Ohinemutu 1943: Prime Minister Peter Fraser gives speech

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Prime Minister Peter Fraser addresses the gathering at the opening of the house Tama te Kapua in 1943.

The image above shows the Prime Minister at a New Zealand advanced dressing station at Atina, Italy.  The Prime Minister Peter Fraser met a wounded Maori soldier, who is a friend of a friend of Mr Fraser's.

Transcript

Prime Minister:  To be associated in the name of the government with the fine mutual tributes that are being paid here this afternoon, first by yourselves, in honouring with your presence, this important occasion – the opening of the whare runanga of the Ngati Whakaue people – Tama te Kapua and also the reciprocal tributes that have been so sincerely paid to your Excellencies by their representatives of the Maori race and particularly of the Arawas and the Ngati Whakaue people who have spoken this afternoon.
Kingi Tahiwi: E te Kawanatianara, korua ko to hoa wahine, kia ora korua.  Ka nui taku koa mo to huihui mai ki konei ki te iwi Maori, a, mo te taha ki te kawanatanga ki te pohiri ia koe kia tae mai i tenei marae.  Ka nui taku koa moku kia tae mai ki konei ki tēnei whare wananga, ki tēnei whare runanga tino ataahua, o Te Arawa ara o Ngati Whakaue.  Heoi ano te mihi iho inaianei o te whakaaro kia tau te ahuatanga o te pai kua whiua mai nei e te iwi Maori kia koe a ko tau pihopa i te pai kia ratou.  No reira kia ora koe.

Prime Minister: I am glad to have the opportunity with the other Ministers of the Crown - the Honourable Minister of Native Affairs, the Honourable Minister representing the Maori race and representing them so ably in the Cabinet; the Minister of Rehabilitation, and their Chairman and the members of the Rehabilitation Board. I’m proud to be here, on this hospitable marae of the Ngati Whakaue people, a marae that which I am happily no stranger.
Translator: Ka nui taku koa mo te taenga mai ki konei o etahi o aku Minita ara o te Minita Maori o te Meihana, apiti atu ki te Minita mo te Whakaora I Te Ahuatanga ia tatau tamariki ka hoki mai i te whawhai a i nga mea hoki kei konei.  E koa ana ahau mo to matou huinga mai ki konei, ara te matakitaki i tēnei ahuatanga ki runga i te marae o Ngati Whakaue, i mua i to ratou whare runanga i a Tama te Kapua.

Prime Minister:   I am glad to have the opportunity of meeting here the other tribes of the Arawa confederation, the Tuhourangi’s from Whakarewarewa and all the others and also to see representatives and I’m glad to see they keep here today well enough to come here, the Tuwharetoa, the other part of the Arawa people.  I’m glad to see the representatives of the Ngati Porou, the Tuhoes, the Ngati Awas, the Ngapuhis, all the others and not least the tribe that has come in for a musical purpose into existence in Wellington and they are doing such wonderful work there, for our soldiers, our wounded men and for our American friends who have come – the Ngati Poneke.
Kingi Tahiwi:
  E koa ana moku kua tae mai ki tenei marae kua tutaki ki nga hapu o Te Arawa, kia Tuhourangi a kia era atu iwi kia tae mai ki tēnei marae – kia Tuhoe, kia Ngapuhi, kia Ngati Awa, a whakamutunga ki tēnei iwi hou kua tae mai nei ki waenganui ia koutou, e mahi nui nei a ratou i a tatou tamariki kua kai-a-kikotia kei nga hohipera i Poneke, tenei iwi kia Ngati Poneke.                               

Prime Minister:   And I am glad to hear of what happened on this marae early this morning. When King Koroki and Princess Te Puea representing the Waikato people met in such friendly concourse, the Arawa people.
Kingi Tahiwi:
Anei hoki i taku koa mo taku rongo mai kua tae mai ki konei ta koutou tama a Kingi Koroki raua ko Te Puea. Na, ka nui hoki i taku koa i taku rongo a i houhou i a te rongo ia waenganui a Te Arawa raua ko Waikato i na koa ma.

Prime Minister: May that meeting be symbolically of the future unity of all the Maori people
Kingi Tahiwi:
A, i tumanako toku manawa ko tera hohoutanga i te rongo, ko tera hono mai ia raua, kia pera hoki te hono o nga iwi katoa o te motu nei, puta noa, puta noa, puta noa.

Prime Minister: Sir Apirana Ngata stated that he and I were one.  That is true - one in our desire for the welfare of the Native people and of all the people of the Dominion.
Kingi Tahiwi:
Kua korero atu a Ta Apirana kia koutou, he kotahi ana maua – ae.  He kotahi ana maua i runga i te ahuatanga o te kimionga mo te iwi Maori, mo nga iwi kei konei, kei Niu Tireni e pae ana.

Prime Minister:  Sometimes, impatience is not confined to one side
Kingi Tahiwi:
Aa, i etahi wa kei te hoha noa hoki tetahi taha

Prime Minister: And we hope it will not be existent at all in the future
Kingi Tahiwi: 
Ko te tumanako, te whakaaro, ae nei wa e haere ake nei na ka horoia ake era atu hohatanga.

Prime Minister: Because we have a great New Zealand to build up - the New Zealand that our boys, the Maori boys and the Pakeha boys, are fighting for.
Kingi Tahiwi:  No reira, koira taku tumanako ra, he tumanako, kia tu kotahi a Niu Tireni, te Niu Tireni o nga tamariki Pakeha o nga tamariki Maori e noho mai i te pae o te pakanga mo tatou, mo ratou ka hoki mai kia tino nui kia eke ki te taumata ki te pae kia puta mai ki Niu Tireni, a to ratou hokinga mai.

