Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Paewai, Manahi Nītama
1920–1990
Nō Rangitāne, nō Ngāti Kahungunu; he tākuta, he kaitākaro whutupaoro, he kaitōrangapū ā-rohe, he poutoko iwi
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Manahi Paewai, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 2000. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
I whānau a Manahi Nītama Paewai, arā, ko tētahi īngoa anō ōna ko ‘Doc’ Paewai, ki Mākirikiri, i te tonga o Tanewaka (Dannevirke) i te rohe o Tāmakinui-a-Rua, i te 8 o Hune i te tau 1920. Ko tōna matua ko Nireaha (Niki) Paewai, he tangata mahi pāmu nō te hapū o Ngāti Rangiwhakāewa o Rangitāne. Ko tōna whaea ko Apikara Walker nō tēra karangatanga hapū o Ngāti Rākaipaaka o Ngāti Kahungunu. He mea iriiri a ia ki te īngoa o Manahi, arā, ki te īngoa o te koroua o tōna pāpā ake, he kaihautū nei nō te kaupapa Kotahitanga ki Te Matau-a-Māui (Hawke’s Bay). Nō Needham Lambert mai tērā o ōna īngoa, a Nītama, i mua rā ko ia te perehitini o te mīhana o te Hāhi o Ihu Karaiti mō Te Hunga Tapu o ngā Rā o Muri Nei (Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints), arā, te Hāhi Mōmona o Aotearoa. Mau tonu te īngoa karanga o te whānau mōna ko Nītama.
Mai i tōna tamarikitanga i tupu ake ai a Nītama i raro i te maru o tōna whānau me te Hāhi Mōmona. I tua atu i tēnā ko tētahi mea nui ki a ia ko te mahi tākaro whutupaoro. He tino toa tōna pāpā a Niki ki te purei, ā, ko tōna matua kēkē anō ko Rui (Lui) Paewai, tētahi o ngā toa o te tino tīma Kiriūka (The Invincibles), ārā, o te tīma toa o Aotearoa (All Blacks) o te tau 1924. He taetae tonu mai te mahi a Hōri (George) Nēpia rāua ko Cliff Porter ki tō rātou kāinga, e hia hāora kē nei a Nītama e wehi ana tana whakarongo ki ā rāua kōrero mō ā rātou tākaro whakataetae. Nā Nēpia ia i ako i te tuatahi ki te maka me te hopu i te paoro, rutu hoki i te tangata.
Nō te tau 1926, i whakawhiti atu ai te whānau a Nītama ki te Hononga o Amerika, ā, e toru tau a Niki Paewai i te kāreti ahu whenua, kāreti kāwanatanga o Utā (Utah State Agricultural College), ka riro mai nei i a ia te tohu paetahi BSc mō te ahu whenua. I haere anō hoki a Nītama ki te kura o Woodruff i te tāone nui o Logan, ā, nō te 12 o Hune o te tau 1928 i iriiria a ia i te Temepara o Logan i Utā. I te hokinga mai o te whānau ki Aotearoa i te tau 1929, i haere tonu te mahi ako i a Nītama i te kura tuatahi o Tanewaka whaka-te-tonga (Dannevirke South School). Nō te tau 1934 i uru atu ai a Nītama ki te kura tuarua o Tanewaka (Dannevirke High School), ā, i reira ka tau kē nei ia ki te whai kōrero, ki te tākaro kaipara, ki te purei kirikiti, ki te mekemeke me te tākaro whutupaoro. Ka tae ki te tau 1938, ka noho ko ia hei kāpene kairīwhi, tautopenga hoki mō te tīma kirikiti matua, toa atu hoki mō te mekemeke. Riro anō hoki i a ia te tūranga hāwhepēke, kāpene atu hoki mō te tīma whutupaoro tuatahi, tauira tumuaki hoki mō te kura. I tōna haerenga ki te whare wānanga o Ōtākou (University of Otago) i te tau 1939, ka whakauru atu ia ki te wāhanga pūtaiao o māhuri. I kuraina anō hoki ia ki te kura tākuta o te whare wānanga o Ōtākou mai i te tau 1940, tae rawa mai ki te tau 1945, ka whiwhi ia i te tohu MB, me te tohu ChB. Ka puta nei a Paewai i tana whakawhiwhinga tohu mātauranga, ko tana haerenga atu tēnā ki te hōhipera o Ākarana (Auckland Hospital) mahi ai mō te rua tau. Nō muri mai nei, nō te tau 1957, i haere anō tana whakaako i a ia i te kāreti tākuta o te whare wānanga o Utā (University of Utah College of Medicine).
