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Kōrero: Ellison, Rāniera

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Ellison, Rāniera

1915–1974

Nō Ngāi Tahu, nō Ngāti Māmoe; he kaiwhakahaere kamupene hī ika

I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Craig Ellison, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 2000. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.

Nō te 13 o Pēpuere i te tau 1915 i whānau ai a Rāniera Ellison (Erihana) i Ōtākou (Otago), arā, i te kāinga o Ōtākou i te raenga kūiti tonu o Ōtākou. Ko ia tētahi o ngā tamariki tokoiwa a Te Iwi (David) Herehere Merekihereka Hape Erihana – he tangata ahu whenua – rāua ko tana wahine, ko Horīwia (Olivia) Karetai. Nō Ngāi Tahu me Ngāti Māmoe ōna hekenga, ā, he pānga anō hoki ōna ki a Ngāti Tama. Hei mokopuna hoki ia mā Rāniera (Daniel) Tāheke Erihana rāua ko tana wahine, ko Nani Weller (Hana Wēra), ā, hei irāmutu hoki ia ki te tākuta rā, ki a Eruera (Edward, Ned) Pōhau Erihana, rāua ko te rōia me te tangata purei whutupaoro rā, me Tame (Tom) Erihana.

He mea kura a Rāni ki te kura o Ōtākou, ki te kura tuarua mō ngā taitama o Ōtākou (Otago Boys’ High School), me te kāreti o Paerata (Wesley College) i Ākarana (Auckland). Ahakoa tana pōuri ki te wehe atu i Ōtākou, he pai ki a ia tana noho i Te Ika-a-Māui, ā, he tari tonu te mahi a te whānau kia tae atu ana reta hangarekareka nei. I te hokinga atu, ka haere ia ki te whare wānanga o Ōtākou (University of Otago), ā, atu i te tau 1937 ki 1938 a ia e ako ana ki te mahi pou niho, ēngari nā te aha rā i kore ai i pahure. He hauā nei te waewae matau o Erihana ka whānau nei ia, ā, e hia kē nei ana taenga atu ki te hōhipera. Nā tōna hauā i kore ai ia i āhei ki te uru ki te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao. I ana tuākana e whawhai mai rā i roto i te Ope Taua 28 (Māori) o Aotearoa (28th New Zealand (Māori) Battalion), ko Rāni i te kāinga e tiaki mai ana i te pāmu a te whānau i Ōtākou. I te mutunga o te pakanga, ko te hokinga mai tēnā o te mātāmua o ōna tuākana, ka riro i a ia te whakahaere o te pāmu.

I taua wā i a Rāni e tirotiro noa atu nei i te rae o Ōtūpā (Taiaroa Heads), ka kitea atu e ia ētahi waka hī ika nei e hoki mai ana ki uta. I reira tonu ka rongo ia i te angitū kia whakarērea e ia te mahi ahu whenua, ēngari me noho tonu ia i te rohe, he pānga kaha nei tō tōna whānau whānui ki reira. I te tau 1946 ka tīmataria e ia tana pakihi hī ika; i ngā tau tuatahi e rua, he mea ohu e ia te mahi. Ēngari huri rawa ake ki te tau 1948, kua mārō kē te haere o tana umanga kaimoana, ka whakamanatōpūtia e ia hei umanga taunaha tāpui, arā, ko Ōtākou Fisheries Limited. I noho tonu ko Rāni te rangatira whakahaere o te mahi nei, ā mate noa. Kauanuanutia ana ia e tōna whānau, e ōna hoa me te hunga hī ika hoki o te motu.

I te tīmatanga, he tuku ika katoa atu te mahi a te kamupene ki ngā mākete o te rohe kāinga, heoi anō nā te mea he wā nei tēnei nō te nui o te mau mai o te ika, ka tīmata te tirotiro atu ki ngā mākete o tāwāhi. Ko Ahitereiria tonu te whenua tuatahi i hāngai ai te titiro, ā, i Āperira o te tau 1947, i tukua te utanga ika tuatahi ki Poihākena (Sydney), e £353 te wāriu. Ā taihoa ake anō i taua tau, ka tīmata te tuku kōura atu ki Poipiripi (Melbourne). Nō te kitenga e hokona kētia atu ana e ngā kaihokohoko o Ahitereiria ngā kai nei ki te Hononga o Amerika, nō te tau 1953 i tīmata ai te kamupene ki te hoko torotika tonu atu ki ngā kaiwhakauru o Amerika.

Kia taea ai te whāngai ana mākete e tipu haere rā, ka tahuri te kamupene ki te whakarau i tētahi kaupapa e tino rahi ake ai ā rātou mahi, ēngari i te mutunga mai he wā anō i pai, he wā anō kāore i pai. Arā atu te maha o ngā tikanga hou i kōkuhua atu e Rāni ki te mahinga ika nei i ngā tekau tau atu i 1950, atu i 1960 hoki, pērā i ngā waka matua me ngā paneke hopu kōura toka, tae atu ki te waka wheketere e mahi mai nei i ngā ika i te moana.

