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Kōrero: Wātene, Puti Tīpene

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Wātene, Puti Tīpene

1910–1967

Nō Ngāti Maru, nō Te Arawa, nō Te Whānau-a-Apanui; he tangata tākaro rīki, he kaitōrangapū, he āpiha toko i te ora ahumahi

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

Nō te 18 o Ākuhata o te tau 1910 i whānau a Puti Tīpene Wātene i Kirikiri, i Pārāwai (Thames). Ki te ao whānui i mōhiotia ia ko Steve. Ko ia te huatahi a Rose Maria Savage (Hāwete) o ngā iwi o Te Arawa me Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, rāua ko tana tāne tuarua, ko Toke Wātene o Ngāti Maru, he tangata ahu whenua a ia. He tuakana anō tōna mai i te moenga tuatahitanga o tōna whaea, ā, nuku atu i te toru tekau ngā tamariki i whāngaia e ōna mātua. Ko ōna tīpuna ki te taha ki tōna pāpā ko Mita Wātene rāua ko tana wahine, ko Kataraina. Hei tamāhine a Kataraina mā Mātene Te Ngā, he rangātira rongonui nō Ngāti Maru. Hāngai kaha ana ngā tātai heke o Puti Tīpene Wātene ki a Tainui, ki a Mātaatua, ki a Horouta me Tākitimu. Ēngari rā, ko ōnā hapū, iwi ake anō, ko Ngāti Te Aute, ko Ngāti Whanaunga, ko Ngāti Hauāuru, ko Ngāti Pāoa me Ngāti Tamaterā.

He pononga whakapono tūturu te whānau o ngā Wātene nō te Hāhi o Ihu Karaiti mō Te Hunga Tapu o ngā Rā o Muri Nei (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). E waru tau te pakeke o Tīpene i te iriiringa i a ia i te 1 o Hepetema o te tau 1918. Otirā, i pūmau tonu tana whakapono ki te Hāhi Mōmona ā mate noa ia. I kuraina a Wātene i te kura tuarua o Pārāwai (Thames High School), i te kura tuarua ā-rohe o Ōpōtiki (Ōpōtiki District High School) me te Kāreti Ahuwhenua Māori (Māori Agricultural College) o te Hāhi Mōmona i Te Matau-a-Māui (Hawke’s Bay). I te mutunga o tana kuranga i te kāreti ka neke atu ia ki Ākarana (Auckland), he kaimahi, he karaka nei āna mahi. He kaitākaro tino rawe kē nei a Wātene, waihoki tōna toa ki te purei rīki, i riro nāna i kāpene te tīma o te karapu o Manukau me te tīma ā-porowini hoki. Ko ia anō hoki te kāpene o te tīma whutupaoro rīki o Aotearoa i te tau 1936 me 1937, e toru nei ngā tēhi whakataetae. Ko ia anō i te ārahi i te tīma Māori, ka hinga nei i a rātou a Ahitereiria i te tau 1937; kātahi kē te toanga rongonui ko tēnā! Ko ngā tokorua o tō rātou tīma ka mau kē te wehi ki te tākaro, ko Hōri (George) Nēpia rāua ko Tiaki (Jack) Hēmi, ko Wātene rā tō rāua kāpene. I te mutunga mai o tana tākaro whutupaoro rīki, ka noho ia hei kaiwhakaako, hei kaikōwhiri mō te tākaro nei. Nō te takiwā o te tau 1931, i moea e ia a Phyllis May Rukutai, o Kōmata i Hauraki, ko Tainui nei tōna iwi.

