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Kōrero: Hēmi, Jack Raharuhi

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Hēmi, Jack Raharuhi

1914–1996

Nō Ngāti Kahungunu, nō Rangitāne; he kaimahi i te whare patu mīti, he tangata tākaro whutupaoro, tākaro rīki, he tangata kutikuti hipi

I tuhia tēnei haurongo e M. A. Hēmi, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1998. I whakahoutia i te o Hūrae, 2021. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.

Nō te 23 o Ākuhata o te tau 1914 i whānau ai a Tiaki (Jack) Raharuhi Hēmi ki Te Whiti-o-Tūtāwake, i kō atu i te taha rāwhiti o Whakaoriori (Masterton), ko Mākōura anō hoki tētahi o ngā īngoa o tēnei wāhi. Ko ia te mea pakeke o ngā tama e ora ana a Hineipikitia-ki-te-rangi (Piki) Reiri, o Te Whiti, rāua ko tōna hoa tāne, ko Paraikete (Blanket) Hēmi. I ahu mai tōna pāpā a Paraikete i Pāpāwai, ā, he kaimahi pāmu nei tana mahi. Nō Ngāti Kahungunu, nō Rangitāne me Ngāti Koata te whānau o Hēmi. Ko Tiaki Hēmi tētahi o ngā tamariki 13 katoa rātou i tipu mai i te wā e kaha kino kē ana te noho rawakore a te tangata. Heoi anō, āwhinatia ana a Tiaki Hēmi e ngā hoa noho, ko ētahi nei ko ngā whānau Pākehā rongonui tonu o Te Wairarapa, nā rātou ia i ako ki ngā tikanga hapori o tō rātou ao. Tāpiri atu ēnei painga ki te purotu o tōna āhua, te pakari o te tinana, me te tohunga ki ngā mahi tākaro, kātahi ai te tangata whakahoahoa, tangata mātanga ko tēnei, ko Hēmi.

He wā anō, i noho ai a Hēmi ki ngā whanaunga o tōna whaea, ā, nā rātou tonu ia i ako kia pukumahi. I tētahi pāmu e tata ana ki Kaiwaewae (Featherston) tōna wāhi mahi tuatahi. I mua i tō rātou hokinga atu ko tōna whānau ki Pāpāwai, ko ia ki te mahi i te whare patu mīti o Waiāwanga (Waingawa), he wā nei ia i Āhinekōhai (Gladstone) me Pukio e mahi ake ana. I te matenga o tōna matua i te tau 1936, ka riro nāna i tiaki tōna whaea me te tokowhā whakamutunga o ōna tēina. I tēnei wā, ka noho ko te whai mahi te tino aronga a Hēmi: i te nuinga o te wā, ko ia te manu moata e tae atu ana ki te mahi i ngā ata, ā, ko ia anō te mea mātāmuri e hoki atu ana ki te kāinga i ngā ahiahi. Tino kino ana ki a ia te mahi māngere me te kore e tōtika o te mahi a te tangata. Tū ana ia hei pūtia tohunga ki te patu kau i Waiāwanga, ā, riro ana nāna i whakarite te nui o te mahi mā ngā kaimahi o te tīni mō ia rā.

Kitea ana tēnei āhuatanga ōna i āna mahi tākaro. Nōna e tamariki tonu ana, kitea ana ōna pūmanawa mō te purei whutupaoro. E tauira tonu ana ia i te kura o Te Whiti, ka whai wāhi atu ia ki ētahi whakakitenga i te whana tū-ā-nuku, he mea tautoko e te ao kaipakihi, he whakangahau nei tōna tikanga i te hunga mātakitaki whutupaoro. Ka pakeke haere ia, ka tīmata tana purei whutupaoro mō te karapu o Āhinekōhai. Tekau mā waru tau tōna pakeke i te tau 1933, ka whakatūria ia hei whūrupēke mō te tīma matua o Te Wairarapa. I te tau 1934 ki te tau 1935, ka uru atu ia ki te tīma Māori o Aotearoa. I whai wāhi anō hoki ia ki te whakataetae whiriwhiri i te tīma o ngā All Blacks i te tau 1935. Mīharotia tonutia ana ia i ēnei tau nei mō tōna toa ki te whana tapawhā, ā, i te haerenga o te tīma Māori ki Ahitereiria i te tau 1935, whakaae ana a Hōri (George) Nēpia kia riro mā Hēmi ngā kōrā katoa e kiki. E rima putu, tekau mā tahi īnihi te tāroa o Hēmi i tēnei wā, ā, 13 tōne tōna taumaha. I tēnei haerenga o te tīma ko te tūranga topapū te tūranga tākaro o Hēmi. Nuku atu i te 60 ngā paneke katoa i riro i a ia, ā, ka rua nei hoki ngā tarai. I te kēmu whakamutunga ki te tīma o Newcastle, riro kē ana i a ia te tūnga whūrupēke o Nēpia.

