T h e T e R a w h i t i N e w s l e t t e r

P ip iw h a r a u r o a T h e H e r a ld o f S p r in g

Volume 1 Issue 9 October 2009

Te Karaka Ahitapu 1931-2009

This tribute is made to the memory of a generous funny loving sociable hardworking and
intelligent rangatira whose life I was fortunate enough to share. Our grand parents were
brothers, Pukepuke and Rewiri Ahitapu.

Whakatauki:

He aha te mea nui? He tangata! He tangata ! He tangata!

What is the most important thing in the world ? It is people! It is people! It is people!

Te Karaka (Joe) Rewiri Ahitapu was one of fourteen children,( many died as infants). His
father was Kanuta (Dan) Rewiri Ahitapu of Te Patukeha Hapu of Te Rawhiti of Ngapuhi
and mother Rea Kora of Te Whakatohea (Ngati Ira of Waioweka Opotiki. ) He was born at
Kukumoa Opotiki in October 1931. In the morning when his mum Rea went to do the
milking he decided to arrive early and so she had him under a karaka tree, hence his
name. Joe is a nickname.

As Te Karaka says on his Bebo web site: " I was born under a Karaka tree and lived in a
raupo whare. Grew up living with whanau and extended whanau. Whanau schools here
and there. Waioweka native school was built by our whanau/hapu in 1879 and it's still
going strong. Farming, bushfelling, hunting pigs, kereru ( plenty of them in the Urewera)
fishing, white baiting, horse riding, outdoors the good life! " Like many Maori from the
rural communities Te Karaka headed to the towns and city where his whanaunga and
parents were to start a new life. Just as his father before him had gone to Opotiki where
their whanaunga lived. So they were big changes for this maori boy from the sticks. He
worked at the freezing works at Westfield and Hellaby's along with whanau. And during
this time met a lovely lady Val, whose children he brought up as his own, Kerry,Andrea
and Simon. Even while working full time, he developed a sideline business which won
him a trip for two to Hawaii where he met Englebert Humperdink who was there for the
same reason as he, business!

Te Karaka came to Te Rawhiti in the 1960's and built a garage on whanau whenua on
the beach front at Kaingahoa assisted by his first cousin Arthur Hakaraia, of Whiorau and
Walter Mountain senior and his children, from Te Tawa.
He committed his life to his father Kanuta' side and to the development of Te Rawhiti. He
often travelled up from Auckland to Te Rawhiti for meetings along with other trustees
and hui at their own expense. He was a trustee on the Te Rawhiti Marae and the Te
Rawhiti School Reserve Trust and later became the chairman. He was also a founding
trustee of the Motukokako Trust which gave out education grants for tertiary education
but retired last year due to ill health. He became Chairman of Patukeha Kaumatua
Committee which was responsible for all 'take' relating to resource management,
conservation, environment and appeared at hearing submissions.

In addition Te Karaka was chairman of Te Runanga o Taumarere ki Rakaumangamanga

which represents Patukeha and Ngati Kuta to Te Runanga a Iwi o Ngapuhi. He worked on
fisheries going to marae all over the north to discuss maori customary uses, and the
tools to do it. As well as attending national hui. Whatever he did was driven by tikanga
Maori, matauranga Maori and kaitiakitanga whether it was commercial or cultural or not,
not forgetting Te Tiriti oWaitangi and He whakaputanga the Declaration of
Independance. A great believer in our tino rangatiratanga, mana Maori, put it into
practice and walked the talk. Te Karaka’s tupuna Moka and Rewa were signatories to
these key documents, the first re-affirming the Declaration of Independance which claim
is now to be taken by Te Runanga o Ngapuhi on behalf of hapu and heard by the
Waitangi Tribunal in the near future. He attended the Waitangi Tribunal pre hearing at
Waitangi earlier this year.

