Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Hakiwai, Reremoana
1889–1981
Nō Rongwhakaata, nō Ngāti Porou; he wahine tunu kai, he kaihautū hapori
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Arapata Hakiwai, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 2000. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
Nō te 3 o Pēpuere i te tau 1889 i whānau ai a Reremoana Paratene i Manutūkē, e pātata atu rā ki Tūranga (Gisborne), ko ia nei te mea pōtiki o ngā tamariki, tokowhā katoa nei rātau. Ko Hera (Sarah) Ngāikiha Halbert tōna kōkā, ā, ko ōna mātua nei ko Keita Kaikiri o te hapū o Ngāti Kaipoho o Rongowhakaata, rāua ko Thomas Halbert, he kaiaru tohorā, he kaihokohoko hoki nō Ingarangi mai. Ko te matua o Reremoana ko Paratene Tatae, he tangata ahu whenua nō Ngāti Porou me Rongowhakaata mai. Ko te pāpā ake o Paratene, arā, ko Te Wārihi Pōtini (Pototī rānei) tōna īngoa, hai matua kēkē tonu ki te kaihautū rā o Rongowhakaata, ki a Te Kooti. Rangona whānuitia anō hoki te toa o te tungāne o Reremoana, arā, o Moana, mō ngā mahi tākaro i Te Tai Rāwhiti.
I a ia e kōhungahunga tonu ana ka riro a ia hai tamaiti whāngai mā Tāmati Pēwhairangi, ā, whakatipua ake ana i te kokoru i Tokomaru. I reira ka akona ake e ia ngā tikanga a tōna iwi, ki te tiaki i ngā manuhiri, ki te taka me te tunu kai, me te raranga anō hoki. Tohutohungia ana hoki a ia ki ngā tikanga me ngā uara tuku iho o ōna pakeke. Nō te tau 1905 i tonoa atu a ia ki te kura mō ngā kōtiro Māori i Hukarere (Hukarere Native Girls’ School) i Ahuriri (Napier), tekau mā whā nei tōna pakeke. He mea whakamīharo rawa atu ki a Reremoana te pepeha o te kura nei o Hukarere, arā, ‘Kia ū ki te pai’, ā, ā pau noa ōna rā e matatū ana kia mau tonu i a ia taua tikanga rā. Nōna ka taipakeke ake, i mau haere tonu tana whakamīharo me tana whakaute ki te kura o Hukarere; i tōna kāinga tonu e manaaki tonu ana a Reremoana i ngā kōtiro o Hukarere, me tana āwhina anō hoki i te kura. I haere ki reira kura ai ngā tamāhine a Reremoana, a Ngāikiha rāua ko Ruruhira. I te tau 1975, i te hui rau tau o te kura, ko ia tonu nei tētahi o ngā tauira taikuia e ora tonu ana i taua hui, ā, nāwai rā tohua ana a ia hai kairangi mō te kotahitanga o ngā tamāhine o mua o Hukarere (Hukarere Old Girls’ Association). Ko tētahi mea nui ki a Reremoana ko te Kāreti o Te Aute, ko tōna rongo hai wāhi kura mō ngā kaihautū Māori te take, me ngā hononga anō hoki o te kura nei ki Hukarere. Ka haere tana tama, a Te Aranga (Ara rānei) ki reira kura ai, tae atu ki te maha o ana mokopuna, mokopuna tuarua rānei.
