Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Black, Sholto Kairākau
1902–1963
Nō Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, nō Te Whakatōhea; he kura māhita, he tumuaki kura, he kaituitui ratonga ā-iwi, he kaiārahi hapori
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Mere Tunks, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 2000. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
Nō te 13 o Hānuere o te tau 1902 i whānau ai a Sholto Kairākau Black i Ōpōtiki, te tamaiti tuawhitu, tama pōtiki atu hoki a John Black rāua ko tana wahine, ko Polly Matuakore Delamere (Pare Pīkake rānei), ko Mere (Mary) anō hoki rā tōna īngoa. He tangata mahi pāmu nei a John Black, arā, i Ōtara nei tāna pāmu e pātata tonu atu ana ki Ōpōtiki. I whakatipua mai a Sholto i roto i te whānau, tekau mā rua nei rātau, tokorua rā he tamariki whāngai. Nō te taha ki tōna māmā tōna pānga ki Te Whānau-a-Apanui me Te Whakatōhea. He wahine māia, aroha nui nei tōna māmā, e whakaāiohia ana e ia ngā whakaaro tiro whāiti, mārō anō nei hoki o tērā rau tau o tōna hoa tāne. He mea whakatipu mai a Sholto i roto i te whakapono Ringatū, whakapono Mihingare hoki, ā, mai i a ia e tamariki tonu ana i waitohua a ia kia aronui ki te whānau me tana mau ki te ako me te whakakaha ake i tōna atamai. He mea whakamahara ake e ia ōna tēina ake ki ngā tūmanako me ngā āhua anō o te momo whanonga ake e hiahiatia nei e ō rātau mātua.
I kuraina ake a Sholto ki te kura i Ōtara me te kura tuarua o Tūranga (Gisborne High School), ka pai kē nei ia ki ngā tohu o te mātauranga me ngā mahi tākaro, arā, te tākaro whutupaoro. Pārekareka ana ki a ia te ako i te hītori, i te Ingarihi me te whakaari. Tino mau tonu te whakaaro nui o tōna māmā ki tana tama pōtiki, ka akina ake e ia ana mahi akoako. I a ia i te kāinga, noho mai ana ia i te taha o ōna tuākana e tope taekai ana, hei whakawātea i te whenua. Hoi anō te hiahia ake o Sholto kia whiwhi ia i tētahi oranga kē anō mōna, otirā, noho ake ana ia, he tōti nei tāna, ā, pānui pukapuka ai i te pō.
I te tau 1921, i tana putanga atu i ngā whakamātautau o te kura tuarua hai whakauru atu i a ia ki te whare wānanga, i haere atu ia ki te kāreti o te whare wānanga o Tāmaki-makau-rau (Auckland University College). I a ia i reira i whakanōhia ake ia i te kāinga o Tipi Tainui Rōpiha – meāke nei ko ia te hēkeretari Māori o raro tuatahi a te Tari Māori – rāua ko tana wahine, ko Rhoda. Hua kau ana te pono kē nei o Sholto ki te mana pāpori, me tana pai kē nei hoki ki te kaupapa rapunga whakaaro, ki ngā kōrero tuku iho, whai atu hoki i te reo Ingarihi. Tūhono atu ana ia ki te rōpū whakarau o te whare wānanga, ā, mō tana toa ki te whaikōrero, i whakawhiwhia ake a ia ki te mētara kōura. Puta ana hoki ia hai kanohi tākaro whutupaoro mō te tīma o ngā whare wānanga o Aotearoa. Hoi ano nō te tau 1927 i riro mai i a ia tana tohu paerua (MA) mō te kaupapa Ingarihi me te mātauranga ohanga.
Pau ana ngā tau tōmua ake o te mahi whakaako a Black i te kura tuarua o Ōwairaka (Mount Albert Grammar School) i Ākarana (Auckland). Mai i reira i haere atu ia ki te kura tuarua mō ngā taitama o Tīmaru, Te Maru rānei (Tīmaru Boys’ High School), tekau tau te roa. Koakoa ake ana te tumuaki nei a William Thomas ki tana kura māhita pūmanawa hou. Nō te 22 o Tīhema o te tau 1932, i Tīmaru, i moe ai a Black i te kairīpoata rā, i a Nancy Elizabeth Kerr, ko ia nei te mea pakeke o ngā tamāhine a Charles Eustace Kerr, kua whakatā mai nei ia i te mahi pāmu i mua ake, otirā i āianei ko ia te tiamana o ngā kaiwhakataka o te nūpepa nei, o te Tīmaru Herald. Noho matua wairua ake ana a Thomas ki te mea tōmua ake ō wā rāua tamariki. I te whānautanga mai o te mea tuarua o wā rāua tamāhine i te tau 1939, i Ahitereiria kē a Black e kimi mahi ake ana i te kāreti o Haileybury i Brighton Beach i Poipiripi (Melbourne). Kāore noa i roa i muri mai i tae atu ai a Nancy ki te taha o tana hoa.
