Dictionary of New Zealand Bography logo

Kōrero: Ashton, Joey Mātenga

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Ashton, Joey Mātenga

1907–1993

Nō Ngā Moriori, nō Ngāti Māmoe, nō Ngāti Kahungunu; he kaimahi rerewē, he tangata hākinakina, he kaiārahi pēne kanikani

I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Carole Ashton, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 2000. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.

Nō te 3 o Hune o te tau 1907 i whānau ai a Joey Mātenga Āhitana (Ashton), he mea karanga anō hoki a ia ko Hōhepa (Joseph), ki Hūpēnui (Greytown) ki Te Wairarapa. Ko ia anake te tamaiti a Kiti Karaka Rīwai (Rēwai) rāua ko tana tāne, ko te kaimahi nei ko Te Ao Āhitana Mātenga (Joseph Ashton). I whānau a Kiti ki te motu o Ruapuke i Te Ara-a-Kiwa (Foveaux Strait). He Pākehā, he Moriori, he Māori nei ōna kāwai, ā, ko Ngāti Māmoe me Ngāti Hinetewai ōna iwi Māori. Kia kore ai e ngaro noa te iwi Moriori te take i taumautia ai ia i tana mārena tuatahi ki a Rīwai (Rēwai) Te Rōpiha o Wharekauri, arā, ko Rēkohu ki te reo Moriori (Chatham Islands). Tokoiwa ā rāua tamariki. Nō te tau 1906 i moea e ia a Te Ao, ko te tama rā tēneki a Āhitana (Manaia) Mātenga o Ngāti Kahungunu, ā, e hia kē nei ōna hapū, ko Ngāti Kahukura-awhitia me Ngāi Tuawhai nei ētahi. Nō mua atu anō hoki te moe wahinetanga a Te Ao, ā, tokorua nei hoki āna tamariki, hei tuākana, tuāhine rānei ki a Joey. Ahakoa tana mōhio ki tōna kāwai Moriori, me ērā ōna tekau mā tahi rā, kāore ia i tūtaki ki te nuinga o rātou; i whakahauhau kētia ia e ōna mātua kia mau tonu tōna whakaaro he Māori kē ia.

I kuraina a Joey ki te kura o Kahutara; i miraka rawa hoki ia i ngā kau i te ata, kātahi ka wehe atu mā raro ki te kura, e rima māero te tawhiti. Pērā anō tana mahi i te mutunga o te kura ka hoki mai nei ia ki te kāinga. Nō muri i haere ia ki te kura i Hūpēnui, ā, nō muri ki te Kāreti o Te Aute i Te Matau-a-Māui (Hawke’s Bay) mō te tau kotahi. I whakatupua mai a Te Āhitana i roto i te Hāhi Mihinare, ā, nō te 4 o Mei i te tau 1924 tana whakapānga. Ahakoa kua oti kē te whakarite he wahine māna, whai kē ana ia i tāna anō, ka moea nei e ia a Inez Sarah Blunden i Hūpēnui i te 25 o Mei i te tau 1929. Pihi ana i a rāua te pā harakeke; tokowhā ngā tama, tokorua ngā tamāhine.

I ngā tau tōmua o tō rāua mārenatanga, nā tana mahi kutikuti hipi i Te Wairarapa me Manawatū, roa kē nei ia e ngaro atu ana i te kāinga. Ēngari i te whānautanga o te mea mātāmuri o ā rāua tamariki, ko tana meatanga tēnā ki te haere ki te mahi mā te rerewhenua o Aotearoa (New Zealand Railways). Kia whiwhi ai ia i tana tiwhikete matatau, nō ngā tau 1936 ki 1937 i haere ia ki te kura o Tokorangi i te rohe o Kākāriki. Nō ngā tau 1937 me 1938 i puta anō hoki ia i ana whakamātautau mō te Kāhui o Hoani (St John Ambulance Association), ā, e ruarua nei ngā tau e tūmau tūao mai ana ia i ngā waka tūroro o te rohe o Tūtaenui (Marton).

I tīmata ake te mahi a Te Āhitana mō te rerewhenua o Aotearoa i te tau 1937, he kaitiaki nei tana mahi i te ara rerewē. Ka tae atu ki te tau 1944, ka whakauru atu ia ki te taha hari tangata, hari taonga, he kaiamo nei tana mahi. I riro anō hoki i a ia te tūnga o te kaiwhakanuku tereina i te tau 1951, tērā o te kaiwaitohu i te tau 1954, me tērā o te tautiaki tereina i te tau 1961. He maha ana whakanekenga atu, arā, ki Aorangi (Feilding), ki Raurimu, ki Stratford, ki Pōneke (Wellington), ki Putaāruru (Putāruru), ā, ka whakahokia mai nei hoki ia ki Pōneke i te tau 1954. Taka rawa mai ki te tau 1958 kua noho kē te whānau ki Te Taitai (Taita). I ngā tau whakamutunga o te tekau tau atu i 1960 he kaitautiaki anō tāna mahi i runga i te mea tuatahi ake o te kārerewē nei, o te Blue Streak. Nō muri i tōna whakatānga mai i tana mahi rerewē i te tau 1972, ka tīmata tana mahi tautiaki mō te kamupene Armoured Freightways. I te wā i tuwhera ai te tari pouaka whakaata i Avalon i te tau 1975, ka riro i a Te Āhitana te mahi ārahi tūruhi, ka mutu he mahi hamanga noa.