Nō te mutunga o tana kura i hoki atu ai a Reremoana ki Manutūkē, ā, kāore noa i roa te whakarite ake a ōna pakeke i tētahi tāne māna. Ko tā rātau ko te tangata nei ko Mare Nepe Apatū, he kaipūkaha, ka tama ai ki a Nepe Te Apatū rāua ko Amīria Te Tākou (nō te whānau Rōpiha) o Waipāwa, ngātahi mai rāua nō ngā whānau whakahira nei e rua o te takiwā kāinga o Ngāti Marau, o Ngāti Parakiore, o Ngāti Rangitotohu me Ngāti Kere. Nō te 24 o Hune i te tau 1913 i mārenatia ai a Reremoana rāua ko Mare Nepe Apatū i Manutūkē. Taetae ake ana ngā whānau o Te Matau-a-Māui (Hawkes Bay), o Tūranga me Te Tai Rāwhiti ki te whakanui i tō rāua mārenatanga. Ko te kāinga o ngā tokorua nei ko te whenua kāinga tonu nei o Nepe Apatū mā, i te taha tonu o te pā, ko Te Tapairu rā te īngoa. Tokotoru wā rāua tamariki.
I te wā o te Pakanga Tuatahi o te Ao, mai i tō rātau pā, huri haere atu ai a Reremoana i te takiwā o tōna rohe ki te whakahaere i ngā mahi whakangahau, kohi moni mā ngā hōia. He mea whakangahau anō hoki e ia ngā hōia o te wāhi whakamāuitanga o Pukeora i Waipukurau, me tana noho ake anō hoki i runga i te komiti o te Rīpeka Whero (Red Cross).
E whitu tau noa tana mārenatanga, ka mate nei a Mare Nepe i te 1 o Noema o te tau 1920, toru tekau mā rua tana pakeke. Noho ake ana ko āna tamāhine, ko tana tama me tana mahi i Waipāwa hai manawa ake mō Reremoana. Heoi anō, i mate tana tama koi pūhou iho ana. I mau tonu tana noho i te taha o tana hungarei manaaki nui i a ia, i a Amīria. E noho mahi tunu kai ana ia mā tētahi rōpū kutikuti hipi, tata atu ki te whā tekau pea ngā tāngata hai whāngai māna, ko te nuinga rā he Māori, ko ētahi rā i hari tonu mai i ā rātau wāhine me ā rātau tamariki. Nā ngā Māori kutikuti hipi tonu ngā kūmara me ngā rīwai hai whāngai i a rātau, ā, nā ngā rangatira o ngā teihana ngā mīti. Kāti, i te nuinga o te wā mā runga kiki e kumea nei e te hōiho a Reremoana haere atu ai ki ngā whare kutikuti hipi, hari atu ai hoki i ērā o te rōpū kutikuti nāna nei i kohikohi haere mai. Ahakoa te roa me te taumaha hoki o te mahi, pipiri ana te rōpū kutikuti nei. Tauhoatia ake anō hoki e Reremoana ngā rangatira o ngā pāmu me ō rātau whānau, me te hunga tarāwara. I te wā o te korekore he whakatipu manga tonu tana mahi, ā, me e wātea mai ana he mahi ka mahia e ia. Ahakoa he Mihingare pono kaha nei ia, he nui tonu ana haerenga atu rātau ko te whānau o Amīria mā ki ngā hākari a te Hāhi Rātana, ka tū nei i te marama o Hānuere o ia tau.
Pārekareka ana ki a Reremoana ngā mahi tākaro. E hia tau kē nei ia e purei hōkī ana, ā, e haerea ana e ia ngā whakataetae o Te Matau-a-Māui, i whakahaere tonutia rā i te nuinga o te wā i ngā marae o Waipatu, o Mōteo, o Korongatā (Bridge Pā), o Te Hauke me Ōmāhu. He wahine purei korowha anō a Reremoana, ā, tūtaki ana rāua ko tana tāne tuarua i te papa tākaro.
