Whārangi 1: Haurongo
Manahi, Haane Te Rauawa
1913–1986
Nō Te Arawa; nō Ngāti Raukawa, he ihu oneone, he hōia, he kāmura, he kairūri waka
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Norman Bennett, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 2000. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.
Nō te 28 o Hepetema o te tau 1913 i whānau ai a Haane Te Rauawa Manahi i Ōhinemutu i Rotorua, ko ia nei te pōtiki o ngā tama a Neti Mariana Insley rāua ko tana hoa tāne, ko Manahi Ngākahawai Te Rauawa. He kāwai Kotimana nei tō tōna whaea, ā, nō Te Arawa mai hoki ia. He pānga anō hoki tō tōna pāpā ki a Ngāti Raukawa, ā, nō Te Arawa anō hoki ia. I kuraina a Haane, arā, he mea karanga kē ia e ana hoa ko Jack, ki te kura tuarua o Rotorua (Rotorua High School). Nō te mutunga o tana kura, i uru atu ia ki roto i ngā rōpū mahi rori, mahi atu anō hoki i runga i ngā whenua Māori, he ahu whenua pāmu nei te kaupapa. I tua atu i tēnā he āwhina anō tana mahi i tana matua kēkē ki te taha o tōna pāpā, i Matiu, i tāna nei mahi papa rākau, hanga whare hoki. Nōna e taitama ana i hira ai tōna pai hei kaitākaro: he tino toa kē nei a Manahi ki te kauhoe, ā, ka rawe kē nei ki a ia ngā tākaro nei, te whutupaoro, te kaipara me te mekemeke. Tino hiahia anō hoki ia ki ngā mahi mai o waho, pēraka i te hī taraute, ā, he māhorahora noa ki a ia te mahi whakangau.
Nō muri tonu o te pakarutanga mai o te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao i uru atu ai a Manahi ki te Ope Taua 28 (Māori) o Aotearoa (28th New Zealand (Māori) Battalion), arā, ki te hokowhitu Māori. I mua i tōna haerenga ki tāwāhi, ka moea e ia a Rangiawatea Te Kiri i Rotorua i te 24 o Hānuere o te tau 1940. I ngā whenua o Kariki (Greece), o Kariti (Crete) me Āwherika ki te Raki a ia e whawhai ana. I a ia i te pakanga i Āwherika ki te Raki, i tino kitea anō ōna kaha o te tino toa, tino kaiārahi hoki.
Ko ia tētehi o te paratunu o te hokowhitu Māori, he mea whakahau nei i Āperira o te tau 1943 kia pāhoro, mau rawa i a rātau te tohu whenua nei a Takrouna, inarā, he tāmore tokatoka, tūparipari nei, tata atu ki te kotahi mano putu te teitei ake i ētehi putunga uru ōriwa i raro ake. Toru rau ngā hōia Itāriana, Tiamana hoki e puri ana i te whakatāiri nei, ā, ka kino kē hoki tā rātau aneatanga i te ope taua o te Kotahitanga e kōkirikiri atu ana. Nā te kaha o te karawhiu mai o ngā pū mōta me ngā pū paku nei i tino uaua mōrearea ai tā rātau mahi, ā, nō muri mai i te tukunga tuatahitanga i te ata o te 20 o Āperira, tekau tāngata noa te toenga ake o te paratunu a Manahi, toru tekau kē pea tō rātau nui i te tīmatanga. Kātahi ka ārahina haeretia ake e Manahi he rōpū, tokotoru nei ngā tāngata, mā te taha uru o te keokeo rā e piki atu ai. E āhei ai rātau ki te tae atu ki te wāhi nei, e rima rau putu te pikinga atu. Otirā, he tūmāhoehoe tonu atu nei te rua tekau putu ka eke atu ai. Poto noa ana te pakanga atu, whakahauraro mai ana te hoariri, e ono tekau nei tō rātau nui. Nō te taenga atu o te toenga mai o tō rātau paratunu, i mau tūturu ai te tāmore nei.
