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Kōrero: Manuel, Emarina

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Manuel, Emarina

1915–1996

Nō Ngāti Kahungunu; he kaipatotuhi, he kaiwhakaako, he āpiha toko i te ora Māori, he kaiārahi hapori

I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Angela Ballara rāua ko Rangi Manuel, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 2000. I whakahoutia i te o Hepetema, 2011. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.

Nō te 21 o Ākuhata o te tau 1915 i whānau ai a Emarina Rōpata ki te marae o Te Poho-o-Tiakiwai i Te Wairoa, wāhi o te taha whaka-te-raki o Te Matau-a-Māui (Hawke’s Bay). Karangatia whānuitia ana te wahine nei ko Lena. Nō Ngāti Kahungunu ōna mātua, a Wheti Rōpata rāua ko Waimātai Pāora; ko ō rāua hapū matua ko Ngāti Kurupakiaka me Ngāti Puata. He tangata pāmu kau, pāmu hipi a Wheti. I whai pānga anō a Emarina ki a Ngāti Awa i te taha ki tōna koroua, ki a Rōpata Riini, arā, ki te pāpā o tōna pāpā.

Ko ia tētahi o ngā tamariki tokorima a te whānau, he mea whakatipu a Lena ki te marae e tōna tipuna kuia, e Teni Te Wano Toromata rāua ko tana tāne tuarua, ko Peta Pakuku. I kōrero Māori anake ia i ngā tau o mua o tana haerenga ki te kura, ēngari nō te ekenga ki te ono tau, anā kē atu te korahi kē o te kuranga i a ia ki te pūnaha mātauranga a te Pākehā me tā te Māori anō hoki. Kāhore nei ōna kaumātua i whakaae kia mahia e ia ngā mahi ā-whare. He tohunga whakapapa a Peta Pakuku, ā, ahakoa anō tana kore i tino whakaae kia tūturu te ako i te wahine ki te whakapapa, he mea whakaako tonu e ia i a Lena ki te nuinga o ōna nei mōhiotanga. Ia rā, hoe atu ai te koroua nei i te awa o Te Wairoa ki te mau atu i a Lena ki te kura; nō muri, i haere a Lena ki te kura tuarua ā-rohe o Te Wairoa (Wairoa District High School) me Hukarere (Hukarere Native Girls’ School). I a ia i Hukarere, tekau mā ono nei ōna tau, ka puta ake nei ia i ngā whakamātautau mō te uru atu ki te whare wānanga. I a ia i te kura nei whiua ake ana ia mō tana kaha rawa ki te kōrero, ka whakamahia ia ki te kai i wana kai i a ia e tū ana.

I te wā i wehe atu ai a Lena i te kura i te takiwā o te tau 1931, ruarua noa nei ngā mahi mā te tangata i Te Wairoa. Ahakoa anō te hiahia o tōna whānau kia noho ia hei kaiwhakaako, i mahi kē ia mō e hia tau kē nei hei kaipatotuhi i te tari māngai Māori, tari whakamāori kōrero a ōna whanaunga, a Sydney Carroll rāua ko H. E. (Dick) McGregor. Nō te kitenga atu o McGregor i te mōhio o Lena ki te tuhi poto, i nonoi ia me pērā mai te mahi i ngā takinga kōrero katoa. Tohetohe ana a Lena i te take he nui rawa ngā pūare o te reo Māori kia taea ai te tuhi poto; ka mea atu a McGregor kia tuhia e ia ki te tuhi poto reo Pākehā ngā takinga kōrero reo Māori, ā, mō muri me pato ake ngā reta ki te reo Māori.

Nō te tau 1936 i noho ai a Lena hei kaiwhakaako kaiāwhina iti iho i Ruatāhuna. I a ia e whakaako ana i Te Araroa, i tutaki rāua ko Robert (Bob) Manuel, he kaimahi nō Rangitukia. Hei tama a Bob mā Rāpata Manuel (Mānuera) rāua ko tana wahine, ko Tira Rukuata; nō Te Whānau-a-Takimoana a Rāpata, ā, nō Ngāti Hokopū a Tira, he hapū ngātahi nō Ngāti Porou. I mārenatia a Lena rāua ko Bob e Hēmi Huata i Te Wairoa i te 31 o Oketopa o te tau 1938 ki tā te tikanga Mihingare. Ka roa, ka whai tamāhine rāua, ā, nō muri mai tokorua ā rāua tama. Nō te tau 1947 i nuku atu ai te whānau ki Te Wairoa, ka riro nei i a Bob te whakahaere o te pāmu a te whānau Rōpata e kīia nei ko Nukuroa. Haere tonu ana te mahi whakaako a Lena i ngā kura tuatahi o Te Wairoa me Ūpokokotea (North Clyde). Nō te tau 1941 i tīmata ai tana whai i te raihana mō ngā mahi whakamārama reo, ā, nō te tau 1945 i tutuki rawa, ka raihanatia nei ia hei kaiwhakamāori māhiti tuatahi.