And he was always on the Taumata at the marae. A man of strong principles - he was
not afraid to stand up for his convictions. He opposed both the Nga Whenua Rahui which
was signed by the Te Rawhiti 3B2 Trustees. However the covenant still went through,
and the other was the moana for a marine reserve - no take and closed forever to our
whakapapa. Fortunately it didn't happen. A temporary rahui was put in force earlier this
year.

The first meeting to be held about papakainga on the whenua at Kaingahoa was held at
Karaka's bach in 1987. Most of those present at that hui, Arthur Hakaraia, Aroha
Beaumont,Te Hae Wihongi, Kaa Hemara, and others have now passed away. But it was
an important decision which set in motion preliminary meetings and submissions to put
papakainga in place at Te Rawhiti which were successful. Housing Corporation NZ
planner, Maori Affairs planner, Northland Regional Council, and the Tai Tokerau District
Maori Council spoke in support of us. Henry Titore who sadly passed away recently came
to support the submissions put up by Te Karaka, my brother Bill and myself to the Bay of
Islands Council as it was then known.

Te Karaka statement on Bebo

" I have committed myself to the development of my whanau hapu of Te Rawhiti where
I live. "

Te Karaka wished to establish his father's whanau back at Te Rawhiti on the whenua at
Kaingahoa. This he has done. And so have the other whanau. The Kaingahoa papakainga
project led by Te Aroha Beaumont our niece was supported by the whanau of the
whenua.Te Karaka was one of these, he built a home up at the top of the hill along with
two of his sisters, the Sherman's and the Tawhara'. This project included papakainga
houses which were built at Whiorau, Hauai and Kaimarama, Kaitaia and Waikare.

Talking about fishing. He loved it and used to take his little dingy out or the bigger one
until someone pinched it and it was found on the rocks around past Hauai. Ringa used to
park his boat up in Joe's garage before it got a floor and was done up. Ringa took some
of us on his flash boat fishing. He had big game fishing gear on board. On the way out to
Motukokako we saw heaps of blue maomao but didn't catch anything.So he called up
cousin Arthur Hakaraia and Te Karaka on his radio to see how they were doing. They
pulled alongside in their humble dingy near Deep water Cove and passed over their fish (
we have a picture ). Ringa fried up some scones and the fish on board. It was tuumeke!
Awesome!

When the koiwi were brought back to Te Rawhiti marae a few months ago, Te Karaka got
his first chopper flight from the beach in front of the marae to fly across to
Urupukapuka. Marara and I went too. We landed with her remains. And Marara
conducted a beautiful service, then back to Kaingahoa where our moko were waiting to
hear all about it.

He never forgot his Whakatohea side and always went back there when he could to the
various hundred year centennials and openings celebrations and tangihanga. As a family
man he loved children. Our mokopuna have been so lucky to have him as their koro. He
has shared his matauranga with them and his whanau and extended whanau.

Something they will never forget. We will never forget him.

Te Karaka is survived by his whangai children Kerry, Andrea,Simon Swasbrook,

mokopuna Kelly andTristan, mokopuna tuarua Jasmin, step children Lamorna, Chris and
Blair, mokopuna Fabian ,Dylan, Natasha, Tiana, Emma, Kalani, Leana, Jessie, Neil,
mokopuna tuarua Cody, Hayley and Jayden, and in laws, Karen, Tony, Raelene, Angela,
Marie, Gwenaelle,and Courtney He mihi aroha nui ki a koe e te rangatira, mo ou mahi
rangatira me ou manakitanga Haere, haere, haere Moe mai e roto e nga matua tupuna.
Moe mai ra moe mai ra.

Na Peti Pukepuke Ahitapu.

