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Stirling, Wharetutu Te Aroha

by Tipene O'Regan

Biography

Hei tamāhine a Wharetutu Te Aroha Solomon Score mā Miriama Te Ahi Pūhia Pītini-Morēra (Beaton-Morel) rāua ko tana tāne, ko Rangi Wāwāhia Solomon Score. I whānau ia ki Te Whakaraupō (Lyttelton) i te 28 o Hānuere i te tau 1924. Ahakoa he uri a Wharetutu nō ngā kāwai ariki o Ngāi Tahu (Kāi Tahu rānei), ko wai ka mōhio tērā te wā e hau mārika ai tōna mana i runga i ngā mahi meāke nei a tōna iwi. I Koukourarata (Port Levy) ana pakeke e noho ana, arā, he nohanga kāinga nei kei Horomaka, Hakaroa rānei (Banks Peninsula) nō tētahi hunga hī ika, hunga mahi pāmu itiiti noa nei, ā, otirā he hī ika nei te mahi a tōna pāpā. Nō taihoa ake i hoki whakamuri ai ōna mahara, kāore he pānga nui mai o te wā o te korekore ki a rātou i te mea he pōhara kē rātou.

Hei mokopuna a Wharetutu mā te wahine whakamataku rā, mā Hāriata Pītini-Morēra nō tērā karangatanga o Ngāti Kurī o Kaikōura, rāua ko tana tāne, ko Hoani. Ko tana pōua ki te taha ki tana matua tāne ko Āperahama Solomon Score, arā, he uri mai i tērā whānau whai mana, i ngā Horomona (Solomon) o Horomaka. Kia pai ai te tiaki a tana whaea i a Hoani e māuiui ana, ka neke atu nei rātou ko ana pakeke ki Oaro, e pātata atu rā ki Kaikōura. Heoi anō, nō te tau 1929 i mate ai a Hoani. Nōna e noho ana i konei, ka taka tūturu mai ia ki raro i te awe o te mana o te wahine tapairu rā, o Hāriata. He tāua mōhio tēnei, he kaha nei tōna rite ki tana tāne, inarā, he kōpapa tonu atu nei ia mō ngā kōrero ā-iwi, ā, nāna hoki i whakapau ōna kaha ki te whāngai atu i ōna mōhiotanga ki tana mokopuna.

He kāinga huinga ake tōna kāinga i Oaro mō ngā tira haere o Ngāi Tahu, he kāinga hoki hei wāhi kauwhau i ngā take a te iwi, i ngā whakapapa me ngā kōrero o nehe rā. He nui ngā kōrero mō te pakanga e pā ana ki te kerēme a Ngāi Tahu, taihoa ake nei ia whakaawetia ai e te take nei. He whai mana tonu tōna pāpā a Rangi Solomon i roto i ngā take ā-iwi me ngā take anō o te rohe pōti Māori o Te Tai Tonga. Nō muri i te matenga atu o Hāriata i te tau 1938 me te ekenga atu o tōna pāpā ki te tūranga kaiārahi o te rohe ā-iwi, i mau haere tonu ai te pānga atu o te whānau ki ngā mahi mā te kerēme. Nō te tau 1946 i uru ia hei mema mō te Poari Kaitiaki o Ngāi Tahu (Ngāitahu Trust Board), ā, tae atu hoki ki te wā ka eke nei ia hei tiamana kaitiriwā i te tau 1958, i mau tonu taua tūranga ā mate noa i te tau 1977.

Nō te 25 o Hepetema o te tau 1943, i Kaikōura, i moe a Wharetutu i a Alexander William Reid, he kaimahi nō Ngāti Porou; kotahi nei tō rāua uri, he wahine. Nō te tau i muri mai i aituā ia i te motokā, ā, nō te 31 o Hānuere o te tau 1953, i Oaro, ka moe anō a Wharetutu i a Poutū Te Rangi (John) Stirling nō Ngāi Tahu me Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, he tangata mahi piriti nei tana mahi; whānau ake ana ā rāua tama tokowhā. Nā te itiiti ake o ngā raru e pā ana ki tōna whānau, ka tīmata nei ia ki te puāwai ake hei kaiārahi mō Ngāi Tahu, arā, i a Ngāi Tahu i kō atu rā i Kaikōura.

