It's only the school curriculum that makes us think we don't have history.

Learning to sing your waiata (or more like chant your moteatea) can be tricky when you're tribe's dispersed all over the motu and the rest of the world...so I was trying to tech things up a bit and get something happening online since I'm writing at a computer for half my days.

Now all tribes are different but mine seems to do things in a more traditional way ie the hard way - which is why this suggestion was cooly received by the oldies but kei te pai. I'm sharing it because I love my family.

There is stuff aka information out there and when I get it I'm going to share it - if I reckon it's for the common good but please don't tell the old people because they WILL give me a severe growling.

Tauranga Moana waiata/moteatea/oriori is like my kids - living whakapapa. Nau mai hoki mai!

THE STORY OF TAMARANGI
In 1833 Ngapuhi with support from Rarawa and Aupouri came to Tauranga to avenge the defeat of Haramiti at Motiti and to make amends for their abortive first trip to Tauranga. One of the Chiefs in the ope was Wharepoaka who was brother in law to the Trader Tapsell.

When Arawa heard of the Ngapuhi campaign a large meeting was held to discuss the whole question. Hikairo, leader of Ngati Rangiwewehi declared adamantly that his tribe would fight against Ngapuhi. The rest of Arawa stated just as fervently that they would assist Ngapuhi.

Wi Maihi Te Rangikaheke stated that Arawa should join Ngapuhi to reduce the power of Tupaea over the lands at Maketu. His ownership was undisputed, but the flax swamps in that area had taken on a new value with the arrival of Tapsell. If Ngapuhi could reduce the power of Tauranga Moana then Te Arawa would be in a better position to claim Maketu.

Ngati Rangiwewehi proceeded to Maungatapu through the Pyes Pa /Taumata direction. The rest of Te Arawa went to Maketu and travelled along the beach to the Mount where they joined Ngapuhi.The Arawa and Ngapuhi decided to lay an ambush at the mudflats at Tokitoki in Welcome Bay. They were successful in ambushing Ngati Rangiwewehi/Ngati He but found they had bitten off more than they could chew.

One Tauranga man was killed. Weriweri and two Arawa: Tuhoto and Tamarangi were also killed.To avoid desecration Tamarangi’s body was carried up one of the hills at Ranginui where he was beheaded and his body placed on a pyre and cremated. Tamarangi’s relative Haerehuka it has been said composed this song while Tamarangi body was being consumed by the fire. The middle verses refer to the smoke floating in the air. Tamarangi was from Ngati Tunohopu.
TunohopuTaioperuaTe ManunuiTe Moko —ParehuiaTamarangi.

Many people have stated that Tamarangi was Haerehuka’s son, unfortunately this is not correct. As you can see with the whakapapa, Tamarangi’s father is Te Moko. But Tamarangi could qualify as a Tamaiti of Haerehuka. Tamaiti being a much broader term than son. Haerehuka’s daughter married Tamarangi’s brother Tamaiwhakangaro.

Tamaiwhakangaro descendants include the Te Kowhai family of Rotorua and the Author Dr Ngahuia Te Awekotukutuku. Haerehuka was a frequent composer and one of great skill. This song in particular being a master piece. Many parts can have several meanings. Only Haerehuka himself would know the full meaning. Here is an attempted translation.

He aha rawa te hara i whiu ai a Tamarangi kite mate ra,
For what reason did Tamarangi die?

Ko te Kaoreore Ko te Rau o te huia he hinu para ngahoro mirimiri kite kin e,
We had the Kaoreore and the Rau o te huia and the oil was massaged into the skin,

Hoatu rawa nei taku matakahi ka wahi kite angaanga o Tamapahore nohea engawha e,
I gave my wedge to smash the head of Tamapahore, why did it not burst?

Ehara i te tangata he auarere kaharunga no te pou rakau o te Kupenga aTutanekai,
It is not a man, but a Ariki from the pole that holds the clouds in strata taunt,

Ka hoka i te rangi e,
Soaring in the sky,

E Hinearangi hikoia mai ra ta taua manu, ka motu i te ringa e,
Lady of the sky snatch our Rangatira, who has been broken by hand,

Me ahu ki uta ra e kau i te wai nga matarae i waho o Opounui e,
Go shorewards swim the waters to the headlands off Opounui,

Aua tu ana Nga Matakerewhana i raro o Matakana e,
Shrouded in the haze is Nga Matakerewhana below Matakana,

Ma tou tuahine e taki kite ara nga roro wharenui Te Umu ki Maketu e
Your sister will guide the way to the meeting house porch to Te Umu ki Maketu,

Tangi te powhiri a tou tupuna nau mai e, e pa e.
Your Ancestor welcomes you, by calling welcome sir welcome.

