played, but this does not represent the summit of achievement. Seek further.
ITEMS OF NEWS
The Bishop of Waiapu
The Bishop of Waiapu is travelling in his car to Taupo, Rotorua, and the parishes of the Bay of Plenty and will come to Gisborne by way of Motu. He will be travelling for two months.
Hui of the Maori Church.
The Hui of the Maori Church in the Archdeaconry of Hawkes Bay will be held on 3rd August. The place where it will take place has not yet been decided upon. On 31st August the Bishop visits Tahoraiti.
Pakeha Synod.
The Pakeha Synod of the Diocese of Waiapu meets in Napier on 5th September.
Football.
During the game of football between the Maori Pioneers and Hawkes Bay, Lieutenant Ru Ratete suffered a broken leg.
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THE STRENGTH OF THE PEOPLE.
What was the great gift of the Hui of Love? The arrival of the soldiers, the thousands of pounds donated, or the gathering of the tribes of the Ta-Rawhiti? Some would see these as the gifts. Are these the gifts that are going to sustain our hopes in days to come? I see these as things that will pass away. Rather, for me, the great gift was the emergence of the Strength of the Maori, and these things mentioned here are just pointers to this.
The £30,000 donated is only a small part of the strength of the Tai-Rawhiti. It is the measure of our strength; something not seen in former times. That treasure was asleep before. It has now woken up. Money is a bad chief but a good slave. It is this strength that will enable us to achieve our desires in these days. It is this strength which will build a college for our young people, will result in the working of our land, will get churches built, will pay our clergy, and other things. As we people combine our strength we will be untangled from the strictures of the Pakeha, of the Pakeha Church so that we are not dependent on its charity, from the Pakeha Government. If these strengths are split up there will be no benefits. If they are combined in order to provide benefits for the people then the people will grow. And what is the ultimate way by which that good will be realised? That will be revealed by the people’s prophets.
The Challenge of Te Wainohu.
I was deeply moved by the gesture of Te Wainohu and his fellow officers and their young men who came onto the marae. They brought back from the battle fields £800. Those running the hui added £250 to the £800 to bring it up to over £1000. They said that that money was to be the seeds for scholarship to enable their children to pursue the great learning of the Pakeha in the large colleges. This is something wonderful for people to ponder on.
At this hui to collect money to work the land to provide a living for the soldiers in coming days, Wainohu and the others did not give their £800 or the £250 given to them only by the Tai-Rawhiti to the collection for that purpose. Rather the soldiers declined to support our project in favour of a project they themselves had found to better the people. They pointed us to a highway that will benefit the people for ever. When they returned from the theatres of war, at the end of their defence of us, what they carried back was their £800 in their pockets and an idea in their hearts. They returned over the horizon. They had seen the wide world. That had seen wonderful things, things Solomon had not seen –
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aeroplanes, submarines, poison gas, and the way to – [?]. Their first advice to us was what Solomon had chosen to be his way in the world – seek wisdom.
Dr Wi Repa asked Te Wainohu if that money should go to help the Tai-Rawhiti Soldiers’ Fund. He was heard to reply, No.
Dr Wi Repa stood to move, during the hui for the Fund, that the people give the Committee authority to decide on the matter when they received a report from the Committee dealing with the matter of scholarships. The motion was passed.
This matter was amongst the proposals considered for help from the Tai-Rawhiti Soldiers’ Fund. At the Omaahu Hui Apirana Ngata moved that some money we set aside for this purpose. The decision there was to postpone making a decision on that matter. The soldiers have now taken a hand in starting it. That was a remarkable motion. It advanced the ideas of the soldiers. However the problem now is Te Wainohu’s concern for the Tai e Wha – The Four Seas [the whole country]. The Tai-Rawhiti Fund is only for the Tai-Rawhiti Electorate. However, if the ‘Four Seas’ agree to help with Te Wainohu’s project with each ‘Sea’ contributing £1000, that would be very good. If the £4000 were raised then the Government would help by giving 24/- for every pound. In this way the total would rise to £8,800. The interest would be £440 a year. This would be an appropriate memorial to the Hokowhitu-a-Tu [Tu’s Army]. Thank you, Hokowhitu-a-Tu for this project. God have mercy on the Maori People.