Pērā anō i tana tāua te hou atu nei o Wharetutu Stirling ki roto i ngā mahi whakauka, whai ake nei hoki i ngā mahi tonu a te Pouhere Taonga (New Zealand Historic Places Trust); toa ana ia i tana whakamataaratanga kia tiakina ngā wāhi puri mahara tūturu, me te whakaora ake anō i ngā īngoa tuku iho o Te Wairau (Marlborough) me Ngā Pākihi-whakatekateka-a-Waitaha ki te raki (Northern Canterbury). I eke anō hoki ia ki runga i te poari tiaki pāka, tiaki rāhui o te motu o Waitaha ki te raki (Northern Canterbury National Parks and Reserves Board) i te tekau tau atu i 1980. Ko ia hoki tētahi i tino ngana tonu nei ki te whakaora mai i ngā mahi toi tuku iho a Ngāi Tahu, ā, nā runga i aua mahi rā, i piri ai rātou ko Cliff Whiting, te tohunga pūkenga Māori, me te wahine raranga rā, me Te Aue Davis. Ehara kau a Wharetutu i te wahine i tino mahi i ngā mahi toi, ēngari ko tāna kē he noho kaiwhakaruruhau mō te whakaaranga ake nei i aua mahi. Kāti koa, nā tōna kaha mātauranga ki ngā ture me ngā tikanga tawhito, i tino hāngai, i tino whai mana ai taua kaupapa rā. Ko tōna wairua auaha ake he mea whakapau kē e ia ki te hanga ake i te marae o Takahanga i Kaikōura, ko ia nei te puna ake o ngā tikanga e kitea atu ana i ngā hoahoa hou kē nei o te whare nui.

I ngā tau tōmua o te tekau tau atu i 1980, i te wā e kaha pū ana te kerēme i roto o Ngāi Tahu, i tino kitea ake a Wharetutu, he haere kaumātua, kaiwhakaatu nei tana haere, arā, tata tae atu ia ki ngā hui katoa a te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi (Waitangi Tribunal) me ērā atu anō hoki o ngā hui e pā iho ana ki te kerēme. Tērā atu anō ētahi kerēme āpiti e pā ana ki te takutai moana o Kaikōura i whai wāhi atu anō hoki ia, inarā, nā tana tāua tonu, nā Hāriata ētahi o aua kerēme i kōkiri. He kaingākau nōna he mahi whakaheke te mahi nei, i papahueke ai tana aru atu. Ahakoa i te ora tonu ia, ina puta nei te rīpoata matua a te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi mō Ngāi Tahu ( Ngāi Tahu report ) i te tau 1991, kua mate kē ia kātahi anō ka puta ake te rīpoata mō ngā kerēme āpiti i te tau 1995.

Pūmau ana, pono ana ia ki te Hāhi Katorika; he mea whakaaro ā-whaea e ia ngā pirihi ake o te mīhana Māori o te rohe o Kaikōura. Nō te tau 1986, ko ia tētahi o te rōpū Māori i haere nei ki Rōma (Rome) ki te inoi atu kia whakatūria he pīhopa Katorika Māori. I te taenga ake o te Pōpa, o Hoani Pāora Te Tuarua (John Paul II) ki Aotearoa i taua tau anō, ka riro nā Wharetutu i tāpae atu ki a ia te taonga pounamu a te iwi Māori.

Ahakoa anō tōna nei kāwai ariki me te tūranga ake he mea hanga e ia ki roto o Ngāi Tahu, hei whakarahi ake i te moni hei whāngai i tana whānau i huri ia ki te mahi tahitahi whare, hōtēra hoki. Hau ana ōna rongo mō te manaaki me te aroha ki te manuhiri. Inarā, he wahine tū rangatira, mana nui a ia. I mate a Wharetutu Stirling ki Kaikōura i te 31 o Maehe i te tau 1993. Ka mahue mai nei ko tana tāne me āna tamariki.


He whakaaturanga anō

Rārangi pukapuka

    Haeata herstory 1985. Auckland, 1984

    Obit. Press. 6 April 1993: 14


Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Tipene O'Regan. 'Stirling, Wharetutu Te Aroha', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 2000. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/5s47/stirling-wharetutu-te-aroha (accessed 29 March 2024)