I a ia ka noho i Ōtepoti (Dunedin), ka kitea te tino rawe o Paewai ki te tākaro whutupaoro, tōna pakari, tōna manawanui, me te mōhio hoki o te tangata. E rua ngā tīma i uru atu ai a Paewai i te tau 1939, ko te tīma o Te Waipounamu i te whakataetaetanga mō te Kapu o te Pirinihi o Wēra ka tahi, me te tīma o te whare wānanga o Ōtākou ka rua. Mai i te tau 1940 ki te tau 1943, ia e whakataetae ana mō te porowini o Ōtākou, mō ngā whare wānanga o Aotearoa i te tau 1941, mō te tīma o ngā hōia o Te Waipounamu i te tau 1942, me te tīma anō hoki o Te Waipounamu i te tau 1943. Ruarua nei ana pureitanga mō te tīma o Ākarana i te tau 1944.
Nō te tau 1946, ka nuku atu ia ki Pōneke (Wellington) ki Te Ūpoko-o-te-Ika. Ko te tikanga, ko te tau tērā i eke ia ki te taumata mō te tākaro whutupaoro, ēngari, he aha rā te take, i tau matekiri kē te tau nei. Ahakoa tēnā, i uru anō hoki ia ki te tīma o Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), ki te tīma o Te Ika-a-Māui, ki te tīma Māori o Aotearoa, me te tīma o te ope taua. Nō te taenga mai o te tīma whutupaoro o Ahitereiria, he tāpui noa iho tōna tūnga i te tīma o Aotearoa, ā, kāre hoki ia i eke atu ki te papa purei. Ko te whakaaro ake, he kore i waimarie nōna i kore ai ia i purei mō Aotearoa. He wā poto nei ia e kairīwhi ana mō te tākuta o Te Hokianga, mō G. M. Smith i te tau 1947, i mua i tana haerenga atu ki Kaikohe mahi tākuta noa ai ki reira. He wā nei ia e purei ana mō Te Tai Tokerau, tae atu ki te tau 1952 ka mutu. E rua ngā tau, 1950 me 1951, i purei ai a Paewai mō te tīma Māori o Aotearoa. Nō te tau 1950, i whakawhiwhia a Paewai ki te Kapu a Tom French mō te tangata tino toa nei o te iwi Māori mō te purei whutupaoro.
I moe a Nītama Paewai i a Hineapa Meha – hei tamāhine ia mā Stuart rāua ko Ivory Meha – i te 2 o Pēpuere i te tau 1949, i te whare karakia Mōmona i Tāmaki, arā, i Tahoraiti, wāhi o Tanewaka; i puta rawa i a rāua he uri, tokorima ngā mea wāhine, tokotoru ngā mea tāne. E hia nei ngā rōpū me ngā mahi i uru atu ai a Paewai i Kaikohe, i tua atu o te whakaaritanga o tana umanga hauora: tīmata ake tana mahi mā ngā rōpū nei i tana urunga hei tākuta mō te rohe mō te Kāhui o Hoani (St John’s Ambulance Brigade) mai i te tau 1947 ki 1961, perehitini tuarua mō te kura kōhungahunga o Kaikohe (Kaikohe Free Kindergarten), perehitini atu hoki mō te rōpū tamariki hinengaro hauā o te rohe o Kaikohe, ā, atu i te tau 1962 ki 1980, i noho ia hei mema mō te poari whakahaere o te kāreti o Te Tai Tokerau (Northland College). I runga tonu i āna mahi whakahaere whutupaoro, i noho ko ia hei hoa kaiwhiriwhiri mō te tīma Māori o Aotearoa i ngā tau 1955 ki 1956; i whakaīngoatia ia hei mema mō te poari tohutohu Māori, he komiti whāiti tēnei nō te Kotahitanga Whakahaere o ngā Mahi Whutupaoro Rakapī o Niu Tīreni (New Zealand Rugby Football Union) me tana tū mai anō hoki hei mema kaunihera mō te Kotahitanga Whakahaere o ngā Mahi Whutupaoro o Te Tai Tokerau (North Auckland Rugby Football Union) i ngā tau 1953 ki 1956. Nuku atu i te tekau tau ia e mema ana mō te kaunihera takiwā tāone o Kaikohe, me tana noho anō hoki hei mēa mō te wā, 1977 ki 1980. I whakahaerea e ia he kaupapa mahi whare ki Kaikohe, ā, i tētahi wā i whakaaro anō ia ki te whakatū wheketere itiiti noa nei, he mahi kaka te mahi, kia māmā ake ai te whai mahi o reira. He tangata kaha kē nei ia ki ngā mahi a tōna hāhi, ā, he maha ngā tūranga nāna nei i waha.
