Ko Joe Harawira, tētahi kaimahi mira kani rākau nō te Waiariki. Ko ia hoki te kaihautū me te kaiwhakahaere o Ngā Kaimahi Mira Kani Rākau Tohe Paitini (SWAP), he rōpū i kimi i te aronga ōkawa o te parakino taiao me ngā raruraru hauora tangata e hāngai ana ki tā te ahumahi papa rākau whakamahi i te matū tāoke pentachlorophenol (PCP), me ngā rongoā mō aua mea. I pāngia a Joe rātou ko ōna hoamahi i te mira kani rākau o Whakatāne e te PCP mō ngā ngahurutau maha, nā reira i pā atu ngā raruraru hauora kino mauroa. I tukuna ngā parakino ki ngā arawai me te oneone. I whakatairanga a Joe, mā roto i SWAP, kia tiakina ā-rongoā nei te hunga e pāngia ana e te PCP, me ngā whakatikatika taiao e whakatōpū ana i te mātauranga Māori me te pūtaiao nō te ‘uru’.
Ōna tau tōmua
I whānau mai a Hohepa Joseph Harawira, e mōhiotia ana ki te ingoa Joe, ki Pāroa, e tata ana ki Whakatāne, i te 13 o Māehe i te tau 1946, te tamaiti tekau mā tahi o ngā tamariki 13. Ko Koau Susie Hona tōna māmā. Ko Te Patuwai te hapū, ko Ngāti Awa te iwi. Ko ia te tamāhine a Wiremu Hona rāua ko Te Arapaparahi Kerera Rēwiri nō Ngāi Te Rangihouhiri. Ko tōna pāpā ko Fred Turumakina Harawira, te tama a Hohepa Harawira nō Ngāi Te Rangi rāua ko Ihipera Armstrong nō Ngāti Maniapoto. I te kāinga i ako ia i ngā uara Māori, ā, i ū tōna tuakiri ki te whenua me ngā awa o tōna tamarikitanga, he wāhi tākaro, he mahinga kai hoki. I tino mārama ia ki te tapu o ngā whenua me ngā awa, ā, i tino tūhono atu ki aua wāhi e rua.
I haere a Joe ki Tōtara Native School ki Te Pāroa, ā, i noho tahi me tētahi tuahine pakeke ake ki Tokoroa i mua i te hokinga ki Whakatāne kia haere ki te Haikura o Whakatāne. He auau te tamō i te kura kia āwhina i runga i ngā wāpu me ngā pāmu o te whānau, e tuku ana i āna moni ki tōna māmā; nā taua wheako i whakatōngia ai te whanonga ahuwhenua me te whakaaro haepapa ki tangata kē. Ka 16 tōna pakeke, ka wehe ia i te kura kia mahi hei tama waea i roto i te poutāpeta o Whakatāne, engari nōna i hinga i tana whakamātautau Ingarihi, i whakarerēa e ia te aramahi i whakamaheretia e ia hei tangata tiaki rārangi hiko.
I te tau 1963, i te hipatanga o te tau kotahi ki te pouaka poutāpeta, i kōrero teka a Joe mō tōna pakeke kia whiwhi tūranga mahi ki te Mīra Puru me te Pepa o Tasman ki Kawerau. Ka hipa te iwa marama, ka panaia ia, ā, ka hoki ki tōna tuahine ki Tokoroa, i reira mahi ai ki te mīra kani rākau o New Zealand Forest Products i Kinleith mō ngā tau e whitu i muri iho. He kaitākaro whutupōro kaikā ia, i whakapau kaha kia pakari te tinana, ā, nā runga anō i te āhuatanga mahi ā-ringa o tāna mahi, me te taiao mahi taumaha, he mārō tōna āhua. I te tau 1970 i whakawhitia ia ki te mira kani rākau o New Zealand Forest Products ki Whakatāne.
I te 6 o Oketopa, i mārena a Joe ki a Parepikiao Rapana nō Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Pūkeko, Ngāti Whātua hoki ki Poroporo. Tokorua ā rāua tamariki ko Marama Rose Cook (i mua ko Harawira) me Joseph Rongopai Harawira.
Huranga ki ngā matū
Ka mahi a Joe i runga i te 'tīni kākāriki' ki te mira kani rākau i Whakatāne, he pūnaha rārangi whakaputanga i whakatika, i whakarite hoki i te papa rākau hei hoko. I whakatairangatia ia ki te tūnga mahi o te kaitohu kounga, ā, ko taua mahi he whakaranu i ngā matū e whakamahia ana hei whakauka i te papa rākau me te unu i ngā tawau pia i mua i te whakarōpūtia me te whakaputuhia. Ka mahi a Joe me ēra atu kaimahi mira i roto i ngā āhuatanga o te wā, e tuku ana i te papa rākau i tapahia ki te tāpu matū, engari kāore ō rātou kākahu whakahaumaru.