Henare, known also as ‘Wobby’, was the son of Tarau Titore and
Moe Le Noel. Wob was a quietly spoken humble person, who
was raised here in Te Rawhiti. He attended Te Rawhiti Native
School, and Northland College and worked in a series of jobs in
his life. His knowledge of fishing was passed down from his
father Tarau, who was a lookout on the whaling ships in the
early 1900’s, and a commercial fisherman in the ‘20’s and 30’s.
Henare also had an outstanding knowledge of the fishing
grounds in and around our rohe, right down the coast beyond
Henare Titore Taupiri, using land marks to guide him to them. Henare was
02.08.45- married to Elizabeth Parkes, who was the widow of his cousin
Jack Parkes, and he raised her children as his own. Elizabeth
and Henare had one son, Henare, who now lives in Australia. When Elizabeth died
Henare moved to Western Australia to live and work in a mining town called
Pannawonnica. In recent years,Wobby’s health troubled him but he still worked when he
could – his last job was on the wharves at Whangarei with his daughter Robin’s husband
from Takahiwai. His whanau and our community will miss him. Moe mai e te matua…..

Ae Marika!
A column published in the Northland Age
By Hone Harawira
 MP for Tai Tokerau
29 September 2009

HOWIE THE MAORI

I called in to Sir Howard Morrison’s tangi last week (he gets buried today), and even
though the rain was pissin’ down, still, there would have been a thousand people there
when he arrived, led on to Tama Te Kapua marae by Wetini and some of the warriors
from Te Matarae o Rehu.

He was one of the first Maori I ever saw on TV, back in the days when he was tearin’ up
the airwaves with the Howard Morrison Quartet, energy to burn, a glint in his eye, a grin
to light up the world, a swagger to match his never-ending confidence, a voice to charm
and a sense of humour right up there with Billy T James and Tui Teka.

But my everlasting memory is of a man who could break a million women’s hearts with
his crooning, then tell a joke to keep all the husbands and boyfriends happy too!!

The country has lost a legend. Haere e te rangatira, haere.

TOBACCO UNDER FIRE

Last week the Maori Affairs Select Committee approved my request for a formal inquiry
into “the impact of tobacco use on Maori”.

Tobacco kills 5,000 Kiwis every single year, more than 100,000 New Zealanders in the
last 25 years alone. It’s time we held those responsible for these tobacco deaths,
accountable for their actions. This inquiry is New Zealand’s opportunity to make Tobacco
companies explain their actions of promoting and maintaining tobacco addictions which
lead to these horrific and painful deaths.

Committee hearings don’t start till next year, so over the next few months I’ll be
organising with cancer patients, whänau, health researchers, teachers, tobacco control
groups and the tobacco industry itself to get ready to come before the committee.

We’ll also be taking this inquiry on the road to make it easier for whänau to attend. By
the time we finally get to the tobacco companies, we will have gathered enough
testimony to really take them to task.

To be brutally frank I’d like to lynch these bastards. I’ve watched too many people die
horrible deaths because of their addiction to tobacco. I’ve seen too much pain and
heartache in those left behind to want to be objective about this. “And I’ve heard too
many chilling comments from tobacco executives like – ‘We don’t smoke the shit. We
reserve that right to the young, the poor, the black and the stupid’ – to have any respect
for these people.

Hopefully, with the help of the people of New Zealand, we can finally bring all these
unnecessary deaths to an end.

THAT ‘H’ WORD

TV 7 were asking all the politicians what they thought about the ‘H’debate. The best
one I heard came from Shane Jones (who turned 50 on the weekend, bless his little
heart) who is hoping to climb to the top of the Labour Party over the top of some of his
colleagues like Clayton Cosgrove and David Cuniliffe.

Shane reckoned that “Whanganui without the ‘H’ is like Cuniliffe without the ‘T’.”

Great stuff my brother!!

