Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Asher, John Atirau
1892–1966
Nō Ngāti Pūkenga, nō Ngāti Pikiao; he manu-kura, he kaiwhakahaere hōtēra, he kaiwhakamārama reo, he kaiwhakaoma hōiho
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Ringakapo Tirangaro Asher-Payne, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1998. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
I whānau a Hōne (John) Atirau (Te Atirau) Asher, ko Jack anō rā tōna īngoa, i Tauranga i te 8 o Ākuhata i te tau 1892. Ko ia te tekau o ngā tamariki tekau mā tahi a Katerina Te Atirau rāua ko tana tāne, ko David Asher, he Hūrae, ā, he kaihokohoko, he whakahaere hōtēra nei āna mahi. He wahine rangatira a Katerina nō Ngāti Pikiao o Te Arawa, me Ngāti Pūkenga. He ringa taumaha nei te ringa o te pāpā o Hōne, ā, i āta whakatipua mai e ia ana tamariki i waho mai i ngā whaitua o ngā mahi a tana hōtēra. Ko te tomeina o Tauranga (Tauranga Domain), pātata tonu ki tō rātau kāinga i te tiriti o Devenport, te tino wāhi whakapārekareka o ngā tamariki tāne tokoono o te kāhui a David rāua ko Katerina. Tokorima rātau he toa ki te purei whutupaoro, me te purei rīki. Hāunga a Hōne, whai ana i ngā tapuwae o te pāpā ki ngā mahi rēhi hōiho (arā, ko David hoki te hēkeretari a ngā karapu rērehi hōiho o Te Puke me Tauranga.) Ka haere, ka haere, ka puta te ihu o Hōne me ōna hōiho omaoma, arā, ko Rohe Pōtae rāua ko Tino Ariki mō te hārapa, ko Our Amy rāua ko Our Change mō te toitoi.
E tamariki tonu ana a Hōne ka noho i tana kuia, i a Rāhera Te Kahuhiapō, ā, nāna i whakangungu ki ngā kōrero me ngā whakapapa o tōna iwi. Nō te tau 1906 pea, ka haere ki Pōneke (Wellington) ki tana tuahine, ki a Kataraina (Katherine) Te Rongokahira rāua ko tana tāne, ko Taare (Charles) Rere Parata, noho ai. Nō muri mai ka noho a Taare hei Mema Pāremata mō Te Tonga i te tau 1911. I tēnei wā pea ka mau ngā kanohi o Tūreiti Te Heuheu Tūkino V ki te tāhae nei, ki a Hōne, mea rawa ake, noho ana hei hēkeretari māna. He mema hoki a Te Heuheu nō te Kaunihera Ture (Legislative Council), ā, he tino hoa hoki rāua ko Taare Parata. Kua kite kē a Te Heuheu i ngā pūmanawa o te manukura o te tāhae nei. Whakatika atu ka heria ki tōna kāinga i Tokaanu. I reira ka kimihia e ia he wahine tōtika mā tana ākonga. Tau ana te tohu o Te Heuheu ki a Paekitawhiti Ngākuru, he puhi nō te whānau a Paurini o Ngāti Kurauia, he hapū nō Tūwharetoa i Tokaanu. Nā tēnei whakamoetanga i te 21 o Hūrae i te tau 1919 ka whai mana a Hōne Asher ki roto o Tūwharetoa. Hua ana te tamariki i a rāua, tekau mā tahi rawa, tokowhitu he wāhine, tokowhā he tāne. I whai mahi a Hōne i tana tuahine, i a Annie rāua ko tana tāne, ko Robert Jones. Nō Robert hoki te hōtēra o Tokaanu, te toa me te whare piriote. I te matenga o Robert rāua ko Annie ka riro te raihana o te hōtēra i a Hōne.
Ina koa rā he kaiwhiringa reo whai raihana, karaehe tuatahi hoki a Hōne Te Atirau, e hia hoki ngā whakahaerenga o te Kōti Whenua Māori i whai wāhi atu ia. Nā ēnei mahi ka puta tōna īngoa hei mūrau ki roto o Tūwharetoa. Ko te mea tuatahi o ngā mahi nui i oti i a ia ko tana āwhina i te whakahaere hokonga atu i te papa moana o Taupō ki te Karauna i te tau 1926. Kātahi ka kitea te kaiwhiringa taikaha ko te tangata nei ko Hōne, ā, riro ana nāna i whakahaere ngā mahi herengi a tōna iwi mō te 40 tau neke atu.