A DEATH.
On 26th May, Hiko Anaru died. He was a young chief from Tangoio. He was wounded three times by German bullets. Returning home he was struck down by drink. It is thought that he fell onto the stones in front of one of the Napier hotels. His skull was smashed. The cause of his death is not very clear. Was it an accident or was he struck?
YMCA
The organisation known as the YMCA has set up work amongst the Maori People. The man running it is Mr Baumgart. This man is known to all the young Maori soldiers. He is a kind and good man. He lives in Gisborne. The district he will work extends from Hastings to Rotorua. Friends, help our Pakeha, your friend in the trenches in France, on the parade grounds of England, and on board your ship, the Westmoreland.
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FURTHER ITEMS
The Governor-General.
The time is drawing near when a new Governor-General will be appointed for New Zealand because Lord Liverpool has completed his time as Governor-General. And now he is travelling throughout his Dominion to say goodbye. Recently he visited places from Tauranga to Whangarei and now he is travelling around the Islands. One of the people who has been spoken of as a possible replacement in the role of Governor General is General Birdwood. This man has become famous during the recent war. He is a good man, amiable and certainly not [whakake - ?stand-offish]. He was in command of the New Zealand and Australian armies during the fighting at Gallipoli. His wisdom was seen there along with his goodness to his troops. Many times he ate and stayed with the privates and therefore he was called there ‘The Heart of the Armies of New Zealand and Australia.’ In the fighting in France he was given command of one of the divisions of the English army. Consequently it would be very good were he appointed to this eminent position.
We have received many comments in praise of the articles that appeared in Number 64. We have also received some complaints from people who did not receive this edition. Perhaps it went astray or perhaps someone else took it. So we have sent a second copy to them. Therefore, we would remind you that if anyone wants Te Kopara they should not just take someone else’s copy but should set about getting it for themselves.
Recently General Strickland [?Rikihana] arrived in Auckland and General Sir Andrew Russell in Christchurch. They are both great men and it is right that they are welcomed by Pakeha and Maori, because these are the men who commanded both our Pakeha and Maori soldiers whom we sent to the battlefields of Tu. All the soldiers who served under them speak of how good they were, of their kindness and of how they did not needlessly send men to their deaths.
Efforts continue to bring home our soldiers. From the end of the war until the last days of May, 28,039 soldiers have returned to their homes. Thirty remain in France and 16,942 in England. There are 2,830 who are unwell in hospital in various parts of England. Those who have married and have had children and are still in England number 1,239. The nurses and others attending the sick in England number 162.
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THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CONTINGENT OF MAORI SOLDIERS.
When the Maori soldiers arrived at the Hui of Love at Te Hapara, Captain Porotene spoke to the hapu and the tribes on that marae about what the Maori soldiers had done at Gallipoli and in France. Tipi Porotene was a member of the first contingent. He was in the fighting at Gallipoli where he was wounded. He achieved the rank of captain through his bravery, his abilities and his stout-heartedness. The main work of the Maori in France and at one extremity of Belgium was digging trenches and erecting barbed-wire fences in places that were still being shelled by the enemy. The tangled fences were of barbed wire fixed to posts and were five yards across so that when the enemy charged they would be caught up on the wire. Nine men would be set to build fifty yards of fence using 14 coils of barbed wire, 16 large posts and 32 small posts. They were to complete the 50 yards in 22 minutes, but the Maori completed it in 6 minutes, a world record, and it was done under enemy fire. At the first Battle of the Somme the New Zealand Pioneer Battalion finished 13½ miles of trenches in 8 weeks, working day and night while the fighting was going on. During this time Henare Kohere and O’Neal were killed, and Captain Porotene said that they were some of the best officers in the whole Empire, Maori or Pakeha. The trench was 6 feet deep, 3½ feet wide at the bottom and 7 feet 9 inches at the top. Had they been 6 feet across at the top the German tanks could have crossed over but, as it was, they fell into the English trenches. Last year the Maori Battalion returned to the Somme and in two weeks finished 120 miles of wire fence - another record.