He hēkeretari anō hoki a Nītama Paewai mō te kaunihera Māori mō ngā komiti whakahaere ā-iwi o te takiwā o Te Tai Tokerau (Tokerau District Māori Council of Tribal Executives); ko ia anō tētahi o ngā kaihautū o te rōpū Rotari (Rotary) i Kaikohe, tiamana atu anō hoki mō te komiti Māori toko i te ora o Kaikohe (Kaikohe Māori Welfare Committee). E whā ngā haerenga ā-rōpū ki te Hononga o Amerika me Kānata nāna nei i hautū. I uru anō hoki ia ki ngā mahi a te Kōmihana Hākinakina a Hillary (Hillary Commission for Recreation and Sport), ā, whakaīngoatia ana hoki ia hei minita ā-rohe mō ngā matataua tamariki. E whitu tau a Paewai e noho tiamana ana mō te komiti marae o Waitangi. Nō te tau 1966 i ūhia a ia ki te tohu Toa Rangatira o te Keratia o te Kāhui o Hoani (Knight of Grace of the Order of St John), ā, nō te tau 1967, i whakawhiwhia a ia ki te tohu OBE me tētahi tohu anō mō āna mahi manaaki i te kaupapa matataua. Nō tana hononga atu ki tētahi rangapū tākuta i Ākarana, ko tana hekenga atu tēnā ki reira i te tau 1979 (ia wiki noa i haere ki Kaikohe mahi ai hei mēa). Atu i te tau 1980 ki 1983 a ia e noho ana hei mema i runga i te kaunihera o te tāone nui o Ākarana (Auckland City Council), ā, atu i te tau 1984 ki 1986 he mihinare nei tāna mahi mā te Hāhi Mōmona i Hingapoa, i Mareia me Īnia.
He tangata kāore ia i mataku i te tautohetohe, nāna tonu te karanga kia whakamutua haeretia atu te mahi tākaro whutupaoro Māori, me tana tautoko kaha atu hoki kia mau tonu te mahi tākarokaro ki te whenua o Āwherika ki te Tonga. Hoki rawa mai ia i tana haere ki ngā moutere o Piripīni, puta ana tana whakahē i ngā pokanga ā-kauwaka me te mahi oranga ā-pono. Haere ana hoki āna whakahē mō ngā āhua nei, mō te toko i te ora kāwanatanga me te tikanga o te ‘whāngai noa atu’, he whakaiwikore i te tangata kia kaua e mahi, ā, he whakakūare kē hoki ki te tiaki moni.
I mate a Manahi Nītama Paewai ki Ākarana i te 10 o Oketopa i te tau 1990, ā, mahue iho ana ko tōna hoa wahine me ā rāua tamariki. I whakahokia tana tūpāpaku ki Tanewaka rā anō, ki tōna marae i Mākirikiri ki reira takoto ai. He mea nehu a ia ki te urupā Māori i Kaitoki, kei ngā waewae o tana pāpā a ia e okioki ana.