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Kōrero: Pūriri, Nau Parāone Kawiti

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Pūriri, Nau Parāone Kawiti

1924–1979

Nō Ngāti Kahu, nō Ngā Puhi, nō Ngāti Hine; he āpiha taitara whenua, he āpiha toko i te ora Māori

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

I whānau mai a Nau Parāone Kawiti Pūriri, e mōhiotia whānuitia ana ko Brownie Pūriri, i te 7 o Maehe o te tau 1924 ki Ngāraratunua kei te taha whaka-te-raki o Whāngārei. He tama a Parāone nā Tītore Tākiri Pūriri nō Ngāti Kahu – ko ia he kairūri kaiāwhina nō Kaikohe – rāua ko tana hoa wahine, ko Wikitōria Kāterina Keretene, Keretone rānei (Cherrington) nō Ngāti Hine, nō Ngāpuhi hoki. Ko Wikitōria te pōtiki o te whānau a Kenana W. H Keretene me tana hoa wahine, me Te Paea, he uri ia nō Te Ruki Kawiti.

I kuraina a Brownie Pūriri i te kura o Ngāraratunua, whai i muri ki te kura tuarua o Ōwairaka (Mount Albert Grammar School). I reira ka whakawhiwhia a ia ki te tohu mō te toa mekemeke, noho toa rā ia mō te toru tau. Kāre i roa, ka uru atu ia ki te tīma whutupaoro tuatahi, ā, nō te tau 1941 i kōwhirita a ia ki te tīma māngai mō ngā kura tuarua mō te rohe o Ākarana (Auckland). I te tau 1943, i mahi tahi mai a Parāone i te Tari Māori (Native Department) me te Kōti Whenua Māori i Ākarana, he āpiha tauira, he whakatika i ngā taitara whenua tana mahi. I te tau 1944 ko ia tētahi i haina mō te ope taua, ēngari nā tōna whara i tana takanga mai i te taraka, i whakatāria a ia, ā mutu noa te pakanga. Nō te 1 o Hune o te tau 1948, ka marena rāua ko Rangiaho Aratai Lena Hira i Ōrākei. He mokopuna a Rangiaho nā Te Hira Pāteoro o Ngāti Whātua ki Ōrākei, ko ia rā tō rātou tino pakeke hoki atu ki te tīmatanga o te rau tau rua tekau. Tokotoru ā rāua tamariki, inarā, he tama, he tamāhine me tētahi tamāhine whāngai.

I a ia e noho ana i Ōrākei, ko ia hei kaiārahi mō tētahi karapu rangatahi, me te rōpū whakangahau tikanga. Āpiti atu ki tērā, ko Parāone anō te tiamana o te rōpū whakahaere ā-iwi o Te Waitematā (Waitematā Tribal Executive). I te tau 1955, i whakawhitia atu a ia ki Whāngārei, he āpiha whakatōpū, āpiha whakawhiti whenua āna mahi i rēira. Ko ētahi atu o āna mahi, he whakaiti i te nui o ngā pāmu hua kore i te takiwā o Panguru ki Te Hokianga. I tua atu i tēnā, e iwa ngā komiti ā-iwi o te takiwā i raro i te whakahaere a Parāone, he mea whakamana i raro i te Ture Toko i te Ora me te Pai mō te Iwi Māori (Māori Social and Economic Advancement Act) o te tau 1945.

Nō te tau 1957 pea i hoki atu a Parāone Pūriri ki Ākarana, hei āpiha toko i te ora ā-rohe Māori mō te Tari Māori (Department of Māori Affairs), ka noho ake rā ia ki Tāmaki whaka-te-uru (Glen Innes). Hau ana tōna rongo mō tana kaha ki te āwhina i te Māori ki te whiwhi mahi, me tana kore i mataku ki te whakaputa i ōna whakaaro kia āta tau mai te noho a te Pākehā me te Māori i runga i te whakaaro kotahi. I a ia i Ākarana, i oti i a ia tētahi tirohanga kimi mahi mā te Māori. I te tau 1959, i tāia e ia he pepa i roto i te pukapuka a te Tari Māori, arā, i Te Ao Hou , he mea whakaīngoa ‘Ko te heipūtanga me ngā mōreareatanga o Ākarana’ (‘Opportunities and dangers in Auckland’). Ko te tino ngako o tana wero, ahakoa pēhea, ka haere tonu te hūnuku atu a te tangata ki ngā tāone, ā, atu i tērā me whakaaro nui tonu ngā mātua ki te āwhina i ā rātau tamariki kia whiwhi i te mātauranga. Tere tonu a Parāone ki te whakahē i ngā whakapae a ētahi e mea ana, nō te Māori tonu te hē i ngaro ai āna tikanga, ēngari ki tā Parāone, nā te ahumahi kē i urutaunga ai ngā tikanga Māori.