Ko tētahi āhuatanga nui o te kamupene ko te whakawhāiti mai i te whānau whānui o ngā Erihana ki ngā mahi a te kamupene. I te tīmatanga ko te nuinga o ngā kaipupuri hea he whanaunga katoa, me te pono mārika anō o Rāni ki te hoatu i ngā mahi katoa a te kamupene ki te whānau, mai i te horoi i ngā tāpu ika ki ngā mahi hokohoko atu ki tāwāhi. Ahakoa te kore i tutuki i ētahi wā, he kaupapa tonu tēnei i mau tonu i a ia, he mea tautoko mai hoki e te whānau katoa. I te 5 o Hepetema i te tau 1951, i Ōtepoti (Dunedin), ka moe a Rāni i a Edith Adeline Mowat Asher; whai tama, tamāhine ake ana rāua.

I te wā e toi, e momoho ana te kamupene a Rāni, mau tonu te tīkai haere o te kamupene i ngā takutai o Ōtākou me Murihiku (Southland). Rima tekau ngā tima o tōna kamupene, ā, he wheketere nei ōna i Awarua (Bluff), i Karitāne, i Ōtepoti, i Rakiura (Stewart Island) me Wharekauri (arā, ko te īngoa Moriori ko Rēkohu, ā, ko Chatham Islands te īngoa Pākehā). He hea anō ōna i roto i tētahi wheketere mahi tio i Waihopai (Invercargill) me ngā kōpapa e toro atu rā i Ōkahu (Jackson Bay) i Te Tai Poutini ki Ōamaru. Nā runga i te whakahaere mūrere ake nei a Rāni, i pahure mārika noa i a ia te whakataetae atu ki ngā kamupene nunui.

He tangata kaha a Rāni ki te hāpai i te mahinga ika. Pau ana i a ia he wā nui nei ki Pōneke (Wellington), noho mema ake ai mō te rōpū whakahaere o ngā kaihoko ika o Aotearoa (New Zealand Wholesale Fish Merchants’ Association), nō muri i kīia ko te rōpū mō te ahumahi hī ika o Aotearoa (New Zealand Fishing Industry Association). Nā te mea ko ia te kanohi mō te taha ki ngā wāhanga o Ōtākou me Murihiku, ka nui kē nei ngā hui e haere ana ia. Ko te mutunga atu he kaipiripiri kōrerorero tana mahi ki te kāwanatanga mō ngā kaupapa e puta ake ana i te whakahaere i ngā mahi hī ika. Heoi anō nō tana māuiuitanga, whakawātea ana ia i a ia mai i aua tūranga.

Pūmau tapatahi tonu ana ia ki te āwhina i tōna iwi; he tohunga nōna ki te taha moni, i tino ngākaunuitia a ia i runga i te Poari Kaitiaki Māori o Ngāi Tahu (Ngāitahu Māori Trust Board), te Komiti Māori o Ōtākou, te hāhi Māori o Ōtākou me te rōpū whakahaere Māori o Ōtākou (Otago Māori Executive). He mema anō hoki ia nō te rōpū Rotari, ā, e hia tau kē hoki ia e noho kaumātua ana mō te whare karakia pāriha kotahi o Ōtepoti whaka-te-hauāuru (West Dunedin Union Parish Church). He tangata mahi moni tonu tana mahi mā te hāhi, whakapau ngātahi ana i ōna kaha me ana kaimoana – ko te tio rā tāna i manako ai – mō ngā rā whakangahau me ngā rāwhara.

Ahakoa tana hauā, kotahi tonu te mea nui ki a ia ko ngā hākinakina. He kaimātakitaki auau tonu ia i te papa whutupaoro me te papa kirikiti o Carisbrook; he mahi pai ki a ia te purei korowha i te papa o te karapu o Clair (St Clair Golf Club). Ko tētahi mahi i matea nuitia anō e ia ko te rērehi hōiho, inarā he tangata whakahī whai hōiho reihi tonu nei ia, he mema hoki nō ngā karapu o Ōtepoti i Wingatui me te pāka o Forbury. Ahakoa kei hea te reihi, kei reira anō a Rāni.

I mate a Rāni i te papa korowha o Clair i Ōtepoti i te 29 o Maehe i te tau 1974; i mahue ake ko tana wahine me ngā tamariki. He tangata mārie, whakamōwai a Rāni Erihana, i ngākau pono nui ki tana kamupene me tōna whānau. Ahakoa he aha te mahi, ko tāna me tōtika tonu te mahi. He mea tīmata e ia tētahi mahi pakihi mahi whānau nei, ā, ahakoa te whīwhiwhi me te uaua o te ahumahi ika, toa kau ana ia. Kātahi anō te urunga hiranga mai o te Māori ki te mahinga hī ika nei, ka noho nei ko te kamupene a Rāniera Erihana hei mātārere mō te ahumahi nei, ka hia miriona tāra kē e hua ake ana.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Craig Ellison. 'Ellison, Rāniera - Ellison, Raniera', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 2000. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/5e5/ellison-raniera (accessed 29 March 2024)