Line one: is the frequent thought of Maori, when someone has died they look for a misdeed that has caused it.

Line two: refer to two clubs the Kaoreore and the Rau o te huia. The Kaoreore is one of the most sacred taonga of Te Arawa. When the Te Arawa waka was burnt, Raumati, a chief of Pirirakau was blamed.

The Te Arawa chief Hatupatu sought vengeance. According to George Graham, Hatupatu and his war party met Raumati in battle at Maunganui, When Hatupatu was about to kill Raumati with his patu paraoa, Raumati exclaimed “No! Slay me not with that base weapon, but rather with this, that I might softly feel the blow, and be slain with dignity.” Drawing the mere from his belt, he presented Te Kaoreore to his captor.

So he was slain and the Kaoreore was taken by Hatupatu back to Mokoia Island and is now in the Auckland Museum.

Line 3:Possibly refers to the battle, an advantage or surprise was taken and described as a wedge(matakahi) to destroy the descendants of Tamapahore but the advantage was not driven home and was to no avail.

Line 4 “Ehara i te tangata he auarere kaha runga no te Pourakau o te kupenga a Tutanekai” paints an image of him not being a man but a herring trying to get over the top rope of the pole holding Tutanekai’s net taunt.

But “Auarere kaharunga”is also a figurative way of saying a chief (as is Manu in line 6) and it's believed “Te Kupenga a Tutanekai” refers to “Kupenga a Taramainuku “(clouds in strata).

Haerehuka replacing Taramainuku with his Tupuna, Tutanekai in a play of words.Nga Matakerewhana, Te Umu ki Maketu and Matakana are place names on Matakana Island.

Straight off the press

Morning vigils have been taking place on the summit of Mt Eden this week by supporters of Maori seats on the proposed Auckland Council.

The vigil coincided with the start of select committee hearings on the supercity plans, with Maori representation on the new council among the issues being raised.

Starting with a morning blessing, up to 35 early-risers have been converging on the summit, where they share stories and learn about Auckland’s history.

Organiser Helen Te Hira says the idea to gather on one of Auckland’s most iconic spots is a simple and effective way to keep attention on the issue that Maori want to be properly represented.

"In times of stress our ancestors would always retreat to their sacred mountains. This is one of those significant times where people are looking for a way to express how they’re feeling."

Ms Te Hira says the select committee accepted an invitation from pan-tribal organisation Ihi, to attend this morning’s final vigil. Future gatherings are also tentatively planned.

Ihi was formed in April in response to the government’s refusal to take up the royal commission’s regional governance recommendation to have three Maori seats on the new council.

Its representatives work throughout the Auckland region conducting forums and workshops for those who want to learn about New Zealand’s democratic processes and the Treaty of Waitangi.

"We want to do something practical to keep highlighting the issues around the push for Maori seats.
"Right now we are really focusing on educating families about how to write submissions," she says.

This week the select committee has been based in Parnell but will travel to the North Shore, Waitakere, Manukau and Waiheke Island over the next fortnight.

It will listen to more than 780 oral submissions and report back to Parliament with its findings in September.

A sub-committee of the Auckland Governance Legislation is also taking hearings to marae across the city as well as Great Barrier Island.

Associate Minister of Local Government John Carter says he is pleased with the quality of the submissions.

"This has been an exciting process with good positive public participation through the public meetings and submissions process.

"Aucklanders are seeing history being made, and participating in it."

He says although a Royal Commission is another way to provide public participation in policy development, only irresponsible elected representatives would implement its recommendations without further thought.

"The select committee system allows citizens to talk directly to some of those who will take the final decisions on important matters."

The Matariki Awesomeness

Pic of The Seven Sisters with their no.1 star, Koko


There is PLENTY to do, around these ways at least, to celebrate Matariki.

Last weekend I went to Muriwai to see the stars and listen to some live music. Primo galore.

Big thanks to the Muriwai and Helensville posse for hosting it! Rootswest Collective jammed up an aural storm. For their encore they covered Nivarna's Nevermind. Had Kurt Cobain sung it like Tipene Babbington, I'm positive he wouldn't have killed himself.

Anyhoo, I love it how someone of some substantial standing makes a passing comment that gets picked up by media and inflated, like Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey suggesting a public holiday to help celebrate Matariki.