I te tau 1936, ka huri a Hēmi ki te purei rīki, ā, whakauru atu ana ia ki te karapu rīki o Manukau i te tau tuatahi i tū ai te karapu nei. Mō tōna tino tohunga ki te whana tapawhā, huaina ana tōna īngoa ko 'The Idol' e te hunga mātakitaki i te papa tākaro o Carlaw. I taua tau tonu, ka whai wāhi atu ia ki te tīma rīki o Aotearoa i te whakataetae tuatahitanga ki te tīma o Peretānia. Ko Nēpia anō hoki tētahi i huri ki te purei rīki i tēnei wā, ā, whai atu anō hoki ia i a Hēmi ki te karapu o Manukau i te tau 1937. Ko rāua ngātahi i te tīma Māori o Aotearoa i hinga i a rātou te tīma o Ahitereiria e huri haere ana i taua tau. Heoi anō nā te wharatanga ōna i kore ai a Hēmi i āhei ki te uru ki ngā tēhi e rua o taua whakataetaetanga.

I te tau o muri mai, ka whai wāhi atu a Hēmi ki te tīma o Aotearoa e tawhio haere ana i Ahitereiria. I te tākaro ki te tīma o Queensland, whiti atu ana i a Hēmi tētahi kōrā ka mau kē nei te wehi, inarā tekau mā whitu iāri a ia i muri mai o te pae wehe. Nō te haerenga ki Peretānia i te tau 1939 whakamutua ana te tawhio i te pakarutanga mai o te Pakanga Tuarua. Mutu kau iho tonu atu i konā te mahi tākaro a Hēmi i ngā kēmu mō Aotearoa. Heoi anō, i te tau 1945 ka puta anō a Hēmi rāua ko tōna teina, ko Lou, ki te tākaro mō te tīma o Pōneke (Wellington), ā, ka 30 tau tōna pakeke i taua wā.

Nō te 2 o Maehe 1938 i moe ai a Tiaki Hēmi i a Mary Elizabeth Evans i Ahuriri (Napier), arā, ko Nēpia te īngoa i nāianei. E hia kē nei te nui o ngā tamariki i tipu i a rāua. I ngā tau o te pakanga i te mahi haere tonu a Hēmi. Nā te mea ko ia anake te kaiwhāngai o tōna whānau, kāore ia i whakaaetia kia haere hei hōia, noho kē mai ana ki te kāinga, kutikuti hipi, patu mīti, purei whutupaoro ai. Ia hōtoke, haere tonu ai ia ki Onehunga tākaro ai mō te karapu o Manukau. Mutu ana te tau tākaro, hoki mai ana ia ki Katatāone (Carterton) ki ngā whare kutikuti hipi, whare patu mīti rānei, mahi ai.

I a ia e pakeke haere ana, nā te mea i whakatipua ake a Hēmi i waenganui i ngā whānau Pākehā me tana mahi purei whutupaoro hoki, i roa ai a Hēmi e noho wehe ana i tōna whānau. Nā tēnei āhuatanga i taunga kē ia ki ngā tikanga o te ao Pākehā, tēnā i ngā tikanga o te ao Māori. Nōna ka pakeke, noho kē mai ana ia i waho i ngā tikanga whakahaere o te marae. Ko tāna kē i pai ai, ko te haere ki muri, mahi ai i ngā mīti. Kāore i roa i mua i tōna matenga, ka tīmata tōna tū ki te whaikōrero i tōna ake marae, ēngari kōrero kē ana ia i te reo Pākehā. Heoi anō, i ngā tekau tau e toru atu i 1950, tū mai ana ia i runga i ngā komiti whakahaere tangata, whakahaere whenua a ōna iwi. I mate a Tiaki Raharuhi Hēmi i te kāinga o tōna whānau i Katatāone i te 1 o Hune o te tau 1996. Mahue ana ko tana hoa wahine me ā rāua tamariki, tokorima ngā mea tāne, tokowhā ngā tamāhine. I tanumia ia ki Pāpāwai. Maumaharatia ana a Hēmi nā te mea he tangata aroha nui ki āna tamariki, he tangata pukumahi ki te tiaki i tōna whānau, he tohunga hoki ki te purei whutupaoro uniana, rīki hoki. He tangata pūmanawa a Hēmi ki te oma ki te kiki i te whutupaoro. Tekau mā rima tau ia e whai wāhi ana ki ngā tīma toa o Aotearoa, ā, noho tonu ana ko ia tētahi o ngā tino kaitākaro mai i Te Wairarapa.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

M. A. Hēmi. 'Hēmi, Jack Raharuhi', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1998, updated o Hūrae, 2021. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/4h26/hemi-jack-raharuhi (accessed 28 March 2024)