Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Delamere, Mōnita Eru
1921–1993
Nō Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, nō Ngāi Tahu; he tangata ahu whenua, he pou nō te Hāhi Ringatū, he kaiārahi hapori
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Paul Delamere, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 2000. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
Nō te 17 o Hune o te tau 1921 i whānau ai a Mōnita (Mō) Eru Teramea (Delamere) i Ōmāio i Te Moana-a-Toi-te-huatahi (Bay of Plenty), ko ia nei te mea tuarima o ngā tamariki, tokowaru katoa pea nei rātau. Ko Hana (Hannah) Te Au rāua ko tana tāne, ko Pāora Kīngi Teramea ōna mātua, arā, he tangata mahi pāmu, he pou hoki nō te Hāhi Ringatū tōna pāpā, te Hāhi rā i whakatūria e Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Tūruki. Nō ngā hapū o Ngāti Paeākau me Te Whānau-a-Tūāhiawa (Te Whānau-a-Tūwāhiawa rānei) o Te Whānau-ā-Apanui me te hapū o Ngāti Patu (Ngāti Patumoana rānei) o Te Whakatōhea ngā kāwai hikahika o tōna pāpā; nō Murihiku tōna whaea, ā, ko Ngāi Tahu me Ngāti Māmoe ōna iwi.
I tōna whānautanga he mea tuku kē a Mōnita mā ōna tūpuna kēkē, mā Kararaina rāua ko Hāmiora Toopī e whakatipu. I tapaina a ia e Kararaina ki te īngoa o tōna ake matua, o Eru Mōnita Mohi, ā, i Maraenui rā tō rātau kāinga. Nō te tau 1887, i muri i te pōwhiri a te koroua o Mōnita, arā, ki a Te Kohi Neri (Edward) Teramea, he pou anō hoki ia nō te Hāhi Ringatū, kua tae a Te Kooti ki reira. I konei i waiatatia e Te Kooti te waiata rā, ‘E pā tō reo e Te Tai Rāwhiti e’, hei whakautu ki te pōwhiri a Eru. Puritia ake anō hoki e Mōnita ngā karakia me ngā waiata o te Hāhi, ā, i ngā hui karakia puta atu i Te Ika-a-Māui, ka akona nei ia e ōna pakeke ki ō rātau kawa, waiata, kōrero tuku iho hoki. I taka anō hoki a ia ki raro i te aweawe o ngā mihingare rā, o Jock rāua ko Jean Peterson, me Mana Pere (Norman Perry) rāua ko tana wahine, ko Phyllis.
I tīmata ake te kura o Mōnita i Maraenui, ā, tekau mā toru nei ōna tau ka hoki atu ia ki ōna mātua ake. I a ia i te kura Māori i Ōmāio ka riro mai i a ia tana tiwhikete matatau. I hiahia tonu tana pāpā kia haere ia ki te Kāreti o Te Aute, ēngari i haere kē ia ki te takiwā o Ōpōtiki, kaimahi pāmu ai. Nō te marama o Mei o te tau 1942 i haina ia ki te uru atu ki te hokowhitu tuarua o te matua o Hauraki (2nd Battalion, Hauraki Regiment). Nō te 12 o Hūrae o te tau 1943 i Papakura – e waru rā i mua i tana haerenga atu ki te kauhanga riri – ka moea e Mōnita a Mere (Mary) Thornton, he karaka nei nō Ōpōtiki. Nō Ngāti Rua (Ngāti Ruatakenga) o Te Whakatōhea, nō Te Whānau-ā-Apanui tae atu ki a Ngāti Hine o Ngā Puhi ōna tātai, otirā, he Ingarihi anō hoki tōna karanga. Ā muri iho, tokoono wā rāua tamariki. I Īhipa a Mōnita me te Ope Taua 28 (Māori) o Aotearoa (28th New Zealand (Māori) Battalion) e whawhai ana.
I te hokinga mai o Mōnita i Oketopa o te tau 1944 ka noho ake ngā tokorua nei ki Ōpōtiki, mahi pāmu ai. He tangata toa kē nei a Mōnita ki te purei whutupaoro, ā, nō te tau 1945 ki 1951 (hāunga anō te tau 1948) i purei ia mō te tīma o Te Moana-a-Toi-te-huatahi, ko ia rā te kāpene i te tau atu i 1946 ki 1947. Atu i te tau 1946 ki 1949 te roa o Mōnita i te tīma toa Māori o Aotearoa, i haere ki Whītī whakataetae ai i te tau 1948, ā, ki Ahitereiria hoki i te tau 1949. He topatahi, toparua, topa pū, taitapa ngā tūranga tākaro o Mōnita, ā, kātahi kē nei te ātaahua, te parahutihuti me te tautika ōna ki te oma.