DUMPING OF RUBBISH BAGS ON MY WHENUA

na kuia marara hook

There has been an increase of rubbish dumping on my whenua. This is to inform you
that my whenua boundary starts from Jummy Kidd’s gate, on the right, all the way to
Tangatapu Bridge.
The same applies on the other side of the road, that is, from the quarry all the way down
to the swamp beyond the macrocarpa tree before the TeNana driveway. If you cannot be
bothered putting your rubbish bags out for the pick-up Waste truck on a Monday
morning, you can drop them off at my kaumatua flat and I’ll TAKE THEM TO THE DUMP
MYSELF. I much prefer that than have people(whoever you are) dumping them on my
whenua. I know it’s been happening for years and there’s a pile up of old bottles and
stuff down by the macrocarpa tree on both sides of the road which is part of my whenua
too!

------------ooOOoo----------

This aerial photograph, entitled Yates property Parekura

Bay, was taken in the 1950’s by Whites Aviation. I
found it online in the National Library archive.
Maungaroa is on the right and the sea in the middle must
be heading down past Whangamumu .

HOW TO CALL THE POLICE

HOW TO CALL THE POLICE WHEN YOU'RE OLD AND DON'T MOVE FAST ANYMORE.
George Phillips of Gold Coast, Australia was going up to bed when his wife told him that
 he'd left the light on in the garden shed, which she could see from the bedroom window.
( Boy does this sound familiar! )
George opened the back door to go turn off the light but saw that there were people in
the shed stealing things.
He phoned the police, who asked "Is someone in your house?" and he said "no". Then they
said that all patrols were busy, and that he should simply lock his door and an officer
would be along when available. George said, "Okay," hung up, counted to 30, and phoned
the police again. "Hello, I just called you a few seconds ago because there were people
stealing things from my shed. Well, you don't have to worry about them now because I've
just shot them." Then he hung up.
Within five minutes three police cars, an Armed Response Unit, and an ambulance showed
up at the Phillips' residence and caught the burglars red-handed.
One of the Policemen said to George: "I thought you said that you'd shot them!"
George said, "I thought you said there was nobody available!"
(True Story) I LOVE IT - Don't mess with old people!!

TREL UPDATE targeted at 16-24 year olds. Their work

1. Project Rakau
We have acquired the
Manawahuna/Cape Brett DOC contract
from mid October. This means an
increase in our work force from 4 to 6
boys. We have located our camp site on
Rakaumangamanga so that the crew can
service both contracts more efficiently.
This will change once we get our trap
and bait station coverage achieved. Our
team on the Cape is
Alvin Rewha (Job Supervisor),Francis
Hepi,Kayne Higgison,Karl Te Nana, Iti
Arama,Bella Clendon,
will be to push into the cape trapping out
the areas Wairoa, Tangatapu and Te
Kauri, starting from the Ngaiotonga –
Rawhiti Rd and pushing up into Cape
Brett. Their mission is two fold,
a. To set a buffer zone to stop re-
invasion from possums and stoats,
and
b. Start knocking down pests already
established in these areas
Blandy will be conducting training for
the community max team at Kaingahoa
Marae from 2nd November for 1 week
before we deploy them into the field.

Once this is done we will reduce our 2. Guiding

team down to 5 with Karl Te Nana
coming down to take on a supervisory
role with our community max team
which start on 2nd November. Our
community max is a new contract
We have been asked from both Fullers
and Explorer NZ to do guiding tours on
their boats and on the islands starting
from 2nd November. We have an
experienced guide in Gloria Martin who
will lead this kaupapa but her services
are in demand from the operators. We
have Salisha Hepi who would like to do
guiding work and Gloria will train her on
what to say and do, but we need at least
two more guides, whanau who would like
to learn this work? Please contact Robert
on 094037012.
3. Glass Beading
he didn't need my help to leave the
hospital.
After a chat about rules being rules, he
reluctantly let me wheel him to the
elevator.
On the way down I asked him if his wife
was meeting him.
'I don't know,' he said. 'She's still
upstairs in the bathroom changing out of
her hospital gown.'

