Te Kopara 74
[3] Te Kopara, Number 74, Gisborne, 31 March, 1920.
‘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]
GOOD FRIDAY.
If you read the Gospel you may think that today is Bad Friday. Many bad things, many wrong things have been done in this dark world, and there are many upright people who should be celebrated and praised for their good works who have been rewarded by people with ill-treatment and death.
There has never been a man as good as Jesus Christ, never a man sinless as he was, never a man who has been such a good friend to all people, and yet he was delivered up by the Governor, by the priests, and by the crowds too to be put to death, a death that was a betrayal and shameful. But despite this we consent to the day on which that was done being called Good Friday.
What is the reason for this?
Good is able to emerge from death although it be wicked, and treacherous and unjust, as when a man lays down his life for his country so that his people may live on after him. Therefore Good Friday is ‘good’ because good things resulted from this wicked act.
This man put to death by wicked men was not just a good man, not just a worthy man, but a saviour; he was not just a sinless man but the man who was one with God. He died ‘the righteous for the unrighteous that by him we might be brought to God.’ (1 Peter 3.18) He died for us, the King for his people, the Head for his parts. He died for all; he the Head of all people. He died for you, he died for me.
This is why that wicked Friday is called Good Friday. It is a good day for every person. It is because, in his love, our heavenly Father ‘did not spare his own Son but gave him up to die on the cross’ for us (Romans 8.32). It is good because of the goodness of his Son whom he gave up to die for us. It is good because of the good things that have been brought about for us – the forgiveness of sins, closeness to God, and Eternal Life.
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This is indeed a great day – a day for sadness but a day also to rejoice. It is right that we feel shame and sorrow when we remember the cost of our joy. My friend, reading this article, what have we done to deserve the love of Jesus Christ for us? What have we done to repay his great love.
The day of his death was the day of our life. What he asks us to do is to set our hearts on his life, to receive his love, to be committed in our hearts, to let his love speak to our cold loveless hearts, to be ashamed at the smallness of our love for him, and to long for him. Remember that he longs for us, for our love and for our work. If we have such thoughts we will appreciate that this Good Friday is indeed a good day, a day of wonderful redemption.
It is not a day for playing, it is not a day for laziness, or for thinking only of ourselves, of our own troubles, but a day for contemplating the Cross of Jesus and our own situation in the presence of that sign of love.
What are you going to do on Good Friday this year, my friend? It would be a good thing to sit down alone with your Bible and read carefully the chapters telling of his passion, and seek the true meaning of those things. Confess, too, your sins to the Father so that they may be forgiven.
Go also to the House of God and enter with your brothers and sister in Christ into his sorrows and also into his praise.
There are two things that you should ask God to do for you because of Good Friday – that you may have a horror of sin and that your love for the Saviour may increase.
HENI HOUKAMAU.
Heni Houkamau, a great leader of Ngatiporou, died on Monday 22nd March. This woman who has been taken from us was a descendant of the chiefs of Ngatiporou down the ages. She was a woman loved by her people as well as by the Pakeha for her great works, for her gifts of land, and other things. Her father was Te Houkamau, chief of all Ngatiporou, whose loyalty to the Government was known by all insofar as he was the companion of Major Ropata in the fight against the Hauhau.
[Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure is good for flu and colds.}
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THE SOLDIERS’ FUND.
To the Editor of Te Kopara.
My friend, greetings. Please put my few words into Te Kopara. In them I praise and support the four motions passed by the Combined Hui of the Hapu of Heretaunga which I saw in Te Kopara, Number 71. Those motions were to stir up the Trust Committee that is managing the Soldiers’ Fund.
I praise the rapid and thoughtful initiative on the part of the hapu of Heretaunga to stir up that Committee. There is an ancient proverb:
Waiho tonu e werawera ana ha whakaoreore koi tukua kia mataotao papaki rawa atu ka ma kopare.
? Keep it warm, then stir it up, lest it be allowed to get cold; blow gently on it and the gift of food will be [ma - ?clean].
The second of those proverbs:
Era Taane hokia … [?]
So thank you, Heretaunga hapu, for doing the stirring.
Now let me turn to my support of the four motions. Let me return to the questions put by F Peneti (Editor of Te Kopara) in recent editions of Te Kopara, which I support. The kinds of questions he put were ‘How much has been paid to the soldiers from the Fund? When will it be paid?’ The reason why I hark back to Peneti’s questions is that they have not been answered. Had they been answered then the Combined Hui of the Hapu of Heretaunga would not have inserted at the end of its third motion these words: ‘Do not delay for long because by then there will be nothing left – the men will have died and the Fund will have disappeared.’