Ka hia tau kē nei i ngākaunui tonu ai a Te Āhitana ki ngā mahi tākaro. He tangata tino rawe ia ki te purei whutupaoro, tere kē nei ia ki te oma me tana toa hoki ki te pupuri tonu i te paoro ki ōna ringa rahi. He maha ngā tau e noho ana ia hei kaiwhiriwhiri mō te tīma o te rerewhenua o Aotearoa. Ko tētahi mahi hari ki tōna ngākau anō ko te tākaro pīrori. Ko ia anō hoki tētahi o te tīma o Stratford, tokowhā nei rātou, i toa nei i te whakataetae a te motu i Ōtepoti (Dunedin) i te tau 1952. I uru anō hoki a ia ki te tīma o te rerewhenua o Aotearoa i whakawhiti atu rā ki Adelaide i te tau 1960. He ruarua nei ngā karapu tāwhai pīrori he mea whakatū haere e Te Āhitana ki ētahi takiwā nei, tae atu hoki ki tērā i Kirikiriroa (Hamilton). Tū ana hoki i a ia he whakataetae ā-tau mō ngā Māori o reira mai.

He tangata tau kē nei a Te Āhitana ki te patu piana, ā, i wātea rawa hoki ia ki te whakahaere ake i tētahi pēne kanikani āna. I ngā tau tōmua o tana pēne, mā runga hōiho kē ia haere atu ai ki ngā hōro o Te Wairarapa, o Tūtaenui me Aorangi. I ētahi wā haria mai ai e ia tana wahine a Inez, i runga tahi rāua i tana hōiho, ko Inez i muri i a ia. I mau haere tonu tana mahi patu piana, eke noa ki te waru tekau pea ōna tau, ēngari nā te pōturi ka mutu. Nōna ka taipakeke, he pai ki a ia te mahi hāereere haere; he roa tonu nei ia e noho ana i te kāinga o tana tamāhine i Rānana (London), ā, ka peka atu nei ia ki Koterana me Wēra. Nō Hānuere o te tau 1985 i mate ai tana wahine a Inez Āhitana.

Nō ōna tau whakamutumutu i ngana ai a Te Āhitana ki te hoki ki te tirotiro anō i ōna pūtake Moriori me ērā hoki o tana taha Māori. Inarā i tino mahue tonu nei i a ia ēnei kāwai tuku iho ōna, ēngari i te matenga o tana wahine ka whakahauhautia e ia āna tamariki ki te haere ki ngā hui whenua Māori me te kimi mai hoki i tana whakapapa. Ka kitea e rātou he maha tonu nei ngā momo whakahuahua i te īngoa o tō rātou pāpā i ngā tuhituhinga kāwanatanga o mua – e noho ake ana ko Te Kairāhui Mātenga, ko Te Kairāhui Ashton, ko Mātenga Kairāhui Te Ao, ko Mātenga Te Ao Āhitana kē rānei.

Kāti rā, pau ana i a Te Āhitana me tōna whānau a Aotearoa te haere ki te whakapā haere ki ērā o ō rātou whanaunga. Oho ake ana ia i te aranga ake anō o te hunga Moriori i Wharekauri i te tekau tau atu i 1990. I te putanga ake o te pukapuka nei a Michael King, o Moriori i te tau 1989 , ka nui kē nei hoki tō rātou ohonga ake i te kitenga atu i te whakaahua o tōna māmā e mau mai ana. I haere tonu te mahi rangahau a tōna whānau tae noa ki te wā i nuku atu i te ono rau ngā īngoa o ngā whanaunga o Ngāi Tahu, o Ngāti Māmoe, o ngā Moriori i mau i a rātou. Nō te tau 1992 tō rāua tūtakitanga ko te kaihautū Moriori rā, ko Māui Horomona (Solomon), e mahi mai nei i Pōneke. Nō muri he pekapeka tonu atu te mahi a Māui ki te kite i a Te Āhitana, tuku kōrero atu ai mō te āhua o ērā o tōna whānau e noho mai rā i Wharekauri.

Nā te pānga ōna e te mate pukupuku i te tau 1991 i kore ai ia i kaha ki te haere atu ki Wharekauri, ēngari i taetae tonu ake ērā o ōna whanaunga, ki te hono anō i ngā hononga. Nō te 8 o Noema i te tau 1993 i mate ai a Joey Āhitana i te kāinga o tana tama i Porirua; mahue ake ana ko āna tama tokotoru me āna tamāhine tokorua. He mea tāpuke ana pungarehu ki te urupā o Te Taitai.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Carole Ashton. 'Ashton, Joey Mātenga', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 2000. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/5a21/ashton-joey-matenga (accessed 28 March 2024)