Captain Porotene also spoke of the understanding of the young Maori although they were associated with all the Pakeha armies of the Empire. In the officers’ examination in England Kahutia Te Hau, son of Pita Te Hau of Te Muriwai, was top, ahead of all the other officers. His mark was 100 out of 100. Second was another Maori, Pita Peka, younger brother of the Gisborne lawyer, Hamiora Hei, with 80 marks. In the signalling examination Karauria Kingi, son of Tuteari of Gisborne, was also first with 87 out of 100 marks. At the officers’ school in France for gunnery, Te Wawata Kanana of Gisborne was top with 96 out of 100 marks. A brave Maori, Hori Pomana from Gisborne and Te Mahia, had his name put forward for honours from the King of England and the King of Belgium. This man did not attend the schools and so did not get an important position. For integrity and Maori nobility Captain Porotene named Te Ruakirikiri, nephew of Doctor Wi Repa of Te Araroa. He found a box of money that a Frenchman had hidden under the house so that the Germans would not find it. In the box were 40,000 French francs.
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The man to whom the money belonged was found and Te Ruakirikiri received from the Mayor of the town a letter of thanks and a gift of 200 francs. We were delighted to hear Tipi’s words and our hearts were proud on hearing such good news of our young men. Later there will be more good news about the Maori Battalion. This will do for now.
R[eweti] T K[ohere]
FOOD FOR TE KOPARA.
Name / Address / Payment / Subscription Ends
February
Rev T Paerata / Greytown / £1 / December 1921
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Manuera Waata / Te Kao, Mangonui / 5/- / January 1920
Maaka Paweherua / Te Araroa / £1 / December 1924
March
Te Rua Herata / Waitangi, Chatham Islands / 5/- / September 1919
Miss Florence Heron / Havelock, Marlborough / 5/- / March 1919
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Mrs Woodbine-Johnston / Patutahi / 5/- ?£5 / August 1928
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Pita Te Hau / Te Muriwai / £1 / June 1918
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May
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LOOKING BACK OVER THE WAR OF RECENT TIMES.
May 6 – 8, 1915. Battle at Aki Papa (Gallipoli)
May 7. Torpedoing and sinking of the Lusitania.
May 23. Italy declares war on Austria.
June 3. Germany takes Peremehiri.
June 9. Germany cedes West Africa to South Africa.
June 22. Remepara is taken by Austria.
August 5. Germany enters Warsaw.
August 6. New Zealand forms a Coalition Government.
August 6 – 10. The English storm Gallipoli, landing at Suvla Bay.
September 25. Fighting at Loos and Champagne.
October 3. Allied soldiers land at Salonika.
October 5. Bulgaria declares war.
October 7. Austria begins an attack on Serbia.
October 13. Nurse Edith Cavell is executed.
November 23. Serbia is occupied by the enemy.
December 15. General Douglas Haig is appointed supreme commander of the English Army.
December 20. The soldiers are driven back at Suvla and Anzac.
December 25. The Turks are defeated at Matruh in an engagement with the New Zealand Division.
1916
January 9. The soldiers are assembled and Gallipoli is abandoned.
January 23. Austria takes Montenegro.
February 10. England introduces the Conscription Act.
February 16. Russia rakes Erzerum.
February 21. Germany launches an attack on Verdun.
March 4. The raider-ship Moewe returns to Germany.
March 10. Germany declares war on Portugal.
March 24 The Sussex torpedoed
April 18. Russia enters Trebizond.
April 29. Katere-Amara taken and General Townshend and his army of 8000 are taken prisoner by Turkey. This place had been captured in September 1915.
May 16. The Allies cut off the Turks in the Sinai Peninsula.
May 23. New Zealand arrived on the Western Front at Armentieres.