I te wā o ngā tekau tau e rua atu i 1940 me 1950 i whakauru atu a Wātene ki ngā mahi whakatau i te āhua o te noho a ngā Māori o taiwhenua ki ngā takiwā tāone, arā ki Maungarei (Mount Wellington) ki te takiwā o Tāmaki. Atu i āna mahi ki te whakarite whare kāwanatanga mō te hunga hou, ko tana mahi anō he whakatū i te karapu Māori o Ngāti Muturangi (Ngāti Muturangi Māori Club), ā, i te tau 1948 nāna anō i āwhina te mahi whakatū i te tauranga huihuinga Māori (Māori Community Centre) i te tiriti o Fanshawe i Ākarana, ina koa te mātārerenga rā o ngā marae hou ki ngā tāone. I te wā e tautohe ana te hunga kaimahi wāpu i te tau 1951, i toro atu a Wātene me ōna hoa tokorua i ngā rohe ā-iwi hei waha kōrero mō te kotahitanga o ngā kaimahi takutai o Niu Tīreni (New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union). Ko tā rātou mahi he whakapāhunu i te tangata kia kaua e haere tūao noa ki te mahi i te wāpu, inarā, he takahi kē tērā i te aukatinga a tā rātou rōpū kaimahi i ngā mahi i te wāpū. Nō te tau 1953, i pōtitia a Wātene ki te kaunihera takiwā tāone o Maungarei (Mount Wellington Borough Council) ki reira mahi ai mō te toru tau. He mema anō hoki a ia mō te komiti kura o Tāmaki (Tāmaki School Committee). Hei whakahōnore i a ia, i tana wehenga atu i te rohe tāone i tapaina tētahi huarahi i Maungarei ko Wātene.

Nō te tau 1956 pea i hūnuku atu te whānau o Wātene ki Pito-one (Petone), ka noho mai ia hei kaiwhakahaere mō tētehi whare noho, hei āpiha toko i te ora ahumahi mō te kamupene mīti o Gear (Gear Meat Company). I piri kau tonu tana mahi mai i te taha o ngā uniana mahi, ā, hau ana tōna rongo, arā, kātahi hoki te tangata tika, tangata mārō ngā whakaaro ko tēnei! Nō ngā tau mai i 1962 ki 1965 a Wātene i te kaunihera takiwā tāone o Pito-one (Petone Borough Council), ā, whakanōhia ana a ia hei tiamana mō te komiti mahi a taua kaunihera. He wā anō hoki he mema a ia nō te komiti whakahaere a te Kaunihera Māori o Niu Tīreni (New Zealand Māori Council), ā, i te mahi anō hoki a ia mā te Kaupapa Mātauranga mō te Iwi Māori (Māori Education Foundation). Whakahauhautia ana te mau o tana whakapono ki te mātauranga, ā, ki tōna whakaaro rā, kātahi te mea nui hei pou whakaara ake i te mana tū tangata o te Māori.

He tangata kakari a Wātene ki ngā mahi a te Rōpū Reipa o Aotearoa (New Zealand Labour Party), ā, i hāngai tonu atu āna mahi mai i te komiti tohutohu Māori (Māori Advisory Committee). Nō te tau 1955 i whakakapia atu tērā komiti e te komiti kaupapa Māori (Māori Policy Committee), ka tū nei ko Wātene hei tiamana mō ngā tau mai i 1958 ki 1963. E ono tau ia e noho ana hei kanohi Māori i te komiti whakahaere a te Rōpū Reipa. Nō te marama o Noema o te tau 1963, i pōtitia a Wātene hei mema Pāremata Māori mō Reipa, mō te rohe o Te Tai Rāwhiti. Nā tōna whakapono tūturu ki te Hāhi Mōmona, i wetewetea ake e ia te here nanati kaha o Rātana i ngā tūru Māori. I pūmau tonu ia ki āna kaupapa tōrangapū, kaupapa pāpori, he rerekē atu i ērā o ngā mema o ngā rōpū tōrangapū o Rātana rāua ko Reipa. He tangata whai niho a Wātene ki ngā mahi a te Whare Pāremata, whakanui tahitia ia e ngā taha e rua o te Whare. He tangata tautoko pūmau ia i ngā take Māori. I tua atu i tēnā e tino mārama tonu ana ia ki ngā raruraru o ana kaipōti, noho wātea tonu ia ki te whakarongo ki ō rātou māharahara. Tū mataara tonu te whakakore a Wātene i ngā hokonga whenua, ā, tere tonu tana whakahē i te Pire mō ngā Mea Māori (Māori Purposes Bill) a Ralph Hanan o te tau 1965, he whakatikatika te mahi i te Ture mō ngā Take Māori (Māori Affairs Act) o te tau 1953 me ētehi atu ture hoki. Puku ana te rae o Wātene, ka tautohea e ia kia kore e hīkina te whare tipuna, me te whakawātea atu hoki i te urupā i te marae o Ruamata hei hanga papa rererangi mō te tāone o Rotorua. Me ka rongo ia he kōrero whakaiti kaikiri, he kupu whakaparahako rānei e puta ake ana i te Whare Pāremata, mārō ana tana wero i ērā tū āhua.