I te tau 1935, ka whakaīngoatia ia mō te tūru Pāremata o Te Hauāuru mō te Rōpū Temo (Democrat Party). Nā ōna tātai hono ki a Tainui, i pōwhiritia a ia e te kaiārahi o te Kīngitanga, e Te Puea Hērangi, ki Tūrangawaewae, ki reira noho kōkiri ai i taua tūnga. Hāunga i te mutunga atu kāore i pahure i a ia.
I a ia e noho ake ana hei kaiwhakahaere mō te komiti ā-iwi o Tokaanu (Tokaanu Tribal Committee) i te tau 1946, me te rōpū whakahaere ā-iwi o Tūwharetoa (Tūwharetoa Tribal Executive), ka noho ēnei komiti hei whakahaere i ngā kaupapa nui e pā ana ki te ahu whenua, ki te whakawhiwhi mahi, whare hoki, tae atu ki te whakapai i ngā marae me ngā whare nui. Mai i te tau 1955 ka whai wāhi ia ki te komiti tohutohu ā-rohe o Taupō (Taupō County Advisory Committee), ā, noho ana ko ia te tiamana tuatahi o te kaunihera ā-rohe o Taupō (Taupō County Council) i te tau 1962. Nō ēnei tau i toko ake ai te whakaaro ki a ia kia whakatipua he rākau paina ki ngā whenua o Tūwharetoa i te riu o Taupō. Mai i te tau 1959 ki te tau 1964 ka tū ia hei hēkeretari mā te Poari Kaitiaki o Tūwharetoa (Tūwharetoa Trust Board). Ko tāna mahi he whakatōpū i ngā whenua me ngā rawa a Ngāti Tūwharetoa. I ēnei wā anō hoki ka tukua e te whānau a Paurini he whenua hei tūnga mō te kura Māori o Kuratau i te rohe o Tokaanu, ā, hei mema anō a Hōne mō te komiti tohutohu o Tūwharetoa (Tūwharetoa Advisory Committee) mō tēnei take.
Nō te tau 1961 ka tae ia ki tētehi hui whakamārama i te Ture mō Ngā Tāone me te Tuawhenua (Town and Country Planning Act) o 1953 ki ngā Māori. Kāore noa hoki i pērā rawa te mōhio o te nuinga ki ngā whakahaere kaupapa a ngā rōpū whakahaere ā-rohe, me te āhua o aua kaupapa ki te Māori. I te tau 1964 ko Hōne tērā e totohe ana kia whakatūria hei tāone tūturu a Tūrangi, ā, ko ia tonu te tino kaikōkiri o te kaupapa ki te aroaro o ngā āpiha o te Karauna. Nō te tau o muri iho ka tū ko ia te kaiwhakahaere o te komiti takawaenga o Tūrangi (Tūrangi Liaison Committee), ēngari nā te heke haere o tōna ora, ka tuku iho i tērā tūranga. Ko tētehi o āna mahi whakamutunga mō tērā komiti he whakaīngoa i ngā tiriti o te tāone hou nei. Tokorua atu anō o taua komiti i noho ki te āwhina i a ia, ā, ko ngā īngoa katoa nō ngā hekenga o Ngāti Tūrangitukua. Kotahi tonu te īngoa ehara i reira, ko Atirau.
Noho nei, ka puta ko ia hei puna mātauranga mō ngā kōrero Māori o ngā rā o mua atu, ā, hei puna pupuri ake mō ngā kōrero o Tūwharetoa. Nāwai, nāwai rā, putu ana i a ia he tino putunga pukapuka tānga tuatahi nō Aotearoa. Ko te nuinga kei te Wharepukapuka a Alexander Turnbull i Pōneke e pupuri ana i nāianei. He kawau mārō a Hōne Te Atirau Asher nō Tūwharetoa, noho ai hei kaiarahanga i waenganui i te Māori rāua ko te Pākehā. Nō te tau 1965, ka whakawhiwhia a ia ki te tohu hōnore a te Kuini, ki te OBE, ā, nō te taenga atu o te Whaea o te Kuini ki Tūrangi i Āperira o te tau 1966, nāna i whakatau. Nō te 14 o Tīhema o taua tau ka mate ia ki Kōrohe i Tūrangi. Noho pani ana tana pouaru me ā rāua tamariki, tokoono ngā mea wāhine, tokowhā ngā mea tāne. Nō te 10 o Hune i te tau 1974 ka whai atu a Paekitawhiti i tana hoa tāne. Kei Tokaanu rāua tahi e takoto ana.