Nō te paunga o te tau 1959 i whakatūria a Parāone Pūriri hei kaiwhakahaere kaiāwhina mō te wāhanga toko i te ora Māori (Māori Welfare Division) o te Tari Māori ki Pōneke (Wellington), ā, noho ake ana ia me tana whānau ki Porirua. Nō te tau 1961 i whai ake ia i a W. T. Ngata hei ētita hoamahi i Te Ao Hou. I ngana a ia ki te whakapakari ake i te hanga mai o te reo Māori i Te Ao Hou , ā, nāna i whakamana te whakamau atu o te tohutō hei whakaatu i ngā tohu oro roa, he pai kē atu ki a ia tēnei tikanga i te mahi whakahuarua kē i ngā tohu oro. I ētahi wā ko tana mahi anō he tātari i ngā pukapuka, i ngā tuhinga a ērā atu hoki o ngā kaituhi.

Nō Tīhema o te tau 1961 i pōhiritia a Pūriri me ētahi atu, hui katoa tekau rātou hei māngai, hei haere ki rāwāhi ki te hui tuarua mō ngā akoranga Tōpūtanga a te Tiuka o Ētinapara (Duke of Edinburgh’s Second Commonwealth Study Conference) ki Kānata, he mea karanga rā i te marama o Mei o te tau 1962. Ko te tino kaupapa o taua hui he titiro i ngā hua, kore noa iho rānei, e whanake ana mō te rōpū iwi i te ahumahi. I mua o tana taenga atu, i peka atu ia ki Whītī. Nō muri mai i haere atu ia ki New York, ā, i reira ka whai wāhi ia ki te tuku kōrero i te whakaari reo irirangi, i te reo o Amerika (Voice of America). I te mutunga o te hui, ka rere atu ia ki Rānana (London), ā, tau ana te mīharo i tana kitenga i te pai o te āhua o te unuunu o te hunga e takatū ana i ngā pāparakāuta o reira. Rerekē ana hoki tēnei i te āhua o ngā pāparakāuta o te wā kāinga, e katia kētia ana i taua wā i te ono karaka i te ahiahi. Oti rawa atu i a ia tana haerenga ki Hongipua (Hong Kong), ā, i reira ka mihi ia i tana kitenga i ngā whānau Hainamana e whakapau ana i ō rātou kaha ki te whakaako i ā rātou tamariki, ahakoa ngā whakahere. I te hokinga mai o Parāone, kāore i rerekē ake ki a ia ngā pōraruraru o te hunga kāinga i ngā pōraruraru o ngā tāngata katoa o te ao. Ki tāna, ahakoa he tino taonga te manawa mahana o te Māori, te māhorahora me ngā tikanga ā-iwi, mahue kē ana i a ia te whakamahi i ngā painga e tuwhera ana ki a ia. I tino waimarie te iwi Māori e mau kaha tonu ana tōna tuakiri. E ai ki tā Parāone, nā ngā mahi whakamārama a te kāwanatanga i pēnei ai.

Kāore i rerekē te whakaaro o Parāone Pūriri ko Niu Tīreni tonu te tino whenua e whai oranga ai te Māori, ā, he tonotono tonu mai te mahi i a ia hei kaikōrero ki te iwi whānui. E ai ki tētahi kōrero anō āna i te tau 1967, he tere wera rawa te iwi Māori ki ngā āhua e pā ana ki te whakawhanaunga ā-iwi. Ēngari ki tāna anō i whakahua i te tau 1970, kei mua kē noa atu a Niu Tīreni i te ao katoa mō te mahi whakawhanaunga ā-iwi. I taua wā, kua noho kē mai a ia hei kaiwhakahaere kaiāwhina mō te wāhanga toko i te ora Māori i Ākarana.