May 31. The major sea battle at Jutland when 14 Engliah and 21 German ships were sunk.
June 3. Russia again makes progress.
June 3. Lord Kitchener dies.
June 23. The Italians attack Trentino.
July 1. The English and French launch an attack at the Somme.
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MORE NEWS
On 17th May, Te Paea Kingi died in the Opotiki Hospital. She was a chiefly woman, a child of Wiremu Kingi Te Kawau. She was taught the wisdom of the Pakeha by Miss Williams at Hukarere and she was a woman known by all the tribes of the country. She was a woman of great faith and a self-possessed person, an important guide to her tribes. This woman was related to the leading tribes of all these areas – to Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki in Gisborne, to Ngatipukeko in Whakatane, to Te Whakatohea in Opotiki, and to Te Whanau-a-Apanui, in the area from Hawai to Takirau. She is greatly lamented by her tribes as far as Te Arawa and Ngapuhi. Her farewell words were like those of her father, Wiremu Kingi. ‘Be loyal to the Government as your protector and to the faith of the Church of England as your mother.’ Those of Te Paea were: ‘Be loyal to the faith, to our minister also, Hakaraia Pahewa and his fellow clergy. My gift to the Church of my fathers is my house as a dwelling for the minister and the land as his horse paddock. Let this be a permanent possession of the Church. As for a memorial stone for my body kahore aku taonga he atu that I might praise God.’ On Thursday 22nd she was buried beside her church and beside her parents.
The Bishop of Waiapu has appointed Matene Keepa as minister for Nuhaka and Peni Hakiwai as minister for the Parish of Moteo. Henare Wainohu has been appointed to Te Wairoa. Waewae Ratapahi is going to Te Rau for three months. Bennett and Peni Hakiwai will look after the Parish of Waipawa while he is away.
Recently the Bishop of Auckland has appointed Rev Hone Karaka to his new Parish of Te Wairoa in the Ngatiwhatua area. The Rev Henare Paraone is going to be minister in the Parish of Hauraki.
In the Lower House of the English Parliament there was discussion about sending some aeroplanes to all the Empire’s Dominions as a gift to them from their Mother, from England.
During the recent war the whole world saw the strength and the courage of all the people in these islands called New Zealand, Maori and Pakeha. Besides the courage on the battlefield, besides the ability to dig trenches, they remember that in all the contests New Zealand won many victories. At playing football, at rowing as eights, and at other sports New Zealand was the best in the whole world.
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RULES OF THE PAPER.
1. Te Kopara is published monthly.
2. The subscription for the paper is five shillings (5/-) a year paid by postal note or stamps.
3. Anyone wishing to take Te Kopara should send the money with the covering letter to
Te Kopara,
Te Rau Press,
Gisborne.
4. All items you want printed in Te Kopara should be sent to the Editor,
Rev F A Bennett,
Kohupatiki,
Clive, Hawkes Bay.
A NOTICE
The Church Book Shop has been moved from Te Rau College to Napier. Those wishing to purchase Prayer Books, Hymn Books of Testaments should send their request to
The Secretary, Diocesan Office, Napier.
The prices are:
Large, soft cover 2/6
Large, red cover 3/-
Large, hard cover 4/-
Large, superior cover 5/6
Prayer Book with Hymns, soft cover 1/6
Prayer Book with Hymns, red cover 2/-
Prayer Book, New Testament and Hymns, superior cover, 5/6
People wanting a Bible or a New Testament should apply to the Bible Depository Sunday School Union, Auckland.
Bible, 2/6, 3/6, 4/6. Enclose a postage stamp for 1/-.
New Testament with explanatory headings. 2/6, 3/-, 4/6. Enclose a postage stamp for 3d.
Small New Testaments with Psalms, 2/-, 2/6, 3/-, 3/6, 4/-. Enclose a postage stamp for 3d.
People wanting to buy a Bible for themselves should write to the Rev F Spencer, Whanganui. He has Bibles and New Testaments of all qualities from soft covers to superior bindings.
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