Mai i te tau 1950, i whakauka te mira kani rākau o Whakatāne sawmill i āna papa rākau ki te pentachlorophenol (PCP), kei roto ko ngā para tāoke, e mōhiotia nei te kiritōpū nei hei ‘taioke’, e whakarōpūtia ana hei parakino whaiwaro mauroa. I huraina tōtikahia ngā kaimahi i whai wāhi ki te whakatikatika i te papa rākau mā te pānga ki te kiri, te whakangā, te kai rānei i te nuinga o te wā. Ka whakakino te pānga wā iti i ngā tākihi, te toto, ngā pūkahukahu, te pūnaha ioio, te ate, te pūnaha awhikiri me te ara nakunaku. I pāngia hoki ngā whānau o ngā kaimahi i runga i te kore mōhio: i tahu rātou i ngā wāhie kohura i te PCP i roto i ngā pākaiahi kāinga, i whakamahi i ngā kongakonga wāhie me ngā kota tāhawa i roto i ngā māra huawhenua, ā, i horoi i ngā kākahu i whakamaua ki te mira me ngā kākahu o te whānau.
Waihoki, i tukuna te para mira me te kota, te hiako, te toenga papa rākau tāhawa hoki i roto – tae atu ki ngā taramu me ngā kāho matū – ki ngā wāhi, neke atu i te 36, e mōhiotia ana i te rohe o Whakatāne. I whakamahi ngā marae i roto i te rohe o Ngāti Awa i te otinga i tāhawatia hei oneone whakakī rua. I ētahi wā, ka whakapākeka te para ki te ratonga wai poka, e tāhawa ana i te wai katoa o te hapori ki tētahi o ngā marae o Joe, ki Taiwhakaea.
Ka mutu te whakamahi a te ahumahi mira kani rākau i te PCP i te tau 1988 hei urupare ki ngā āwangawanga taiao, ā, unuhia ai tōna rēhitatanga kia hokona i te tau 1991. Engari, i taua wā, kua paihanatia kētia ngā whānau, te whenua, me te wai. He maha ngā kaimahi me ō rātou whānau i whai wheako ki te huhua o ngā whakaaweawe hauora kino, tae atu ki ērā whakamōrea whakamate. Kei roto i ngā tohumate ko te ruha tauroa, mamae tauroa, piropiro tārere, mate pāpōuri me te tōtā nui. Ka haere te wā, ka pā ki ngā kaimahi me ō rātou whānau te mate manawa, ngā mate tipunga wheua, te mate pukupuku, te mate huka, te mate whakaputa uri me ngā mate whakawhānau. He āhua iti rawa te wāora o tēnei hunga. I kitea e Joe ngā panoni nui ki tana hauora mai i te tau 1982: i pāngia ia e te porohau, ngā mate tākihi me te ate, te mate huka momo 2, me tētahi wā i iokerewai te tinana, me te aha, kāore e taea tana ringa mauī te neke.
Ngā Kaimahi Mira Kani Rākau Tohe Paitini (SWAP)
Ka katia ngā kūaha o te mira kani rākau o Whakatāne i te tau 1988, ā, i whakawhitia a Joe ki Whakatāne Paper Mills Ltd. I reira, i whiwhi ia ki te utu whakamutu mahi i te tau 1992 i muri i te hipanga o ngā tau 29 i roto i te ahumahi papa rākau. Pērā i ētahi atu kaimahi mira o mua, nā ōna raruraru hauora i whakataumaha tana āheinga ki te mahi, engari kāore te Accident Compensation Corporation i whakaae kia utu i te utu paremata wāhi mahi nā te mea kāore e taea ōna māuiui te tūhono rawa atu ki tana tūnga mahi. I whakapau kaha ia ki Sawmill Workers Against Poisons (SWAP), he rōpū kōkirikiri i whakatūria kia whakatewhatewha i ngā take o te māuiui o ngā kaimahi mira kani rākau, mira pepa hoki o Whakatāne. Ko te whāinga kia riro te aronga me te manatika mō te hunga e pāngia ana e ngā taioke me ētahi atu matū pūmate i whakamahia i te ahumahi hātepe papa rākau i Aotearoa.