Prime Minister: Today as we pay such a sincere and heartfelt tribute to those who in the last war and in this war have shed their blood, have laid down their lives for us and have passed on before us.  Let us also remember that today in Tunisia, your boys, the Maori boys and the New Zealand Pakeha boys are at this very moment striking other blows for freedom and liberty and security for this land.
Kingi Tahiwi: I nga wa ka hoki whakamuri ai o tatou mahara kia tatou tamariki i mate atu i tera whawhai nui.  E hoki ana hoki o tatou whakaaro me huri mai o tatou whakaaro ki era o tatou tamariki i homai ia i te pae o te pakanga i Tunisia.  Kei reira e aki ana ano i te hoariri kia ora ai tatou.

Prime Minister: And Sir Apirana Ngata referred to taxes that wonderful haka was generated, was conceived in resentment against taxes.  I thought when I saw that haka and admired it and was carried away with it … never saw any better and I congratulate all those who have participated.  But I’m referring now to the, that Ngati Porou haka that the Maori Battalion gave.  When I saw that I thought, now there I have a bright idea if taxes will bring forward such artistry and such fine hakas we must have more of them, more taxes (crowd laughter)
Kingi Tahiwi:  I runga I taku matakitaki kia koutou haka i tenei marae, ka whakamoemiti au ki te pai o a koutou haka.  Mo te ekenga mai o nga tamariki nei ki te marae nei, ka whiu a wai te haka a Ngati Porou ka penei au, mehemea hei pera te kino o nga iwi mo nga taake, ara ka pera ka papai nga haka, ka whakatipu te tangata kia pera te tūwaewae kia kaha, a, mehemea ano he taake kia pai mana.

Prime Minister:  I want to congratulate all who have entertained us; it’s been a wonderful afternoon that will live in our memories forever.  Those of our visitors, some representing our forces from the Mother Country of the Pakeha, others representing our American friends who are here today.  All of us must feel proud that we are meeting on the marae where the flags of the United Nations are flying.
Kingi Tahiwi:  E mihi ana au ki nga mahi i mahi i mua i tenei marae i tenei rangi.  E mihi ana au mo te ekenga ki te taumata o te pae.  Na hoki kei konei e noho ana nga manuhiri mai o tera wahi o Ingarangi kei konei e noho ana e matakitaki ana.  Tae hoki kia tatou manuhiri, nga manuhiri o Amerika kei konei e whakamoemiti, a e mihi ana ki o koutou mahi.

Prime Minister: On behalf of all of us, I want to thank, all those that have entertained us.  When we come to Rotorua we of course expect to get the very best in Maori artistry and never, never are disappointed.  But when we saw some of the others, the Ngati Poneke whom some of us know – I want to congratulate them.  Then some whom I’ve never been privileged to see – the Tuhoe people – well I can’t express our gratitude sufficient for their fine performances.
Kingi Tahiwi: E mihi ana au kia Te Arawa mo nga mahi a Te Arawa i au i tae mai ki konei.  I tenei ra tino eke rawa mai te painga ki au i ta te ahua o ratou mahi.  E hiahia hoki ana ahau te whakamoemiti kia Ngati Poneke mo ratou i tae mai ki tēnei marae i tēnei ra.  Engari, ko te tino mihi, ko taku tino mihi kia Tuhoe te iwi kare ano au i tutaki ki nga ra ki muri - te rawe ta ratou mahi.

Prime Minister: I only wish Hitler could have heard what these boys said about him and want to threaten him.
Kingi Tahiwi: He mea ake kei konei ano a Hitara e rongo ana i nga korero, i nga ueue a nga tamariki nei, kare ano e mohio ka pewhea ra tona ahua.

Prime Minister: And the Maori threats are not empty threats as he knows already
Kingi Tahiwi:
Ki ta the Maori ko tana meke e mamae ana

Prime Minister: Now in conclusion, may I just thank our friend Mr Mitchell
Kingi Tahiwi:
Na hei whakamutua i aku korero e hiahia ana au ki te mihi ki to tatou hoa, kia Tai

Prime Minister: There’s no more sincere friend of both races, no man who morally places himself or does more for the benefit of both races than our friend Mr Tai Mitchell
Kingi Tahiwi: To Tai katoa nga hua ko te whai i nga ahuatanga e tipu ai te pai i waenganui te Pakeha raua ko te Maori, engari koia te hikoia ki muri kare ia e tu i mua, no reira ka nui rawa taku mihi ki a ia

Prime Minister: And with a spirit that he and his family shows, with the spirit of the Ngati Whakaue, and the Tuhourangi and the Arawa people show when we meet them in Rotorua and they’re the spirit that pervades the whole of the Maori people.  That goes on, and if it’s reciprocated as it will be by the Pakeha people, then our work of building up a newer, a brighter, a better New Zealand, will be completely successful.  Kia ora to the Arawas and all the Maori people.
Kingi Tahiwi:  Mehemea e whai ana te Pakeha i nga tikanga a Tuhourangi raua ko Whakaue noho pai, noho i runga i te rangimaria, e mohio ana au tena te pai nui e puta i te katoa i te minenga o Niu Tireni, kia ora koutou katoa.

Reference:

Sound file from Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, ref: 46574. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright.

Image
Bull, George Robert, 1910-1966. Prime Minister Peter Fraser with wounded Maori soldier at NZ advanced dressing staton at Atina, Italy, World War II - Photograph taken by George Bull. New Zealand. Department of Internal Affairs. War History Branch :Photographs relating to World War 1914-1918, World War 1939-1945, occupation of Japan, Korean War, and Malayan Emergency. Ref: DA-05894-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22719116

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