Taka rawa mai ki tēnei wā, kua hau haere kē nei te rongo o Lena Manuel mō āna mahi tūao. I kaha anō ia ki roto i ngā mahi a te Hāhi Mihingare, i noho ia hei hēkeretari, ā, i muri mai he heamana mō te wēteri ā-takiwā. E mahi tahi ana rātau ko te maha o ngā minita Māori, he kaiārahi rātau nō te Hāhi. He hēkeretari tuatahi a Lena mā te peka o Taihoa o te Rōpū Wāhine Toko i te Ora (Māori Women’s Welfare League). Tīmata ake ana i konei tana roa e mahi ake ana mā te rōpū nei; nō muri rawa mai, nō te tekau tau atu i 1980, i noho ia hei māngai mō te rōpū nei mō te rohe o Te Tai Rāwhiti. Nō muri i te tau 1951 pea, i noho ia hei hēkeretari mā te rōpū whakahaere ā-iwi o Kahungunu (Kahungunu Tribal Executive) mō ngā tau maha nei, ki raro i a Turi Kara (Carroll) me tana taua, me Tāme Ōmana (Tom Ormond).

Nō te tau 1954 i uru atu ai a Lena Manuel ki roto i te Tari Māori hei āpiha toko i te ora mō te takiwā o Te Wairoa. Ko tāna mahi, he āwhina haere i ngā Māori ki ngā raruraru e pā ana ki ngā whare noho, ki te whai mahi, ki te whiwhi i te mātauranga me ngā raruraru anō hoki i te kōti. I āwhina anō hoki ia ki te whakanoho haere i ētahi taiohi ki roto i ngā mahi akoranga ā-rehe, ki roto rānei i ētahi mahi kāwanatanga i ngā tāone nui. Nō te tau 1960 ka whakaputa te Rōpū Wāhine Toko i te Ora i tōna māharahara, kua pokea kētia nei a Lena e te nui o te mahi; i tīmata ake tōna rohe i Mōhaka i te tonga, tae atu ki Ūawa (Tologa Bay) i te raki. Neke atu i te 130 māero tana haere i ngā huarahi pukepuke, whakanokenoke o tuawhenua. I whakaae atu te Tari, āe me kimi mai e rātau he āpiha anō mō Tūranga (Gisborne), ēngari ko te mate kē kāore he moni. Otirā, haere tonu ana te mahi a Lena Manuel mā te Tari Māori hei āpiha toko i te ora, hei āpiha hapori rānei, ā whakatā noa nei ia i te takiwā o te tau 1980.

Ahakoa tana roa e whai wāhi atu ana ki ngā mahi tūao me ngā mahi hapori, tērā anō te whakaaro e kī ana nō muri kē mai i tana whakatānga i pū ai te rongo o Lena Manuel hei wahine kanohi mō te motu. Ka noho ia hei heamana mō te Poari Kaitiaki Māori o Te Wairoa (Wairoa Māori Trust Board) – nō muri iho, i huaina ko Wairoa-Waikaremoana – ā, hei mema hoki mō ngā poari hōhipera o Te Wairoa me Te Matau-a-Māui. I noho anō ia ki runga i ngā poari, i ngā kaunihera, i ngā komiti kē rānei o te kāreti o Te Wairoa (Wairoa College), o te marae o Taihoa, o te kaitiaki ā-takiwā o te kōhanga reo, o te Kaunihera Takiwā Māori o Te Tai Rāwhiti (Tairāwhiti District Māori Council), o te Kaunihera Māori o Niu Tīreni (New Zealand Māori Council), o te Pouhere Taonga (New Zealand Historic Places Trust), nā rātau nei ia i whakatū hei mema hōnore mō te katoa o ōna rā i te tau 1995. I noho anō ia ki ētahi rōpū whakahaere whenua, tae atu ki Ōhuia, arā, ki te rōpū tiaki i ngā pānga whenua o Ngāti Kurupakiaka. Noho ake ana ko tāna mahi kē nei, he rauika haere te mahi i ngā pito katoa o te motu. He wahine kahurangi kē nei tōna āhua, ehara kē ia i te kaiārahi punenga. Ko te wāhi ki a ia, he whakawhāiti i te iwi, he kipakipa hoki i a rātau kia kotahi te whāinga a te katoa ahakoa anō ō rātau rerekētanga.

Nō te tau 1984 i whakawhiwhia ia ki te tohu MBE, he mea tuku atu tana tohu ki a ia i tētahi hui hira kē nei i te marae o Taihoa i Te Wairoa. Nō te tau 1986 i whakatūria ia ki te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi (Waitangi Tribunal); nā tōna tohungatanga ki te reo Māori i noho ia hei kaiwhakamāori i te kerēme a Ngāi Tahu. I whakawhiwhia ia ki te mētara whakamaharatanga o Aotearoa mō te tau 1990 (New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal), ā, i te tau o muri mai i whakawhiwhia ia ki te QSO. I mate a Lena Manuel ki tōna kāinga i Te Wairoa i te 16 o Ākuhata o te tau 1996. Nō mua atu nō te tau 1979 i mate atu ai a Bob. Mahue ake ana ko ā rāua tamariki tokotoru nei, e whai nei rātau i te tauira rangatira, whakaritenga mahi mā te tangata. I takoto mai te kuia nei ki tōna marae o Taihoa mō te toru rā, kātahi ka tanumia ki te urupā i te huarahi o Kiwi i Te Wairoa.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Angela Ballara and Rangi Manuel. 'Manuel, Emarina', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 2000, updated o Hepetema, 2011. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/5m34/manuel-emarina (accessed 29 March 2024)