We are currently working with

Kororareka Marae Society to set up a live
work station in the DOC building in
Russell. We will have one of our ladies in
there every day beading and talking to
tourists about the designs and selling the
pieces. We have come to an
arrangement with Annie Rose to set up
the station at the DOC centre and also to
work with us on getting the fusing
underway at the Te Rawhiti Marae
workshop. Anya has been suggested as
the key worker person for the Marae
workshop and Barb the DOC centre. Part
of this setup would be weaving and
Gloria would like to teach our ladies Kapa
Haka at the DOC centre by giving live poi
dances free of charge at set times to
attract tourists into the DOC centre and
hopefully we make it up in sales.

Robert

Some Uncle Ringa Jokes…Two

elderly gentlemen from a retirement
center were sitting on a bench under a
tree when one turns to the other and
says: 'Slim, I'm 83 years old now and I'm
just full of aches and pains. I know
you're about my age. How do you feel?'
Slim says, 'I feel just like a newborn
baby.'
'Really!? Like a new born baby!?'
'Yep. No hair, no teeth, and I think I just
wet my pants.' …….

Hospital regulations require a wheel

chair for patients being discharged.
However, while working as a student
nurse, I found one elderly gentleman
already dressed and sitting on the bed
with a suitcase at his feet, who insisted

Te Rawhiti Rural Firefighters Annual
General Meeting will be held at the
Fire Brigade November 16 at 11 am.
The Te Rawhiti Rural Fire Fighters
Mana Wahine Social was held on
November 9th and by all accounts it
was a great evening. Thanks to all
who made it happen and all the
supporters who went along.
IN FLANDERS FIELD…from Hone
Harawira…October 27 2009..
I thought this was important to add, as we lost some
of our young men in the Great War…..
Most Kiwis grow up knowing a bit about
Flanders, where more soldiers died on one day
than in any other single military action before
or since during the war on the Western Front in
World War 1, so this part of our trip was
always going to be very special for me.
Our first stop was the Ramparts Cemetery on
the outskirts of Ypres (Ieper) where a dozen
young men from the Maori Pioneer Battalion
lay alongside other Kiwis who had travelled
across the world to die in the biting cold of a
northern winter, fighting an enemy they rarely
saw, for a cause many of them didn’t even
understand.
Then we travelled a short distance to the
world’s largest Commonwealth cemetery,
Tyne Cot in Passchendale (the valley of the
suffering), host to more than 12000 graves
dedicated to the hundreds of thousands who
had died around Ypres, including walls with the
names of thousands of soldiers who died there
but didn’t get the honour of a proper burial,
and whose graves bear the inscription “A
soldier known unto God”. Again a very moving
experience, wandering amongst the graves of
soldiers who had died in defence of a land they
knew only as a battlefield.
Then we laid a wreath at a monument specially
dedicated to NZ soldiers who died on what is
called the blackest day in NZ history, Oct 12
1917, when NZ suffered its largest ever loss of
NZ troops defending a mound of earth no more
than 50 feet high.
After that we met with the Mayor of Ypres, and
took a special guided tour of the In Flanders
Field Museum, an interactive expo of war
memorabilia, short movies and simulated war
scenes. Apparently 6 Kiwis were shot for
desertion (all recently pardoned by the NZ
government), the last of whom being a young
Maori who after several“tours” escaped to
France for 9 months before being caught and
executed. His whanau presented a waka huia
to the museum which will become part of the
war exhibition next year.
The undoubted highlight of the day though was
being invited to take part in the Last Post, a
ceremony which has been held since 1928
(except during WWII), when locals and visitors
gather every night at the Menin Gate memorial
arch with its roll of 55,000 fallen soldiers, for
the playing of the Last Post. I was given the
honour of reading the Ode to the Fallen and
Katrina Shanks laid a wreath on our behalf.
I asked the Chairman of the Last Post
Association in Ypres why, 100 years after the
event, they still cared so well for the graves of
our people and honoured their memory every
night with the Last Post. His answer, given in
all humility, said it all.
“My boy - if we played the last post just once
each day for every Allied soldier who died in
defence of our little town, we would still be
doing this in 4005. No, it is our honour and our
privilege to do this.
 Restoring the old voices: MARAE EQUIPMENT AND CARE
October 2009 update Kuia Marara Te Tai Hook
An update on the pest-reduction—and biodiversity-
Kia ora whanau, I am going to talk about our
enhancement—projects out here in the eastern Bay of
marae and equipment. You all know how
Islands is well overdue.
much time and effort the late Ringa and
Mayron have put into our marae over the
To remind you of the various projects: Project Island
years, and Mayron has continued to do this
Song, the collaborative endeavour of Patukeha and Ngati
after he passed away. However, it has been
Kuta, as well as several government and local agencies,
has focused on the islands of Ipipiri and seems to have very frustrating for her and her helpers to
been 100% effective in eliminating mustelids and rodents. have to go over to the marae after a whanau
Two other projects exist in support of Project Island Song. hui and re-do the cleaning, the mopping and
Project Points, which takes in all the headlands from check the plates, pots and pans.
Orokawa to Rawhiti Peninsula, has pest-control measures
in place that either meet or are approaching the DoC We women have found that the people who
standard. And, in turn, to reduce the chances of reinvasion book the marae by phone or internet, leave
of the headlands themselves, pests are being stripped from the place in an excellent condition, but not so
the roadsides from Dick’s Bay to Hauai—Project Strip. our locals I’m afraid. Now, please understand,
Finally, as you will all know, Project Rakau is a local this is a generalization and does not mean
initiative—with Nga Whenua Rahui, under the umbrella of everyone, but some local whanau hui leave
Department of Conservation—to clean up essentially the the place in a shocking state.
entire Rakaumangamanga (Cape Brett) Peninsula, and is
very well underway. The taking home of kai after a hui is a
problem. It gets taken away in marae dishes
To fund the hardware for Project Points and Project Strip, and containers, but the dishes are not
we placed three applications this funding round with the returned. Would the person who took the
NRC Environment Fund—and were successful with each, oven trays from the electric oven, return them
being granted close to $16 K of equipment. please? YES, you! The ears and eyes know
who has them. Bring them back.
Just yesterday Robert Willoughby and I were delivered the
vast majority of this equipment, which should be in place Also, bins, large containers, mops, brooms and
by the end of November. Once it is all there, Te Rawhiti buckets are well marked but they still get used
Enterprises will take over the checking of much of it—all in the wrong places e.g. toilet buckets get
according to DoC Best Practice. used in the dining room.