Nō te tau 1956 i nuku atu te whānau ki Kawerau, ka tīmata te mahi a Mōnita rāua ko tētahi tangata i tētahi umanga akuaku. He tāone mira rākau hou, tāone ā-iwi maha, kākanorua kē nei a Kawerau, e nōhia ana e ngā iwi katoa. I tīmata te āwhina a Mere rāua ko Mōnita i te mahi whakatū karapu whutupaoro, tēnehi, netipōro, me te hāpai hoki i ngā mahi tautoko i te pāpori, i te hauora, me te mahi toko i te ora anō hoki. He mea taupua tonu ake e Mōnita te hunga he waewae tapu nei ki Kawerau, ā, i āwhinatia anō hoki e ia ngā mea Māori ki te whakatū wāhi huihui mō rātau. I whakaīngoatia taua wāhi rā ko Rautahi, arā, kotahi rau ngā iwi e noho kē mai ana hei iwi kotahi. Whakahaerea ana e te Hāhi Ringatū ā rātau karakia ki te marae, ka noho ko Mōnita hei kaumātua mō te Hāhi, hei whakaako, hei whakahaere i ngā karakia, hei nehu i ngā tūpāpaku, hei mārena tangata, me te tuku karakia whakapai anō hoki. Nō te tau 1974, i tīmata tana whakahaere i te mahi whakatū i te whare nui whakairo nei, i a Te Aotahi, nō te tau 1985 i whakatuwheratia ai. I te tau 1961 i whakatūria a Mōnita hei mana whakaāio, ā, atu i te tau 1971 ki 1980 tana roa e mahi mai ana i te kaunihera o te takiwā tāone o Kawerau (Kawerau Borough Council).
Riro ana nā Mōnita i whakatū te uniana whakanama tuatahi mō te tāone o Kawerau, ā, taihoa ake whakatūria ana e ia wētahi atu ki Te Moana-a-Toi-te-huatahi. E ai ki tāna, ko te rapunga whakaaro hei awhi mā ngā rōpū nei he whakamoana i ngā rawa ka tuari atu ki ētahi kē. I tāpaetia e te uniana te pūtea tārewa, iti iho te moni hua, ā, noho ake ana tā rātau mahi he tohutohu i te tangata me pēhea tana whakahaere i ana moni, āwhina atu hoki i te kaimahi utu iti, kaimahi noa nei rānei. Ātetehia ana a Mōnita e ngā pēke tauhokohoko o te rohe, e ngā kaipakihi, tae atu ki te Tari mō ngā Take Māori (Department of Māori Affairs), ēngari nā tana kaha i whiwhi painga ai te hunga rawa kore. Nō muri i tautokona tēnei tūmomo pēke moni i Kawerau, inā kē te nui o ngā mema. Hei whakanui i a ia i tapaina tētahi o ngā tiriti o te tāone ki tōna īngoa.
I te tukunga atu i te tūranga hēkeretari o te Poari Kaitiaki Māori o Te Whakatōhea (Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board) ki a ia i te tau 1979, ka hoki atu rāua ko Mere ki Ōpōtiki noho ai. I haere tonu tana mahi poutoko, whakamanawa i te Hāhi Ringatū, me tana whakaako hoki i ngā tikanga Māori. He wā tēnei e mate ana a Ōpōtiki i te kore mahi, whai kē ana te whakahoahoa atu a te hunga taiohi i ngā rōpū hara, ā, ina koa i taka ai ki te hē, mārakerake noa ana te mahi tutū haere. Riro ana nā rātau ko Karauria (Claude) Edwards, ko Mana Pere me ngā kaumātua o te rohe o Te Whakatōhea i tīmata ētahi kaupapa whakawhiwhi mahi, mahi whakaakoranga, mahi hapori. Nā ēnei mahi i āhua māmā ake ai ngā raruraru e pā ana ki ngā rōpū hara nei. He wā whakaara ake anō tēnei i ngā tikanga me te reo anō o te Māori. Ohaoha ana te whakamahi mai a Mōnita i ōna mātauranga me ana mākohakoha hei āwhina i ngā kaihautū tamariki Māori e pihi ake ana, kia mōhio ai me pēhea te whāwhā i ngā take e pā ana ki te whakarerekētanga o te Tari mō ngā Take Māori, i ngā kerēme i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi, me te momo kōrero, whakawhānui atu hoki i te reo Māori.
Nō te tau 1986 i whakatūria a Mōnita Delamere ki te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi (Waitangi Tribunal), ā, tino ngākau pāpaku noa ana tana whakaae atu ki taua tūranga rā. E ai ki tāna rā, nō ngā kura Māori noa tana kawanga whakaakoranga, ka mutu. He mema ia nō te taraipiunara e whakarongo ana ki ngā kēhi a Muriwhenua (te hī ika me te whenua hoki), me ngā kerēme hoki a Te Roroa, a Ngāi Tahu me ā Ngāti Rangiteaorere. I mua i tana whakaaetanga ki tana tohu KBE i mea ia, arā, ko tana utu kē he mea mā tana Kaihanga e whakarite, ā, ko ngā mahi i oti i a ia ko ngā mahi noa e mahia ana e te tangata Karaitiana hanga pai noa. E ai ki te kōrero a te Tiati Matua, a Eruera (Edward) Taihākurei Durie, nā te kaha tonu o ōna mōhiotanga ki ngā mea Māori, me tana aro nui ki te tika, aroha hoki ki ngā tāngata katoa, i tino tarea e ia te whakamārama ake i te āhua o ngā tikanga ā-iwi.
I te wā i hinga ia i Ōpōtiki i te 28 o Āperira o te tau 1993, muramura ana te hōrapa
ake o te uira i Te Moana-a-Toi-te-huatahi. Nō taua pō i pae mai ai te ruru ki runga i te tuanui o te mahau o Tūtāwake i te marae o Whitianga, e tiro kau iho ana ki ōna whanaunga e whakatakatū ana i te haringa whakamutunga atu o Mōnita ki tana haukāinga. He mea tāpuke ia ki te urupā o Tokatā i Whitianga, tāpuke rā ki tā te hōnore mārika tuku atu i te hōia, ā, nā te Hāhi Ringatū te karakia. Mahue mai ana ko tana hoa wahine, ko Mere me wā rāua tama tokowhā.