Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Pāora, Ōtene
?–1930
Nō Ngāti Whātua; he kaihautū, he kaikauwhau reimana Mihinare,he kaiwhakarite whenua
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e I. H. Kawharu, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1996. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
Nō te tekau tau mai i 1860, i ngā tau tōmua atu i 1870 rānei, i whānau ai a Ōtene Pāora i Rēweti, ki te taha taitonga o Awaroa (Helensville). Ko te tamaiti tāne tuatoru a ia a Pāora Kāwharu rāua ko tana wahine, ko Rāhera Uruamo, o ngā hapū o Te Taoū, o Ngā Oho me Te Uringutu o Ngāti Whātua. Nō te marama o Hānuere 1873 i iriiria ai a ia. I moe a Ōtene i a Ngāhiraka o Waimamaku, tokowhā nei ā rāua tamāhine, me te mea tāne kotahi. Ahakoa he mea nui tonu a Rēweti ki a Pāora, arā, nāna noa te whare karakia o reira i whakahou – i te takiwā o te tau 1900, i Ōrākei kē a ia e noho ake ana i te nuinga o te wā. Toru tekau noa nei tōna pakeke ka whakatūria a Pāora hei kaikauwhau reimana ki roto ki te Hāhi Mihinare. Hāunga tētahi wā poto nei i Rarotonga, i Ākarana (Auckland) kē nei a ia e minita ana. Mai i te tau 1905, i noho a ia hei taiwhakaruru pākau mō te Kura o Kuini Wikitōria mō ngā Kōtiro Māori (Queen Victoria School for Māori Girls), ā, ia tau, ia tau, he whakahaere hokohoko mahi moni tāna mahi mā te kura. Nō te tau 1911 i meatia a ia hei mema ki tētahi komiti Māori o te motu, e ngana ana ki te tautāwhi, ki te whakaū i te mana o tō rātou iwi. I te tau 1914 he kaikōrero a ia i tētahi hui whakatuwhera whare karakia hou i Ōhinemutu i roto i a Te Arawa. I taua tau anō ka tukua e ia tētahi whenua ōna, kotahi eka te rahi, hei wāhi whakatū whare karakia ki Ōrākei.
He tangata noho puku nei tōna hanga, ā, he tangata mōhio, he tangata taunga hoki ki te whai kōrero ngātahi i te reo Pākehā me te reo Māori. Riro ana nā ēnei āhuatanga me tana whai i te tika o te noho tangata, i tarea atu a ia ki roto ki te ao tōrangapū whānui tonu. Nā te mea e riro haere ana i te Karauna ngā whenua o Ngāti Whātua, i tino māharahara ai a Ōtene ki te poraka o Ōrākei i te whanga o Te Waitematā, e 700 eka te rahi. Nō Tīhema o te tau 1868 i whakawhiwhia e te Kōti Whenua Māori te taitara o te poraka nei ki a Ngāti Whātua, arā, ki ngā hapū e toru e pā katoa ana ki a Ōtene. Nō te pokapūtanga o te tekau mā waru o ngā rau tau, i kōkiritia e ngā hapū e toru te kūititanga o Tāmaki- makau-rau, ā, hinga ana i a rātou. Ko Tuperiri tō rātou rangatira. Ko te whakaaro hoki i taua wā kua oti kē i te Kōti te hanga he pānga whenua tautiaki motuhake ake mō ngā hapū. Ahakoa rā, kīhai i roa te kitenga ake kua kore kē ngā kaitiaki, whakaritea kētia ana he kaiwhaipānga kē te tikanga o te hunga 13 i whakaīngoatia rā i runga i te taitara. Nō te huringa o te rau tau, pau ai te nuinga o te wā o Pāora e whakamātau ana ki te whakahoki mai i te whakahaere o ngā rawa o Ōrākei i runga i te tika, me tana whakatūpato anō i tōna iwi ki te mate nui, me e riro ana i te takitahi te taitara ki ngā whenua Māori.
