Pita Sharples Address to Pakuranga Rotary Club
te-pati-maori
Tue Feb 13 2007 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Pita Sharples Address to Pakuranga Rotary Club
Tuesday, 13 February 2007, 8:29 am
Speech: The Maori Party
Address to Pakuranga Rotary Club: Waipuna Lodge, Mt Wellington; Auckland
Dr Pita Sharples; Co-leader, Maori Party
Monday 12 February 2007; 7pm
'Finding the Shared Spaces'
[check against delivery]
Last week I was told about a whanau living in Melbourne who gather together every year to be together on one special day – brothers, cousins, aunties, uncles - a whanau who, although separated from us here by the Tasman Sea, is intrinsically, irresistibly bound to this land, Aotearoa.
That day is not Melbourne Cup Day.
It is Waitangi Day. This is the day that they take leave from their work; they travel miles across that vast city in Australia to be united in their love of their homeland.
What is it about Waitangi Day that draws them together?
At its essence – Waitangi Day – is what we are doing here tonight: building relationships, prioritising relationships, relationships of equals.
It is about having a conversation, being open to each other; acknowledging our differences, respecting what it is that makes us distinctive, and looking for the shared spaces.
If you and I got to talk, we might talk about the hard work this club put into planting along the Mangemangeroa Track; or the concrete pathing for the Tamaki Estuary Walkway.
Indeed, with only six days left until your grand gala opening and the official opening of Rotary Park, I am sure there are many stories that could be told; good and bad!
As with any relationship there may be moments of tension; times when understanding is blurred; or the shared space seems slim.
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But again as with any relationship, the commitment that you and I put into being prepared to talk; to listen; to understand will be the secret to our success.
We come together as nations of different peoples. As tangata whenua we are as rich and varied in our tribal histories; our dialects; our genealogies as no doubt are represented in this Rotary Club tonight.
If we had a map of the world, we might be able to plot a description of the unique ancestry evident in this room.
For it could perhaps reveal that the Waipuna Lodge tonight plays host to descendants of the nations of England, Scotland, France, Ireland, Australia, Denmark, Holland, Germany, and to the nation of Ngati Kahungunu - and perhaps during the night we may have the privilege of sharing these histories.
I want to lay it on the table tonight that I am absolutely opposed to the notion of Oneness – implicit in the somewhat popular refrain for one nation, one people, one belief.
For a start it just reminds me too eerily of another catchphrase from some seventy years ago – Ein Volk; Ein Reich; Ein Fuhrer! (one people; one empire; one leader).
In the case of that time, there was a blatant propaganda agenda which permeated all aspects of that regime – to create a designer-made nation, where the one people, the only people, were of the white Aryan race.
We have seen the assault of assimilation in other times, and in other places.
In Canada, the Indian Act of 1880 established a process of enfranchisement, where Indians could give up their legal status as Indians, and in effect, become non-Indians, by law.
The process of enfranchisement could be confirmed for any new non-Indian who obtained a university degree and became a lawyer, priest or Minister. It is a perverse logic indeed that allows recognition only through the relinquishing of one’s identity. But that is what assimilation relies on: the suppression of difference.
And in case we’re thinking we're sitting pretty here in Pakuranga, a similar process of colonization and assimilation was enacted in our legislation; and our nation as well.
The injustice of legislative theft and alienation in Aotearoa is embedded in the hearts and histories of tangata whenua.
The Native Schools Act of 1867 was a key mechanism to achieve assimilation and an amendment four years later stipulated that all instruction had to be in English. The policy of the Native schools was to assimilate Maori into English habits, English thinking and English speaking as rapidly as possible.
It was an all-out, comprehensive extermination and extinguishment of the voice of the people.
In 1906, William Bird, intensified the focus even further, by regulating for an English-only language in the playgrounds policy. Nothing was left to fate.
As an example of the extent of this policy, I was reading some comments from a teacher in Wairau in 1899 responding to the haka and poi game introduced by Maori clergyman Rev Bennett, saying,
“The revival of the haka appears to be quite an evil in the settlement, for it induces idleness, want of personal cleanliness, neglect of daily work and other serious evils”.
And yet here you have tonight, an ardent proponent of exactly this – having lived with and loved kapa haka for all of my life.
In fact, my group, Te Roopu Manutaki, have been extremely generous in allowing me leave tonight – because with less than a fortnight to go before the national kapa haka competitions, Te Matatini, the pressure is on us all.
It is the pressure to achieve standards of excellence; to maintain the most rigorous form of discipline; to be tight in our unity as a collective; to create a presence of distinction. Mediocrity is not an option.
In all aspects of our performance, we are challenged to lift our vision to the highest quality possible – and then try harder.
So what does all this have to do with the Maori Party?
Our vision as a movement – is also about setting our gaze on the highest horizon – and doing everything possible - and more – to achieve it.
Our vision is of a nation of cultural diversity and richness where its unity is underpinned by the expression of tangata whenua-tanga by Mäori, te käkano i ruia mai i Rangiätea.
What this means in practical terms, is to enable, to facilitate and to celebrate the distinctive characteristics that provide a foundation for our nation.
One aspect of this is in our commitment to the revival of te reo Maori. We know that our language underpins our culture and helps to define it. The worldview embedded into the language provides insights into Te Ao Maori that are unique to tangata whenua.
A worldview evident in the very words we use to name ourselves: tangata whenua - people of the land, people intimately connected with the land, the whenua; whenua meaning land, to give birth, the name for the placenta which follows birth.
The Maori Party will do everything we can to support the growth and flourishing of te reo Maori through kohanga reo, kura kaupapa Maori, immersion education, whare wananga and other forms.
We also recognize the foundation of our shared nationhood is absolutely clear through the sacred covenant signed at the birthplace of our nation, Waitangi.
And so I return again to this concept of a relationship between equals; between sovereign nations.
A couple of weeks ago an international survey conducted by Roy Morgan Research found that 60% of New Zealanders, the majority of New Zealanders surveyed, thought that the next generation will live in a less safe world.
If this is indeed the prevailing philosophy, we all need to act in a way which is about taking responsibility for our future.
We need to work together to create an environment where the care and welfare of one’s neighbour is still important; where we can treat each other with respect.
The Maori Party is committed to doing what we can to involve all peoples in the process of rebuilding our nation based on mutual respect and harmonious relationships.
We can - and have – started that process tonight.
What will you – and I do – to keep the dialogue going? Are we prepared to maintain respect for one another’s differences even through moments of discomfort?
Can we examine our privilege and be prepared to consider sacrifice or compromise in the best interests of our nation?
Are we prepared to lift up the rug and find all the dust and dirt swept underneath? Will we look into the darkest corners; brush away the cobwebs, and get our housekeeping in order?
I know we can do it.
We have a very well known proverb which inspires us to generate the energy and the momentum to make our conversation our enduring one.
Whaia te iti kahurangi ki te tuohu koe, he maunga teitei.
Seek that which you desire most; and do not be deterred by anything other than the highest mountain.
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