Nice way to fill a newshole, but have you ever noticed how there is always a backlash in NZ with things that get too popular quickly? Similar to tall poppy syndrome or too big for your boots bullisht. I wonder when this will be Matariki's fate too? But maybe that's just the media again. Where there's a to, we'll find a fro.

Right now the event is still gaining momentum in the NZ psyche because everytime Matariki is mentioned it has to have a nice explanation about what it is exactly.

Convenience stored

Stuff Website's got a poll running; What do you think of the hikoi protesting Auckland Supercity plans?

So far 75 percent disagree and 15 percent support - but what? Apathetic people make up the remaining 10 percent, why they bother making a committment to not bother is a curious thing.

However what's most confusing is the poll itself.
Hikoi protesting Auckland Supercity Plans. Wtf? The Hikoi was NOT protesting supercity plans. It was SUPPORTING the RECOMMENDATIONS made by royal commission's inquiry into the governance of Auckland.

In short. Some really respected people waded through a load of submissions made by anyone who cared to bother and then made a call.

There were more than 3,500 submissions made. Some were scribbled on the back of an envelope, others resembled a Master's Thesis. All up it cost us taxpayers at least $4 million to do and was extremely well-considered given the high calibre of appointed commissioners.

Now the recommendations are to be checked over by our government through a select committee. Therefore nothing has been set in stone.

So how can we protest something that hasn't even happened? Rude rubbish poll Stuff website. Keep your Dominion Post editorial style to yourself please.

Plans into how this city is going to gather revenue and administer services have not been made, so the polling question is loaded from the start.

As of 9am on a Tuesday morning 1805 voters ticked "I support it - the Supercity should have Maori seats." This shows me there are some educated people who read stuff.

8915 voters say "I disagree with it - and race-based democracy"

That's two points, a) they disagree with Maori seats, and b) they disagree with a race-based democracy.

I've never heard of race-based democracy, it sounds like a contradiction in terms. It sounds unfair and rude and like some personal rights are going to taken. No wonder it's not popular.

Maori at boardtalk level has nothing to do with race-based democracy. It has everything to do with putting the place where we ALL stand first.

It's a sad state of affairs when people realise that tangata whenua aren't going anywhere and this is somehow a huge inconvenience. How we expect to flourish, when this is the underlying pysche of a young nation, is ALL OF OUR BUSINESS.

Please forward to your networks

Hikoi - Maori Seats for Auckland Super City

– May 25 –
12noon from the bottom of Queen St

Tamaki Herenga Waka – Tamaki, where many waka tie to.

The Tangata Whenua, the traditional tribes of Tamaki Herenga Waka - the wider Auckland Region, have lived here for over a thousand years fishing in its harbours, the Manukau, Waitemataa and Kaipara and gardening across its once fertile land.

The volcanic cones created by Mataoho, the god of volcanoes, served as thriving pa and villages and are the repositories of tribal histories.

The Treaty of Waitangi was signed by Auckland tribes on the Manukau Harbour and Tamaki River. It was the intention of chiefs that their people and their descendants would always have a central role to play in the development of their towns and city and in the management of ancestral resources in their tribal district.

All tribes gifted land or made land available for settlement. Some tribes had land confiscated and some taken under the Public Works Act and other legislation leading to great land-loss and its associated devastating social effects.

Auckland and NZ has profited greatly from the lands taken or given by the tribes of Auckland. Tribal leaders have always sought a voice in Council. “Let us be admitted to your councils”, said Paora Tuhaere in the 1860s.

Auckland also now hosts many other Maori from different tribal regions making Auckland the largest centre of Maori population in the country. Over 25% of the total Maori population lives in Auckland with approximately 140,000 Maori residents.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Auckland Governance spent over 18 months consulting with the public before recommending establishing 3 Reserved Maori seats on a proposed 23 seat Auckland ‘Supercity’ Council.

Today there are many issues Tangata Whenua needs a direct say in. How our once pristine harbours and waterways are managed. How our sacred sites are protected and respected. How the history of this land should be part of the proud identity of every Aucklander no matter their origin. How our communities can pay fair water and other rates. How our culture and cultural values can contribute to tourism and the major climate change issues facing our City. How Maori can contribute a more diverse view at the top table that includes a manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga perspective honed by living here for 1,000 years.

Maori have struggled to achieve representation in Councils. Less than 5% of councilors in NZ are of Maori descent. First Past the Post is still the voting system of choice at local level and that has always failed Maori. No wonder the majority are locking in their control for another 50 years as the face of Auckland is rapidly changing to a brown one. Maori vote proportionately higher than any other ethnic group however Maori are still unable to get voted on to Councils. Some call this failure, the ‘tyranny of the majority’. Just as there are guaranteed seats in parliament, so too should there be Maori seats in local government to ensure there is a Maori voice and view being put forward on all matters.