Na, i te tuatahi ka tono ia ki te Kōti Whenua Māori i te tau 1904 kia whakaurua atu ngā uri o Tuperiri i mahue mai ki waho i te taitara, i te whakataunga i te whenua mā te hunga 13 rā. Kīhai i whakaaetia tana tono. Ā, pēnei tonu ana te mutunga mai o te nuinga o ana whakamātau ki te whakahoki mai anō i te tikanga a te rawa tautiaki. Me ka kore ake i tēnei, e tika kē ana kia whakauru katoatia atu ngā uri whai pānga ki te whenua ki roto ki te taitara. Ina koa, i te marama o Noema 1911 ko ia anō e tono ana ki te kōti, ki te pīra i te mana whakahautanga o 1869. Ko tāna i kī ai, hei kanohi noa iho mō te hapū te tikanga kē o te hunga 13 rā, ā, i mahue hē hoki te korenga i whakaurua atu o ngā wāhine. Hei tāna anō, i wāhi kē o te poraka o Ōrākei e noho ake ana te nuinga o te hunga 13, ā, ahakoa te maha o te tangata i Ōrākei tonu e noho ana, he hiranga kē ake tō rātou take ki te whenua, ēngari kore ana i whakaurua atu. I te whakakoretanga i tana tono ka kī te kōti me ka whakahokia anō te take nei, ka waiho mā te Pāremata e whakarite.
Hoi anō, petihanatia ana e Ōtene Pāora te Pāremata i te tau 1912. I tana tūnga ake ki te aroaro o te Komiti o ngā Mea Māori (Native Affairs Committee) i te 10 o Hepetema, ka tohe ia me whakauru katoa mai ngā uri o Tuperiri ki roto ki te whenua. Me ka kore e whakaaetia e te kāwanatanga te petihana, he pai kē atu te hanga waka a te kāwanatanga hei uta atu māna i ngā aitanga a Tuperiri kua whenua kore, tukua ki te mata o te moana mānu ai. Ahakoa te uru atu o te hunga rangatira Māori nei ki runga ki taua komiti, arā, ko Timi Kara (James Carroll), ko Apirana Ngata, ko Taare Parata, ko Māui Pōmare, me Te Rangi Hīroa (Peter Buck), kore rawa i taea te aha.
Nō te wā tōmua o ngā tekau tau atu i 1920, te pānga o Ōtene ki te kaupapa Rātana. Nā koa i whakamātau ai a ia ki te whakatū hāhi, hāngai pū nei tōna rite ki a Rātana. Hoi anō nō muri ake i te whakatūnga o taua hāhi i Mei o 1925, arā, i kīia nei ko te Hāhi o te Matua, Tama, Wairua Tapu me ngā Ānahera Pono, riro katoa ake ana i te Hāhi Rātana.
Ahakoa te tinitini o ngā whakamātau a te Karauna ki te hoko mai i te toenga o ngā whenua i Ōrākei, i mau haere tonu te pūtohe o Ōtene. Mutu rawa ake, i tana taenga atu ki te hui uiui a Te Ātihana (Acheson) i te tau 1929, kua pau kē ōna kaha. Ina koa, kātahi anō ka tatū tōna hinengaro i te whākitanga o te mōrehu o te hunga 13, ko ia anake i te ora tonu, tērā i mōhio tonu a ia he kaitiaki kē rātou, ehara i te kaiwhiwhi whenua. Hāunga rā, kāore a Ōtene Pāora i kite i te whakatatū paitanga o te kerēme ki tāna i ngana ai. Nō te 29 o Tīhema 1930 i mate a ia ki Rēweti.
Ka whai ake nei ngā whakatipuranga o tōna ngare, o tōna hapū, mau tika tonu tā rātou ki tāna i kōkiri ai. Ka mutu, nā te kaha pūtohe ka toa. Riro ana nā ngā ture o Ōrākei o ngā tau 1978 me 1991, i whakamana te Poari Kaitiaki Māori o Ōrākei (Ōrākei Māori Trust Board) ki te whakahaere i tētahi wāhi o taua whenua. Nā tēnei whakaritenga ake i tutuki ai tāna i tohe ai, hore kau i pahure, i a ia e ora ana. Tauira ake ana tāna i ngana ai, hei tauira mō te oke whānui a te Māori kia whiwhi ai i te mana tangata.