Ka tū a SWAP hei manatōpū i te tau 1996. Ko Nick Curtis (Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Ngāti Porou, Te Arawa) hei upoko, ko Matiaha Kohe (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Koata) hei hekeretari, ā, ko Joe Harawira hei kairuruku. Nā runga anō i te kōhukihuki i te kore aro mai me te tautoko a ngā hunga whaimana, i whakamataara a SWAP kia aro mai te kāwanatanga ki ō rātou nawe. I kirimanahia tētahi mātai pūtoi kia kohikohi i ngā raraunga rongoā i ngā kaimahi mira kani rākau, mira pepa hoki, hei urupare ki ngā rangahau e whakaatu ana i ngā whakamōrea taiao o te PCP. I te rironga o ēnei raraunga, i arotahi te tīma ki te PCP hei tāoke, he nui te tūponotanga ka noho hei pūtake o ngā raruraru hauora o te hapori. I te tuatahi he nui te māramatanga o Joe me ngā mema o SWAP ki ngā whakaaweawe whakakino o te hātepe tuku para ki te whenua, engari i mōhio rātou he tūhononga i waenga i ō rātou āwangawanga hauora me ngā take taiao.
I te tau 2005, i whakarewahia e Joe, e Kereama Akuhata (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Raukawa), e tētahi kaihāpai taiao, e Catherine Delahunty me tētahi tīma iti i tautokohia e te 'tāpoi o ia rā o te Hunga i paitinihia', e toro ana ki ngā wāhi tāoke mai i te Waiariki ki Taranaki. I whakaemi mai rātou i ngā ika a Whiro nō Whitināmu, tae atu ki a Kīngi Taurua, he kaumātua nō Ngāpuhi, waihoki i tūtaki ki ngā kaupēhipēhi o te wheketere matū o Ivon Watkins-Dow i Ngā Motu, he ōrite te teka mai me te whakakāhore mai. Ka mutu tā rātou tāpoi ki te Pāremata me ngā kaimahi papa rākau me ō rātou whānau i tō rātou taha. He tokomaha ngā tāne kāore e tino taea te hīkoi, ā, he tino whakaaroha i te wā i whakapoto ngā waewae o ō rātou tarau kia whakaatu i ahatia ō rātou kiri, ō rātou wheua hoki e te taioke. He whakakino huna tō ngā wāhine, ā, nā rātou i amo te taumahatanga o te noho ngū i te taha o ngā tāne i paitinihia. I pā ki ngā taurua maha ngā tahe huhua me ngā hapūtanga i te pūkano, ā, waihoki he uauatanga ako, he hapa whakawhānau, he pukupā i pā ki ngā tamariki me ngā mokopuna a ētahi atu.
Ka whakapau kaha a Joe ki te urupare i ngā tautika-kore o te Accident Compensation Act 2001, i aukati i te PCP, taioke, wharana (furans) hoki i tana rārangi o ngā pūtake o te mate hāngai ki te mahi e taea ana te kimi i te utu paremata. Ki a ia, ko te takaroa o te aronga ōkawa he tūkinotanga i ngā matatika tangata, nā runga anō i ngā kaimahi mira kani rākau e mate ana i ia tau i ngā mate e puta mai ana i te huranga ki te wāhi mahi. Ko te wheako o ētahi atu he kohuki nui me ngā take hauora whīwhiwhi, me ngā whakaaweawe e pā atu ana ki ngā tini whakatipuranga e heke mai nei.
Te Kōawa Kopeopeo
He nui ngā wā i kōrero a Joe mō te tūhononga i waenganui i te tangata me Papatūānuku, me te kī, 'ki te kore e taea e tātou ia te whakaora, e kore e taea e tātou te whakaora tātou anō.'1 Ka kimi a SWAP me Ngāti Awa, i raro i te ārahi a Joe, i ngā whakatikahanga kia whakatika i ngā wāhi i parahangatia e te PCP, ā, te whakaora i te mauri me te tō mai i te aronga ki ngā take hauora tangata i puta mai i te tāhawa. Me kimi a SWAP me Ngāti Awa, hei kaitiaki, i ngā ara mā te tangata e āwhinatia ai a Papatūānuku kia whakaora i a ia anō.
Ka tīmata a SWAP ki te mahi e urupare ana i te raruraru o te whakatikatika wāhi tāoke ki Whakatāne, tae atu ki te Kōawa Kopeopeo, e tīmata ana ki ngā Mānia o Rangitāiki ki te uru o te Huanui matua 30, ka tūhono ki te Awa iti o Orini, ā, ka whakaruke ki te Awa o Whakatāne. I waihangatia i ngā 1920 kia kawe i te riu hopuwai me ngā waipuke i ngā whenua pāmu hahaka ki te wahapū o Whakatāne, engari i tāhawatia ki te taioke o roto o te wai pōkākā i te rere mai i te mira kani rākau mō ngā tau toru tekau. Ko te whakamataaratanga kia whakamahea i ngā parakino o te Kōawa Kopeopeo he ara i kitea whānuitia kia urupare i te raruraru whānui.