Nō te 2 o Āperira i te tau 1934, i te whare nui, i a Kahukuranui i te marae o Ōmāhu, ka moe nei a Reremoana Apatū i a Pene Rungaahi Te Uamairangi Hakiwai, he minita Mihingare pouaru nei nō Ōmāhu i Puketapu (Fernhill). I te taha ki tōna pāpa, nō Ngāi Te Ūpokoiri, nō Ngāti Hinemanu me Ngāti Hinepare a Pene Hakiwai, ā, ki te taha hoki ki tōna whaea nō Ngāti Porou ia. Nō te tau 1917 i karangahia atu ai a Hakiwai ki te āwhina i te Rōpū Māori (Paionia) o Niu Tīreni (New Zealand Māori (Pioneer) Battalion), ā, i tōna hokinga mai ki te kāinga ka whakatūria a ia hai minita mō te rohe hāhi Māori o Mōteo me Waipatu. He haereere tonu te mahi a Reremoana i te taha o Pene, he āwhina nei tāna i te maha o ngā whakahaere me ngā hui a te hāhi. Pū ana te hinapōuri, kotahi tau noa i muri mai ka mate nei a Pene, arā, nō te 27 o Oketopa o te tau 1935 i hinga ai, mahue ake ana hoki he tama ake mā Reremoana hei whakatipu. I te wā o te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao, e mahi ake ana a Reremoana i ngā pō i te kamupene kēna, kamupene taunaha tāpui o J. Wattie (J. Wattie Canning Limited) i te tāone o Heretaunga (Hastings), ā, i ngā awatea, mahi ake ana i ngā pātiki.
Noho tonu ana ko te aroha o Reremoana ki te tangata, tae atu ki tana kaha ki te tiaki me te whakaako i tana whānau, te pūtake mai o tana mana. Pau noa ōna rā e mahi ana mā tana hapori. I te tau 1929 he mema tūāpapa nei ia nō te wānanga wāhine o Te Awapuni (Māori Women’s Institute), ko tēnei anake te rōpū wāhine pēneki i Te Matau-a-Māui. Atu i te tau 1947 he mema a ia nō te wāhanga wāhine o te rōpū tūhonohono o ngā tāngata ahu whenua o Aotearoa (Women’s Division, Federated Farmers of New Zealand) i Puketapu. He kaihautū, mema pūmau anō hoki a ia nō te Rōpū Wāhine Toko i te Ora (Māori Women’s Welfare League) i te tau 1951, ko ia anō hoki tētahi o ngā mema tuatahi o te Kaupapa Mātauranga mō te Iwi Māori (Māori Education Foundation) i te tau 1960. Ko te paraihe whakamaumaharatanga ki a ia (Reremoana Hakiwai Memorial Trophy) te paraihe e tāpaehia atu ana ia tau ki te toa o te hui whakamātautau whaikōrero Māori o Ikaroa a te Rōpū Wāhine Toko i te Ora.
Kāore noa he māharahara ki a Reremoana o te taka haere nei ki waenganui i te ao Māori me te ao Pākehā, tūtaki ai ki te tangata, āwhina ai i te hunga pōhara, ā, pūmau nei ana whakahoanga piringa tangata, piringa rōpū. He wahine ohaoha, tino manaaki tangata nei a Reremoana, ā, kāore he kōrero mō ōna kaha he mea hoatu noa e ia. Hei kāinga tonu nei tōna kāinga i Ōmāhu ki te maha o te tangata; he tikanga tonu tēnei nā te Māori, he mea whakahīhī rawa atu nei ki a ia. Noho ake ana ko ‘Aunty Rere’ te īngoa karanga aroha o te tangata mōna, ā, i ngā tau o muri mai, karangahia ana a ia ko te ‘nanny’ o te pā o Ōmāhu, e kitekitea atu ana a ia e pōwhiri, e whakangahau ana i ana manuhiri. I te hui o te rā whakanui i tana ekenga ki te iwa tekau tau i te marae o Ōmāhu, e hia rau kē ngā tāngata i puta ake. Nō te 8 o Maehe i te tau 1981 i mate ai a Reremoana Hakiwai i Heretaunga, iwa tekau mā rua tōna pakeke. He mea tāpuke ia ki te urupā o Ōmāhu i Puketapu. Hui katoa te nui o ngā tāngata, 1,600 pea rātau i tae ake ki tana tangihanga, ki te whakanui i a ia.