As to my support of the four motions, let me say briefly that there are two matters in those motions. The first is the request in the second motion: ‘Let the Committee issue a statement showing the use of the interest on the Fund each quarter of the year.’
The second matter is the request in the third motion: ‘If it is found that the amount in the Fund has diminished through the mistaken actions of the Committee then this Hui asks that all the land and the livestock in the possession of the Committee be sold.’ Therefore I support the two proposals in those motions. There is the one that the Committee issue correct statements each quarter. I would add the following. That the Committee include in that report the names of the lands that have been taken up for the soldiers, and that the report makes clear what titles the soldiers have to each portion of land, and that the Committee includes in the report an account of its management of the livestock on those lands and states whether all the members of the Committee are familiar with the management of the livestock on those lands or not.
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If all the members of the Committee do not have the same understanding, it may be only one or some, it would be better to elect new members who share an understanding of managing livestock on those lands.
As to the matters spoken of in motion three - ‘If it is found that the amount in the Fund has diminished through the mistaken actions of the Committee then this Hui asks that all the land and the livestock in the possession of the Committee be sold.’ I support this proposal. If it is the case and the money has decreased through the mistaken actions of the Committee, the proposal is that the land and the livestock on it be sold, because there is not a person, [o tai] whether they be old woman or old man or others, to collect money to replace what has been wrongly lost through the Committee’s management, if such is the case. I finish here. Best wishes to the hapu of Heretaunga.
Henare Rukuata.
Rangitukia, December 30, 1919.
A SECOND LETTER.
[Written in Tuhoe dialect.]
To the Editor.
My friend, greetings. This is to make known the statements from the Hui held at Te Rua’s Maungapohatu, a Hui Topu of Tuhoe-Potiki. It was a meeting of the Hapu of Tuhoe to promote the unity of the faith, that there should be love for all the peoples of the world, including our King George and our Government. That’s that.
There was a Hui of Tuhoe at Te Whaiti-nui-Tia. The second will be held at Waikaremoana in March. The agenda is the money for the soldiers. Will Tuhoe decide to give money for the soldiers from the Tai-rawhiti or not? This matter will be dealt with at the Hui at Waikare.
Tupara Tamana.
AN UNVEILING.
On 10th April the memorial stone to Nikora Tautau will be unveiled. His family has covered the cost of the stone and the money donated that day will go to the stipend Fund for the minister of the Parish of Tokomaru.
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A LETTER SENT TO US FROM THE CHATHAM ISLANDS [WHAREKAURI]
To the Editor of Te Kopara.
I ask you to sing the following words to this bird, Te Kopara, so that as it flies it can sing them along the rivers, in the valleys, on the mountains and descending to the shores of Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu. Because, Te Kopara, I know about you, that you are not like the Morepork that sings in the dark, nevertheless I say to you to go into the caves and into the pits of the mountains to sing, and stay there looking about you in the darkness; they will not see you but will hear your wonderful songs. It is not your fault and it is not my fault, but they are scared of parting with the five shillings which they need to pay you for a twelve months subscription. Now, friends, do not be gloomy in the caves and pits of the mountains but come out and hand over your five shillings and then you will be able with pride to listen to Te Kopara singing as I am singing. Why? To increase the food you are putting into your stomach, and feed on the ideas that give life to the brains in your head. But let the food for your thoughts be like the food for the stomach: the flour comes from Oamaru, the sugar from Auckland, the tea from China, the butter from Taranaki, the jam from Nelson. We eat many other kinds of food but they do not come from a single country or from a single place. Likewise, if we all rise up and make Te Kopara sound out we will see the faces of each district, of each country. Then one’s thoughts will be fed by the winds from outside; the brains in your head will experience gentle breezes. That will change one’s thinking, one’s whole body will be involved and will be revitalized. So, we have this man, R T K. He writes in Te Kopara 66 of hearing the words of Doctor Gunn about the good physique and the sturdiness of the Maori children and the kinds of food which nourished the children of Uawa. It is perhaps true that it was the foods analysed by R T K that resulted in the good physique and the sturdiness of the Maori children. However I think that amongst us Maori particularly that good physique and sturdiness is going backwards, and that perhaps were we to mix Maori and Pakeha blood that good physique and sturdiness would be assured in our descendants. There should be two sides: one could live on the Pakeha side and eat Pakeha food and wear Pakeha clothes. So one could drink
