Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Te Whāiti, Teoti Kerei Te Hioirangi
1890–1964
Nō Ngāti Kahungunu; he kaihautū, he tangata ahu whenua, he kaiārahi hapori
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Ra Te Whaiti rāua ko S. M. Chrisp, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1998. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
E ai ki ngā kōrero a ōna uri, i whānau a Teoti Kerei Te Hīoirangi Te Whāiti i te tau 1890 i Pirinoa i Te Wairarapa. Ko ia te tama tuatoru o ngā tamariki tekau mā toru a Irāia Te Ama-o-te-rangi Te Whāiti o Ngāti Kahungunu, rāua ko tana wahine ko Kaihau Te Rangikakapi Maikara Āporo. He kaiārahi nō tōna iwi a Te Ama-o-te-rangi, he kaiahu whenua, he pātaka kōrero, ā, ko tana wahine ko Kaihau he wahine whai mana ki roto o Ngāti Kahungunu. I tipu ake a Teoti – ko George tōna īngoa kārangaranga – ki te riu o Whakatomotomo, te rohe papatipu o Ngāti Ngāpū-o-te-rangi, te hapū o tōna pāpā. I akona ia ki te kura o Pirinoa, i muri iho ki te Kura Māori o Tūranganui, ka oti atu ki te Kāreti o Hikurangi i Taratahi (Clareville). Nō tēnei wā pea, ka pāngia ia e te mate taipō piwa, ka mā katoa nei ōna makawe, ā, tapaina ana ko Te Huru, he īngoa whakatoi. Nō te mutunga o te kura, ka noho ia i te whānau o Hūtana i Waipukurau mō tētahi wā, kātahi anō ka hoki ki te tonga o Te Wairarapa patu rāpeti ai.
Nō te tau 1912 i moea e ia tana wahine o Ngāti Kahungunu me Te Āti Awa, a Meri Raita Ēnoka. I tipu tahi ake rāua i te kōhanga kotahi, ā, i haere tahi rāua ki te kura i Pirinoa, ā, i muri i Tūranganui. I muri i tō rāua moenga, ka taki noho i te teihana o Whakatomotomo, e whai pānga tonu nei te whānau o Te Whāiti ki taua whenua rā. Noho ana ko Teoti hei mēnetia mō taua pāmu. Ka puta tokorua ā rāua tamariki, ēngari kotahi i mate kōhungahunga.
Nā tēnei aituā, me te koraratanga o te whānau ki ētahi atu rohe, tau ana te mauri kōrero o tōna whānau me tōna hapū ki a Teoti, ahakoa kāore anō kia whakangaua ki te paepae. Nō muri rawa o te Pakanga Tuatahi ka akona ia e tōna whaea rāua ko tōna tungāne, ko Teoti Āporo, ki te tātai whakapapa, ki te whaikōrero, me ērā atu mahi a te rangatira. Taka noa ki te wāhanga pokapū o te tekau tau atu i 1930 i hua ai ngā kai i whakatōngia ki roto i a ia, puta whānui ana tōna rongo huri noa i Te Wairarapa. Ka noho ia ki te āwhina i ngā whakatikatika o Pāpāwai, i mua rā ko te kāinga o te Pāremata Māori, ki te rapu āwhina i te Kōti Whenua Māori me te Tari Māori hei whakapai ake i tēnei pā whakaharahara nō onamata rā anō hoki. Atu i te tau 1928 ki te tau 1945 i runga ia i te Kaunihera o Rongokako (Rongokako Māori Council), te rōpū whakanekeneke i ngā kaupapa Māori o Te Wairarapa me te tonga o Te Matau-a-Māui (Hawke's Bay).
Ko ngā mahi nui i mahia ai e Teoti ko te whakahaere i ngā poari kaitiaki whenua Māori me ngā kaporeihana o Pāpāwai–Kaikōkirikiri, o Mangakino me te teihana o Tākitimu. Nā tōna mōhio ki te mahi pāmu i ora ai, ina hoki i te Kaporeihana o Mangakino noa iho, e 30,000 eka kē tā rātou hei whakahaere i roto o Waikato, i tua atu i te whakahaere i ngā rawa ā-iwi e hia miriona pāuna kē te wāriu. Ko ia hoki te hēkeretari o te poraka o Pouākani i Mangakino i te whakapaunga o te tekau tau atu i 1940, ā, nō muri iho ka noho ko ia te tiamana atu i te tekau tau atu i 1950 ki te tīmatanga o te tekau tau atu i 1960.