Kua roa kē te hononga atu o Parāone Pūriri ki ngā mahi i Waitangi. I te tau 1953, ka riro nāna i toha atu te korowai hei whāriki hīkoinga mai mā Kuini Erihāpeti. Tutū ana te puehu i tēnei āhuatanga, ko te tikanga, e riro kē ana mā tana tuakana, kaumātua hoki, mā Kirihi Te Riri Maihi Kawiti e tuku te korowai, ēngari nā runga i tana whakahē i taua tikanga, ka mea kē ia he koroua rawa ia mō taua tū mahi, ā, ka riro kē i tērā. Nō te tau 1962 i taka ki a Pūriri te mahi whakatakatū i ngā whakahaerenga mō te taenga mai o te kāhui ariki o Ingarangi ki Waitangi i te tau 1963. Kua eke atu ia i taua wā ki te Poari Kaitiaki o Waitangi mō te Motu (Waitangi National Trust Board), ā, i whakatūria anō hoki ia hei kaiwhakahaere mō te rōpū o Ngāpuhi mō Waitangi, ko tā te rōpū nei he whakahaere i ngā mahi mā te hui. Ko te mahi i whakaritea māna he kōwhiri ake i ngā rōpū pōwhiri, i ngā kapa haka, tae atu ki ngā mahi whakatū, whakahaere hoki i te hōpuni ki Waitangi. Toru mano neke atu te hunga hei whāngai mā rātou mō ngā rā atu i te 2 ki te 8 o Pēpuere. Nāna i whakatau mā te tohunga whakairo, mā Hōne Taiapa te mahi whakairo i ngā rākau wero. I tua atu i tēnā he mea tono anō e ia a Wiremu Kerekere me tana kapa haka o Waihīrere hei rōpū matua mō ngā mahi whakangahau mō te hui. Kātahi hoki te mahi whakakūraruraru ko tēnei, nā te mea nō Te Tai Rāwhiti kē a te Waihīrere, ehara kē i Te Tai Tokerau.

Nō te 5 o Pēpuere i whakarewahia e te rōpū Kotahitanga tō rātou ake haki, arā, te haki mana motuhake Māori ki Waitangi. I te inoitanga atu a ngā kaumātua o te marae ki a Parāone, ko ia rā te kanohi matua o te Tari Māori, tīhaea tonutia iho ana e ia taua haki rā, kāore he kōrero, kāore he aha. I tū anō ia hei waha kōrero mō te iwi Māori i te hākari ki Waitangi i te tau 1969, ā, i whakaritea anō hoki e ia he hui tōpū mō ngā poari kaitiaki Māori o te motu i Waitangi i te tekau tau atu i 1970.

Kua roa kē a Parāone Pūriri e pāngia  e te mate huka, ā, nō te 1 o Hepetema o te tau 1979, ka toro atu te ringa kaha o aituā. Rima tekau mā rima noa ōna tau ka hinga mai ia i tōna kāinga i Tāmaki whaka-te-uru. Noho mōrehu mai ana tana hoa wahine me ā rāua tamariki. Toru rā i muri mai i nehua a ia ki Ngāraratunua. Anei ngā whakaaro o tōna teina, o Hōhaia mōna, arā, he tangata ngāwari, ngākau māhaki noa a ‘Brownie’, ā, he mea nui ki a ia te mahi i ngā mahi poroteke noa nei, inarā, he mahi whakaako kē tāna i te hunga rangatahi, ahakoa te mahi, ka mahia mai; whakangahau ake a ia, whakangahau mai, koia rā te tikanga o te rangatira. I a ia e pakari ana, he tangata rahi a Parāone, rua tekau mā rua tōne tōna taumaha. Tae rā anō ki tōna matenga kāre ia i rata ki ngā whakaaro o ngā kaiārahi tuwhena o te whakatipuranga hou e kaha nei rātou ki te karanga kia whakarerekētia te kaupapa whakakotahi tangata a te kāwanatanga.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Angela Ballara. 'Pūriri, Nau Parāone Kawiti - Pūriri, Nau Pāraone Kawiti', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 2000. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/5p40/puriri-nau-paraone-kawiti (accessed 30 March 2024)