Mō ngā tau e toru ko Black i te kāreti o Haileybury e whakaako ana hai māhita āwhina, ā, i muri mai, hai tumuaki atu hoki mō te tekau tau atu pea te roa, ka noho ko te wā o te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao te wā uaua mōna, arā, i te itiiti noa nei o ngā rawa hai whakahaere i tēnei kura pakupaku e maea ake nei. Ka nui kē te mahi i tutuki i a ia mō te utu tino itiiti kē noa nei. Pono kau ana te whakaaro o Black kia noho te kura hai paparanga whakaū tikanga ake, me te mau anō o te momo whakaako hai whakatupu ake i ngā whakapono Karaitiana. Ki tōna nei whakaaro, i tua atu i te mahi whai i te mātauranga, ko te mahi ake anō mā ngā kura he whakahauhau i ngā tikanga o te māhaki, o te whakakatakata, o te manaaki, o te hūmārika, o te āwhina, o te whakawhirinaki me te ngākau pono hoki. I muri mai i te pakanga kāore i tutuki tāna i mea ai kia whakakorea atu te rōpū hōia tauira, ka whakaneke ake ai i ngā mahi toi, puoro, whakaari hoki. I ngā wā o te hararei o te kura, whakakīia ake ana e ia te whare noho o te kura ki ngā manene mai i Aotearoa. I te wā i whakatā ake nei ia i te taumaha o ngā mahi me te māuiui o tōna tinana i te tau 1953, kua tino kairangatira kē nei te hau o te rongo o te kura.
Nō te tau i muri mai i kitea ake ai rātau ko tana whānau i Ākarana, ā, i reira i tūhono atu ai a Black ki te rōpū mahi o te kura tuarua o Te Atatū (Henderson High School), hai whakakapinga mō ngā kaiwhakaako. Kāore noa i roa i muri mai ka tonoa ake a ia e Tā David Henry, arā, e te kaiwhakataka whakahaere o te kamupene hua ngahere o Aotearoa (New Zealand Forest Products), ki te titiro me ka pai ki a ia te nuku atu ki te tāone o Tokoroa, e tere nei te hiwa ake, mahi ai. Whakaae atu ana a Black ki te tūranga hai kaiwhakataka mō ngā tauwhiro hapori o te kamupene, whakamahia ana ōna pūmanawa whakahaere, pāpori hoki, ki te ruruku kāinga mō ngā kaimahi ngahere. Ko ia anō hoki tētahi o ngā kāwana o te poari tuatahi mō te kura tuarua o Tokoroa (Tokoroa High School), ā, hai mema anō hoki ia mō te komiti tāone o Tokoroa; i tua atu i tērā he mema ia nō Rotari (Rotary), tiamana atu hoki mō te komiti o te whare pukapuka. He mema manahau ake anō hoki ia mō te rōpū Meihana (Freemasons), ā, i whai wāhi atu anō hoki ia ki ngā whakahaere o te wēteri o te Hāhi Mihingare. Whakamahia tonutia ana e Henry a Black ki te whaikōrero, ā, he tonotono tonu mai te mahi a te tangata i a ia ki te kōrero ki ngā karapu me ērā atu rōpū hoki.
Whakarihariha rawa atu nei ki a Black te mahi kaikiri, ā, kore rawa atu nei ia i whakapā atu ki tētahi karapu i Tokoroa he pērā ngā whakahaere. Ko ia tonu tētahi o ngā mea tuatahi ki te tautoko i ngā tūmanako ake o te rōpū o te Kaupapa Mātauranga mō te Iwi Māori (Māori Education Foundation), ā, hoi anō ki tāna ake i paoho ai i te reo irirangi i te 2 o Āperira o te tau 1962, he wāhanga noa ake tēnei nō te rongoā ake e ahu whakamua ai te Māori. Ki tōna whakaaro anō ko te otinga atu o te take nei ko te whakamutu ake a te tangata i te mahi whakatamariki iho i te Māori, kāore i te taha whakaakoranga anake, otiia i ngā wāhi katoa o te porihanga whānui. Ki tāna ake anō me whai wāhi tonu atu te Māori ki te mahi whakaritenga e pā ana ki ngā whakatakotoranga whakaaro mō te motu.
He mahi rekareka kē nei ki a Black te rere huka me te tēnehi, ēngari ko tāna anō i tino hiahia ai ko te tākaro pūangi hī taraute me te mahi kāri. Ka tae ki te wā hai whakamāmā māna i te taumaha o te mahi, kitea ake ana a Black e hī ika mai ana i Mōkai, i Ātiamuri, i Ngongotahā rānei, he wāhi i kō tonu mai rā i Rotorua. He mea hāpai hoki e Black te rumaki haere i ngā rākau tūturu o tēnei whenua, ā, ko ia tonu mai hoki tētahi o ngā kaitiaki tuatahi i te taiao.
He pūkenga mātāho ia, ā, he ngākau mariu, ngākau tiaki tōna; he tangata whakapono hoki a Black, aro kaha hoki kia whai tika tonu te porihanga whānui, i whakapau nei ia i ōna rā mō te pai o wai noa atu. Nō te 23 o Pēpuere o te tau 1963 i mate mai ia i te hōhipera o Waikato i Kirikiriroa, e ono tekau mā tahi nei tōna pakeke; mahue mai ana ko tana hoa wahine me ā rāua tamariki tokorua.