Nā SWAP Te Ohu Mō Papatūānuku, tētahi kaupapa mahi tahi i whakaohooho kia whakamātautau mēnā e āhei ana ngā rauemi o te taiao pērā i ngā tipu me ngā harakeke te whakakore i te taoke. He kaupapa mahi tahi, nā te tangata whenua i tīmata, heoi anō, i whai wāhi atu ngā kaipūtaiao, hunga whaimana ā-rohe me ngā tari kāwanatanga kaupapahere. I whakakotahi ōkawatia te mātauranga Māori me te pūtaiao hei urupare i te parahanga taiao. Ka ngākaunui nuitia tēnei e Joe: he whakatinanatanga o tōna wawata o te mahi tahi kia whakatikatika raruraru. I whakaatu te hinonga, i oti i te tau 2011, ka taea e ngā tipu me ngā harakeke te whakaheke i te taioke i roto i te para o te Kōawa Kopeopeo.
Ngā tau tōmuri me te tuku ihotanga
I tino poho kererū a Joe Harawira ki tana whakamataaratanga, me te kaupapa o SWAP. He tangata ahuwhenua, ā, e kore ia e whakarere i te whawhai, engari ka kaniawhea i te ahunga whakatuma ōna i ngā tau tōmua o tāna whakamataaratanga. I tuhi ia i ngā rā taka me ngā mōhiohio, kōrerorero, kōrero, raraunga inekounga, inerahi hoki, me te aurongo noa me te kohuki, me ngā tohutohu pūmahara i tukuna mai e ngā kaitohutohu tata. I āta mauhangatia, ā, i tuhia hoki te rā i mauhangatia ai. I tohua hoki ki ngā ripa tae e hopu ana i te matenga o ngā hoamahi mira kani rākau, ngā hoa kaiwhakamataara rānei. He whakamaharatanga mārama ēnei o te āhua kōhukihuki o te mahi, ā, i kaha ake te tūmanako o Joe kia haere tonu. I tohu ēnei i te roa o te ara i takahia e SWAP i te hipanga o te toru tekau tau, me te utu ā-tangata.
Nā ngā whakamataaratanga i māuiui ai a Joe. He auau ana toronga ki te tari ohotata, engari i āta huna ia i ōna taumahatanga i ētahi atu. He tuatini tōna aurongo, i hunaia e tōna tū māia. He tangata e mamae ana, e ngākau titikaha ana i huna i ōna mate, engari i kitea tonutia āna hapa. Kāore ia i hiahia, i kimi rānei i te rongonui; ko tōna tino hiahia he whakatikahanga o ngā raruraru o te ao, ā, me te tūmanako ka haere tonu te haerenga rapu manatika i muri i tōna matenga.
Ka mate ohorere a Joe i te ata o te 9 o Hānuere i te tau 2017 ki tōna kāinga i Whakatāne, i muri i te maumaharatanga whakaaroha ki ōna mātua me tōna tamarikitanga i te wā o te parakuihi. E 70 tōna pakeke. E toru rā te roa o tōna tangihanga ki te whare tipuna ō Toroa i kaingākau nuitia e ia ki te Marae o Pupuārūhe, ā, i tanumia ia i te taha o ōna whanaunga maha i te urupā o Pupuārūhe. I waiho mai ko tāna wahine, a Pare, āna tamariki, mokopuna kōhine, me ngā mokopuna tuarua.
He whakahirahira te panonitanga o Joe Harawira: he kaimahi mira kani rākau o te hunga pukumahi ā-ringa, kāore ōna tohu mātauranga, i huri hei kairangahau pūtaiao taiao nō te hapori me ngā tikanga nō te mātauranga Māori. E whakaata ana te kōrero mō SWAP i ngā pakanga haere tonu a ngāi Māori me ngā iwi taketake nō motu kē kia whakahoki i ō rātou tuakiri me te hoki ki te tūranga hei tangata whenua, i mua i te aroaro o te whakahē, kūare, kaikiri me te whakahīhī akoranga e ai ki te whakaaro o Joe me SWAP. Ko te ahunga a Joe he whakatinanatanga o te mahi i raro i te kaupapa Māori. Kāore he tūāpapa mātauranga kē māna, nā reira i aro ia ki ngā uara Māori kia mārama, kia aromātai hoki i ngā take hauora me te taiao kei mua i te aroaro o tōna hapori. Ina tūhono tonu ana ki ngā uara o ōna tīpuna, ka noho tūturu ki ngā tāngata e tautoko ana ia i roto i āna pakanga, ki te ara hauora mō Papatūānuku, ki tōna ahurea Māori hoki. I wero tāna hautūtanga i te pōhēhē kāore e taea e te Māori nō te hapori, kāore ō rātou tohu ōkawa hoki, te ārahi i ngā hinonga rangahau hira. I angitu tana mahi kia whakakotahi i te mātauranga Māori me ngā tirohanga pūtaiao, e hipa ana i te āhuatanga o te nawe, e waihanga ana, e whakakaha ana i ngā whanaungatanga kia noho ngātahi ngā ahunga e rua.