Government might ignore the Commission’s recommendation saying there will not be guaranteed Maori seats and that the issue of Maori seats is already provided for in the Local Government Act that allows for a public poll to be undertaken in 2010 on the issue.

Maori are only 11% of the population in Auckland. It is unlikely that the wider public would vote for Maori seats and the Crown know this well. The Crown has further said that 3 votes out of 23 is a not a voice – but a proposed Maori Advisory Board somehow is. This defies all logic and sense and is simply a lie.

A march is planned from the four corners of Auckland will converge at the bottom of Queen Street to then walk in unison up to the Town Hall and Aotea Square. There will also be ongoing activities to keep the pressure on reversing a short-sighted decision to exclude Maori in governance. Submissions will be made to the select committee and negotiations will continue between iwi leaders and John Key.

Come join in the Hikoi on May 25. If you live outside of the Auckland area you too should be concerned as this model of corporate - rather than democratic governance is coming to a City near you.

Tribal leaders invite all people regardless of heritage to join the Hikoi. Its intent is to show the beauty, diversity and soul of today’s, and tomorrow’s Auckland.

To show we're past gutter-race politics towards an Aotearoa-NZ envisaged by those chiefs that started our City in 1840.

Visit http://ihiaotearoa.wordpress.com/ for your Area Coordinator contact details and further info.

Email MPs
Ask them to review the Government decision and to respect the recommendations of the Royal Commission.
Hon. Dr Jonathan Coleman, MP for Northcote j.coleman@ministers.govt.nz
Hon. Judith Collins, MP for Papakura j.collins@ministers.govt.nz
Hon. Rodney Hide, MP for Epsom r.hide@ministers.govt.nzrodney@epsom.org.nz
Dr Paul Hutchison, MP for Hunua paul.hutchison@parliament.govt.nz
Nikki Kaye, MP for Auckland Central nikki.kaye@parliament.govt.nz
Hon. John Key, MP for Helensville j.key@ministers.govt.nz
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, MP for Maungakiekie peseta.sam.lotu-iiga@parliament.govt.nz
Hon. Dr Wayne Mapp, MP for North Shore w.mapp@ministers.govt.nz
Hon. Murray McCully, MP for East Coast Bays m.mccully@ministers.govt.nz
Allan Peachey, MP for Tamaki allan.peachey@parliament.govt.nz
Hon. Dr Lockwood Smith, MP for Rodney mp.rodney.warkworth@xtra.co.nz
Hon. Maurice Williamson, MP for Pakuranga m.williamson@ministers.govt.nz
Hon. Pansy Wong, MP for Botany p.wong@ministers.govt.nz
Hon. Paula Bennett, MP for Waitakere paula.bennett@xtra.co.nz

Make a submission
The Government has not yet released details of the submission making process. Check the websites below for updates.

For more information
IHI: Iwi Have Influence http://ihiaotearoa.wordpress.com/
Royal Commission: Download the Royal Commission's report here.Government website: Download The Government's Version here.

Rebrand me puh-leese

The recent furore over whether to officialise the Maori names for the North and South Island is up there with the national flag issue which is up there with post colonial identity aka New Zealands' identity crisis.

It doesn't help that more than half our prison population has national ancestry dating back at least 400 years yet can't even read and don't know where they come from.

If you can tell me how that happens on a wee contained island, then you'd probably understand why 200 years ago New Zealand's Geographic Board never bothered to officialise their names for te wai pounamu or te ika a maui aka the south and north island.

Although we all live together on some small-ish islands people like to forget maori officially named stuff way before other people came and decided to name stuff too.

And with the recent discovery that for the last 200 years they never officially named the land North Island and South Island. Well how could you blame them?

If it was official it would probably take after some vaguely important colonial male of the time. Or someone like a sea captain from holland? So lets all breathe a sigh of relief.

If anything it's good that people are being educated on names that were there all along and not taking the official thing too seriously. It never stopped anyone anyway.

Wedding in wellington

I'm partial to love celebrations and this weekend was no exception. I'm so glad the lovely couple in this photo (taken post 1980) decided to become husband and wife. They make lots of music and really are a talented team. Thanks for putting on a party fellas! Lots of friends, music, booze and food! Giant tautoko to Billy Lusk of Billionaire catering, ka pai te kai!