I te wā o te Pakanga Tuarua, ko Teoti te āpiha taritari o tōna rohe me te kaiwhakahaere o te ope tautiaki i te haukāinga, ki te whakahaere i ngā rākau o te riri, i ngā kariri, i ngā waka me ngā takatū matataua o te tai moana. Ka hipa nei te pakanga, tū mai ana ia hei tino mema mō te komiti ā-iwi o Pirinoa (Pirinoa Tribal Committee) i hangaia i muri iho i te whakahounga o ngā kaupapa tōrangapū Māori. I Āperira o te tau 1951, nāna i whakakīkī ngā uri o tōna koroua ūkaipō, o Hōhepa Āporo, i riro mai ai i a ia te hāwhe eka mō te Rāhui Māori o Ōkōura. Koinei te wāhi i tū ai te marae o Kohunui, i pū ai i reira te komiti ā-iwi o Pirinoa. Ko Teoti rāua ko Meri ngā kaiwhakanekeneke i ngā mahi a tērā marae, ā, nā Teoti hoki i whakahaere te whakatūnga o te whare nui ki taua whenua rāhui. I te tau 1953, ka whakaoreorehia e ia he petihana ki te Pāremata, e tohe ana kia tāwharautia ngā tauranga ika o Ngāti Kahungunu i te tai moana i waho atu o Te Wairarapa.
E hia tau nei ia e noho mema ana mō te Rōpū Nāhinara o Niu Tīreni, e tautoko ana i ngā mahi ā-rohe a taua rōpū. Tū ana hoki ia hei mema mō te puni whakahaere o taua rōpū i te tau 1960. He kaitautoko nui ia nō te Hāhi Mihinare, ko ia te kaiwhakahaere i te pāmu a te Hāhi 400 eka te nui i Pāpāwai. Nāna hoki i āwhina te whakatūnga o tētahi minitatanga Māori ki Te Wairarapa. He wātene anō ia nō te Hāhi, he kaikauhau reimana, he mema hoki nō te komiti whānui e whakahaere ana i te mīhana Māori o te Hāhi Mihinare.
I ēnei tau katoa, e whakahaere tonu ana a Teoti i te whenua o te whānau. Ko ia tonu te tangata tiaki i ō rātou pānga i Te Wairarapa, i Kaikōura, i Taranaki, i hea ake, i hea ake; ko ia hoki te kaitiaki o tō rātou urupā i Rānana. I Te Kārearea, i te tāone o Hūpēnui (Greytown) tō rāua kāinga ko Meri, he kāinga tuku iho. I mau tonu tā rāua mahi ki te whāngai i tēnei mea i te tamariki, pērā tonu i te whaea o Teoti i ōna rā. Nā tōna uru ki ngā mahi whakahaere o Hūpēnui, pērā i te Karapu Korowha o Hūpēnui (Greytown Golf Club), i te Karapu Raiwhara o Pāpāwai (Pāpāwai Rifle Club), i te Rōpū Raiwhara o Te Wairarapa (Wairarapa Rifle Club) – ko ia te tumuaki tuarua – me ngā Meihana o te rohe, ka noho ia hei tino kūaka mārangaranga ki tērā tāone.
He kaihautū ā-iwi i puta hoki tōna rongo ki tōna rohe, me i kore ake tana wahine a Meri hei tokotoko mō āna mahi katoa, kāre pea e pahure i a ia. Ki te Māori, ka tika tonu kia mate tahi rāua i te wā kotahi, ko Teoti nō te 25 o Noema, e rua rā i muri mai ko Meri, i te 27 o Noema i te tau 1964, i Hūpēnui. Ka mahue iho ko tā rāua tama ko Irāia. Tēnā uhunga nui tēnā i te marae o Kohunui, ā, kei Rānana e takoto ana.