He tangata paihere nui a Wātene ki te Tiriti o Waitangi, arā, e mau kē ana ia ki te tikanga tuku iho o te taha mana, me ngā mahi ā-ngākau kua oti kē te whakatakoto tinana mai i te Tiriti i waenganui i te Māori rāua ko te Karauna. E ai ki tā Wātene, he oati te mahi a te Tiriti kia whai wāhi tonu te Māori ki ngā whakahaere o te Whare Pāremata. Ko tāna e tino tautoko ana kia piki ake te nui o ngā tūru Māori o te Whare. I te hinganga o tōna matua i te tau 1955, kua whakatakotoria ko Wātene hei tuarā kaikōrero mō Ngāti Maru mō ā rātou kerēme e pā ana ki ngā papa kōura o Hauraki.

Ahakoa pūmau tonu a Wātene ki ngā tikanga whakaurunga ā-iwi, i whakapono tonu ia ki te kaha o te Māori ki te kimi oranga mōna tonu. Ko te tino hiahia o Wātene, me ōrite tonu te toha atu i ngā rawa o te whenua nei, me tana māharahara hoki ki te whārahi kē atu o te āhua o te noho a te Māori rāua ko te Pākehā. Ēngari ki tāna anō ko te mahi kē mā te kāwanatanga, he whakaara, he whakaoho hoki i ngā āhuatanga hei painga mō te iwi kia whakahokia mai anō te ihi me te wehi i ō rātou ake werawera, kia kaua kē e noho mai hei umanga toko i te ora. Kua aua atu kē te kite a Wātene i te haere whakamua tonu o te mahi noho tāone. I tino kaha tonu tana tautohe, hāunga anō te whai i te mātauranga, me whai wāhi atu anō hoki te Māori ki ngā mahi tōtika, mahi whai kiko.

I te tau 1966, i tū a Wātene hei māngai mō te Pāremata o Aoteroa i te hui a te kotahitanga mō ngā pāremata o te ao (Inter-Parliamentary Union) i Terāna (Tehran). Ko ia tētehi o ngā Māori tuatahi i tū hei māngai mō te Whare Pāremata i tērā tū reanga ahorangi. I te tau i whai ake, arā, i te 14 o Hune o te tau 1967, i a ia i roto tonu i te Whare Pāremata i Pōneke (Wellington), ka hinga te tōtara haemata nei a Wātene. I a ia i te Komiti mō ngā Mea Māori (Māori Affairs Committee), e uiui ana i tētehi kaiwhakaatu, i aituā ia i te mate manawa. Waihoki rā ko te take i mua i te komiti ko te pire kūraruraru nei, ko te Pire Whakatikatika i te Ture mō ngā Take Māori (Māori Affairs Amendment Bill). I mataku tonu a Wātene ka kaha kē atu te whakawehe a te pire nei i te Māori i ōna whenua, inarā, koia rā te take pū o tōna urunga atu hei mema Pāremata. Kāore i ārikarika te hunga i tae ake ki te marae o Te Tatau-o-te-Pō i Te Awakairangi o raro (Lower Hutt), ki te tangi i te rangatira nei, i a Puti Tīpene Wātene. I te mutunga, ka whakahaeretia te nehunga mōna i te whare karakia Mōmona, kātahi ka tapuketia ia ki te urupā o Te Puni ki Pito-one. Kāti, mahue mai ana ko tana hoa rangatira ko Phyllis, me ā rāua tamariki tekau mā tahi kei te ora tonu.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Manuka Henare. 'Wātene, Puti Tīpene', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 2000. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/5w12/watene-puti-tipene (accessed 19 March 2024)