But there is a point we need to make. The mattresses are another problem. They
Please all of us look after our gear in place. Already we are not to be stacked one on top of the
have had a double stoat trap (value about $100) stolen. It other. The mattresses are to be stood on
happened this last long weekend when a heap of boats their sides in the passageway. Being stacked
were anchored in Omakiwi Cove, the missing trap having on one another, flattens them over time and
been removed from the bottom of the (beautifully we end up with very thin mattresses.
reconstructed) track leading up to the Urupa.
The linen is another problem. They are taken
If anyone knows of a boatee (or anyone else) who has this out in the cars (with a mattress sometimes)
valuable (but to them useless) stoat trap in their and never returned.
possession, let us or the Police know.
Mayron and her team are to make out an asset
Happy to discuss these and any other associated issues. list. If a booking is for, say, 100 people, we
will leave out say 110 cutlery, plates etc, and
we’ll be there to check a group in and check
John Booth and Robert Willoughby out.
The Trustees have decided that that at least
three people will take turns to check the
equipment before a hui and check after the
hui. They will also check on dishes and plates
leaving the marae. They suggest that plastic
bags be used to take home food instead of
pots, plates and dishes. These people checking
equipment in and out, will be given a koha for
each hui.

Please take this as a reminder to return

all Marae equipment now. Don’t take
from your Marae tupuna.