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his gut-rotting drink – beer, eat cheese full of maggots, and pheasants and quails and other offensive birds. One could also put on his clothes, thrust one’s feet into his lace-up boots that are so tight that Maori blood can’t get to his toenails. Alongside this we have the Maori side. Maori food is fresh crayfish and fresh sea-eggs a a myriad other tasty foods. There are no poisons such as meat laid in the coppers and so-called tinned fish. Now, my friends, I think that R T K’s article listing our foods was very good. This treasure, food, is what holds together [?hono] the body from birth until death. Foods are what hold together the whole body of a person. It is the footprints that identify [?hono] the face and name of a person. It is the ears that convey to us [?hono] a person’s thoughts. Likewise it is our united efforts to feed our bird, Te Kopara, that will strengthen him to visit our homes. Because we know that a body will live if it has plenty of food. If we do the work then all will be well and everything will grow. Let us not say in our hearts, if Te Kopara is good to us then we will be good to Te Kopara. Let us not be like that because all the well-being of Te Kopara rests upon us. We have its food, we have its articles, and our various marae are resting-places for our bird. Its heart is struck by this strong wind, [ia uru karaiona]. It is like the leading Pakeha newspaper which had to grow up, but we Maori with only one newspaper find that it is close to death for lack of food. Indeed when the mail arrives here on Wharekauri I see the Maori picking up the Pakeha newspapers, determined to carry them home, so that the children returning to school can take with them the stories that have been read secretly to them, while the elders at home can look at the pictures laid out before their eyes. Now, my friends, grandchildren of the ancestors, perhaps we cannot stand in the place of the Pakeha, although why we have for so long meandered alongside this people, the Pakeha, is difficult to understand. Although, we have gone to the universities we still don’t understand because we do not have an interpreter between the two languages – those of us not at school are being drawn backwards while those of us who have had a Pakeha education are being drawn outwards. We elders are the servants of both sides. We are in the middle and of two minds, turning this way and that, not knowing where and when. To my way of thinking, if we were to talk to one another throughout the Maori world we might find a permanent turning which will bring an end to our being in two minds. If this cannot be achieved let us keep our language, that of the Maori, as a language for ourselves which is not known far and near. He does know one thing, the words: ‘Glory be to God on high, peace on earth and goodwill to all men.’ [Luke 2.14]
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My friends, I end this article delivered in the Maori language. Will the newspaper fit to sing out that language, Te Kopara, also end? Perhaps people will get tired of me harking back to Te Kopara. I cannot stop going back to talking about Te Kopara because I see why our bird is so emaciated. It keeps on flying to some of our marae but we are not feeding it. The shameful thing is that when someone turns aside to your house you feed him food, and that is the precious practice of our ancestors, and it is not right that Te Kopara should be neglected on its travels.
T H Mataira.
Te Kareotemoana,
Chatham Islands. 14/12/19
TE AUTE COLLEGE AND HUKARERE
Because the prices of all kinds of food have gone up, it is with great sadness that the members of the Board of Te Aute and Hukarere announce that the cost of a child attending has been raised to £20 a year, the money to be paid on the first day of each half-year. We also inform the parents of children that if the money is paid before the 10th March or 10th August £2/10/- will be deducted each half-year making the payment for the half-year, £7/10/-.
It has been arranged for the office of the Church in Napier (Diocesan Office) to send out the accounts in the future and the money to pay for children attending Te Aute is to be sent to the Secretary, as follows:
The Secretary,
Diocesan Office,
P O Box 227, Napier.
OTHER NEWS.
Soldiers and the Work of Ministry.
A letter is being distributed in all parts of England. It has been signed by General Haig, the Commander of the English fighting Forces during the recent war, and nine of his Generals. The purpose of that letter is to ask the people at large to raise £600,000 to support soldiers who have returned from the war and who are going into the ministry. Three thousand young English soldiers want to engage in that work.
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HUI AT MOTITI.