Kāti, ko te takiwā nei i a rātau ka kino kē te karawhiua mai e ngā matā waipū a te hoariri, inā kē tō rātau nui, e mau tonu mai ana i a rātau ngā tauheke o te raki me ērā o te uru, tae atu ki te kāinga anō hoki o Takrouna. I te hinganga o tōna āpiha ngārahu, riro ana i a Manahi te whakahaere o te paratunu. I mau tonu te takiwā nei i a rātau ko āna tāngata, ā, nō te pau haeretanga o ngā hāmanu me ngā ō, ko tana hokinga atu tēnā ko tana kotahi ki te papa ake o tōna ope taua, tiki putunga, tāngata anō māna. Kāore i mutu te kaha o te karawhiu mai o ngā taipara a te hoariri i a ia e haere atu ana, e hoki mai ana. Nō te ahiahi i whana whakairi ai te tinitini o te hoariri, kaupeka mai anō hoki ētehi. Ahakoa te hāngai tonu atu nei ki te pakū mai o te pohū me ngā pū itiiti, riro ana nā Manahi tonu i hautū te kōkiri atu o āna tāngata i te hoariri, ā, i te mutunga iho o tā rātau whawhai muha ā ringa atu nei, parea atu ana e rātau te hoariri. Kāore i roa i muri mai, whakahirahiraia ana te rōpū o Manahi.
Nō te ata o te 21 o Āperira i whai tūranga ake anō te hoariri, ā, ahakoa te pūhia tonutia mai o ngā motā me ngā pū mīhini, riro ana i a Manahi te whakahaere o tētehi o ngā rōpū e rua, he mea tuki, pana tonu atu nei e rātau te hoariri. I te ahiahi pō, nōna tonu te whakaaro, i haria e ia he ope iti huri atu ai mā te taha whakarua o te tohu whenua nei, ā, nā te taumauri me te manawanui, mau ana i a rātau ngā putānga pū mīhini, putānga motā hoki. He aumangea nō te kōkiri atu i pau ai te kaha o te hoariri ki te wawao tonu, ā, pāhoro ana te katoa o Takrouna, āpiti atu ki ngā mau herehere, 300 te nui, me ētehi pū kūpara rahi nei.
I te pakanga o Takrouna, tino kitea ai te kaha o te kakari, te toa takitahi o ngā hōia, ka waiho ai hei mea whakawehiwehi mai me ērā katoa o te ope matua. Nō muri i te pakanga i tūtohua ai a Manahi ki te Rīpeka Wikitōria (Victoria Cross), ēngari whakawhiwhia kētia ana a ia ki te tohu toa DCM (Distinguished Conduct Medal). Nō te marama o Hūrae i te tau 1943 i hoki mai ai a Manahi ki Aotearoa. (Taihoa ake rā, i kahurangitia a ia, inarā ka pōwhiritia nei ia e te kāwanatanga kia haere atu ki Rānana (London) mō te hīkoi whakatūtū wikitōria, ka mutu nei te pakanga).
I tana hokinga mai, i uru atu a Manahi ki tētehi wānanga kāmura, he kaupapa tautoko nei nā te kāwanatanga hei whakanohonoho hōia, i Rotorua. Nō muri mai i whiwhi mahi ia i te hōhipera o Rotorua. Taihoa ake nei uru atu a ia ki te Tari mō ngā Mahi Nunui (Ministry of Works), he kairūri waka nei te mahi.
I ngā tau o muri o te pakanga i pūmau tonu te hiahia o Manahi ki te tākaro kauhoe, ā, e hia kē nei ngā kaikauhoehoe o Rotorua, i whakakite nei i ō rātau pūkengatanga, i riro nāna i ako. He mema tūāpapa anō hoki a Manahi nō te karapu korowha o Springfield (Springfield Golf Club), tumuaki tuarua atu hoki mō te karapu whutupaoro o Waikite (Waikite Rugby Football Club), me te kaiwhakaruruhau hoki mō te karapu mō ngā tāngata hī ika o Rotomahana (Rotomahana Angler’s Club). Nō te matenga atu o tana wahine i te tau 1976, i nuku atu ai a Manahi ki Maketū i Te Moana-a-Toi-te-huatahi (Bay of Plenty). Nō te 29 o Maehe i te tau 1986 i mate aituā ai a Haane Manahi i te motokā i te rohe o Te Puke. He mea tāpuke a ia i te urupā o tōna marae i Ōhinemutu i Rotorua, ā, tokorua āna tama i mahue mai i a ia. I te tau 1999 e haere tonu ana te mahi ki te whakakapi atu i te tohu DCM o Manahi ki te tohu VC.