Te Patuwai held a Hui on their island of Motiti on the Birthday of our Lord. Many people came to that hui. There were 80 from Whakatane alone, together with Ngai-te-rangi and Te Arawa. The purposes of that days were, first, weddings, second, to set the month for the opening of their church, and third, the clearing of some debts amongst them. Four couples were married. The ministers who came to that hui were Rewi Wikiriwhi of Whakatane, Te Waaka of Tauranga, and Waewae Ratapahi of Motiti. Te Patuwai church will be opened on 11th April. The third matter was the problem between Waewae and Te Waaka. During the discussion of the matter Te Waaka stood and asked that he be permitted to take the debt upon himself. The people shook hands with the two of them, they touched noses, and all the people wept and shouted. Best wishes, my friends.
A COMPLAINT.
To the Editor of Te Kopara.
Please include this reminder in Te Kopara so that some of the wrong things can be set right. Of the papers I have received the first paper arrived later. I would like this sorted out so that they do not get switched around but arrive safely [tawharau – sheltered] to Waaka Te Arakai, Valley of Taupo. Another thing Te Kopara needs to see to is enclosing it in a red cover when a person’s subscription runs out so that they know that the paper will no longer be coming. It is because I did not know that this practice had ceased that I got into debt to Te Kopara. Best wishes, Te Kopara. Do not be distressed.
Waaka Te Arakai.
Taupo, December 1919.
[Because those who produce Te Kopara were on their holidays, the Printer had difficulty finding articles for the January and February editions. What the above letter says is good and by now he will have received all his papers. Because he is not in debt to Te Kopara there has been no reason to enclose the papers sent to him in a red cover. But if his subscription runs out he will rapidly receive a reminder.
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THE DECISIONS OF JUDGE JONES.
To Te Kopara.
I saw the words of praise for Jones, the leading Judge of the Maori Land Court, in Number 72 for January. It was said that it was right that he was appointed leading Judge because of the clarity of his judgements – ‘extremely clear’. It is right to praise the man and thjs is easy; to criticize him is very difficult. The Bible tells us to give honour to one to whom honour is due. [Romans 13.7] But I think, and this is something I hold firmly to in my heart, something conceived many years ago and which has come to birth in these times for people to see and for the son to shine upon, that perhaps there in Gisborne Jones’s judgements are ‘extremely clear’, but in this area where I live, in Ngatiporou, they are not ‘clear’ but are dark, very dark. And I think it is the same in some other areas. I have heard that some other areas have petitioned Parliament for an enquiry into Jones’s judgements. It is true that the Court of Appeal has confirmed some of Jones’s judgements. It is clear to the members of the land court that the Court of Appeal will uphold the judgement of the lower court. Only in cases where the judgement is shown to be incorrect will it be overthrown by the Court of Appeal, certainly not when it is right. Since Jones was appointed Judge of the Maori Land Court some of his judgements have been overturned by the Court of Appeal; ‘extremely clear’ judgements overturned because they were wrong. His decision on Puhunga was returned by the Court of Appeal for reconsideration by the lower court. When Apirana Ngata’s Block Committee adjudicated on Te Pakihi a large part of that land went to Wiki Matauru, a Ngatiporou chief loyal to Queen Victoria. When the Block Committees were abolished the land was again investigated, this time by Jones who threw Wiki Matauru out. On appeal, Jones’ judgement was overturned and that of the Block Committee confirmed, in agreement with what everyone knew. Matauru received 1400 shares. Afterwards Jones adjudicated on Marahea and excluded Mokena Kohere, saying that he was living there by grace and favour and not because he had a right to the land. On appeal, Jones was again overruled, with the Court of Appeal saying that Mokena Kohere did hve a right to Marahea. Jones was defeated twice in a short space of time. Te Matauru had lived for a long time at Te Pakihi, his graveyard was there, but Jones had no sympathy with him. Palmer and [Rohana] were the judges in the Court of Appeal. This is not gossip but is there in the court records. Therefore I said that there is no ‘clarity’ in the judgements of that Pakeha in this area; perhaps elsewhere he is ‘extremely clear.’ Perhaps he is a different Jones there; here he is certainly a different Jones.
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In the judgement of Palmer and [Rohana] on Marahea they said that Mokena Kohere had shares in Te Marangairoa and Te Kautuku. But in Jones’s judgement on Te Kautuku he struck out at Mokena Kohere and his child, Mohi Turei, taking away from them the fortified pa of their ancestors, the homes in which they had lain ill, their three burial grounds which were set aside for them only - no other dead person from the people was placed in those burial grounds. This land, Te Kautuku, was linked to Mokena Kohere, and he gave some to Queen Victoria in perpetuity. In 1886 Raniera Turoa’s Committee sat in judgement on part of Te Kautuku called Tatau and declared in favour of Te Hati Rairi, a descendant of Te Ritenga. Now the case came up again when the son contested the rights of his father. The father had one claim, the son another. But while there was only one piece of land, both of them were awarded it. Where does such a decision come from? What court would agree to this kind of thing? Only that of Jones. Where now is ‘extreme clarity’?
Now Jones has been made head will he order [Rohana] and McCormack to look at Jones’s decision, the decision of their boss? Those Pakeha will wrestle with the judgements of Clifford, not those of Jones. They are in a difficult place. They will not be able to overturn the judgements of the Head lest they be dismissed. The situation at the Maori Land Court is idiotic and confused. Some have disagreed with the decisions of Jones, of McCormack, of [Te Rohana], concerning Te Poroporo before. Perhaps the Court of Appeal wants us to petition Parliament. The descendants of Mohi Turei and Mokena Kohere are petitioning just to have their burial grounds returned, but, on the other hand …..
Te Kopara, don’t be afraid to print this letter; it is a matter that affects the whole people. It is alright if I alone suffer. Load on me the right and wrong of what I say. But who is going to complain against unsaid things?
Reweti T Kohere,
Te Araroa.
A NOTICE.
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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MORE ITEMS.
Te Kororareka Church.
This is perhaps one of the oldest churches here in New Zealand now. This church was built in the area when everything was new, the Faith and the Government, and it saw these two things growing right up to the present day. The Faith has reached all parts while the Government holds a lofty position and is recognized by the whole world. This church has stood for 90 years and is now very old. In the area in which it was built Kororareka was the largest town and it was the seat of Government. There was no Auckland yet nor was there a Wellington. Afterwards the seat of Government was moved to Auckland and from there to Wellington. On 30th January, 1840, Captain Hobson, the first Governor of New Zealand, read in this church the proclamation of New Zealand’s coming under the mana of England. Now that church is being renovated and we are delighted that the Government has said that it will pay part of the cost of renovation and the Church the rest. The Government is giving pound for pound, not exceeding £200. The walls of the church still show the marks of the bullets from Heke’s war in 1845. Those marks will remain as a reminder to generations to come. The inside appearance of the church will not be changed but will stay as it was at the beginning but everything will be renewed.
A KIND MONETARY GIFT.
Archdeacon Curzon-Siggers of Dunedin has received a kind gift from some leading people who have not given their names. The money is to be used in this way: First, from the interest on the money he is to give £10 every year to pay one of the Maori ministers of the Diocese of Waiapu who is a priest, providing that the parish of that minister provides a further £10 to match that money. The first man to be given that money is the Rev Hemi Huata, but that depends on that parish raising £10. Secondly, £15 of the interest on the money is to be given to the minister of the large church of St Matthew, Dunedin, for the minister to use for something in that church. Archdeacon Curzon-Siggers is the present minister of that church. The reason for this gift is gratitude to God that his son came safely though the terrible recent war.
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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,
6 Berry Street,
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
Those wishing to purchase Prayer Books, Hymn Books or Testaments should send their request to
Miss K Williams,
P O Box 41,
Hukarere, Napier.
These are the prices.
Large, soft cover 3/-
Large, red cover 3/6
Large, hard cover 4/6
Large, superior cover 6/6
Prayer Book with Hymns, soft cover 2/-
Prayer Book with Hymns, red cover 3/-
Prayer Book with Hymns, hard cover 6/6
Prayer Book, New Testament and Hymns, red cover, 4/6
Prayer Book, New Testament and Hymns, superior cover, 7/-
I will pay the postage to send the books to you.
A reminder to you: because of the war everything has gone up in price. Therefore in the case of the books being printed here of whatever kind, those who want them will find that the price has gone up and there is nothing we can do about it. However in coming years perhaps the prices of all of them may return to what they were before.
COMMITTEE OF TE KOPARA.
Editor: Rev F A Bennett, Kohupatiki, Clive, Hawkes Bay.
Hastings Committee: Paraire Tomoana, Taranaki Te Ua, Tuahine Renata, Mohi Te Atahikoia, Hori Tupaea & Ihaia Hutana.
Te Rau Committee: Revs. Matene Keepa, W Tureia Puha, Tamati Te Kanapu, Wi Paraire Rangihuna & W Panapa.
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