Uepohatu welcome - Apirana Ngata's welcoming speech

Sir Apirana Ngata welcomes guests attending events at Uepohatu marae, Ruatoria in 1947.  

The marae hosted events held on the 12th and 13th of September that included cultural competitions with local school children and the opening of the Uepohatu War Memorial Hall. The hall was built to commemorate East Coast soldiers who died during the two World Wars. 

A reunion of ex-service people (including members of the Maori Battalion) was also held. 

At the Investiture held on the second day, seventeen decorations were presented to servicemen and women who had served abroad and on the home front.

The gathering was an important one attended by thousands including the Prime Minister Peter Fraser, the Leader of the Opposition Sidney Holland and other members of Parliament.  Sir Bernard Freyberg, the Governor General opened the hall and unveiled two memorial tablets inside.

Site editors note: The original recording is incomplete and cuts out part way through his speech.  Sound is very low in parts.

Transcription

Tena koutou kua huihui mai nei, potopoto noa iho aku mihi.

Me timata ki to tatau Pihopa me tona ope kua tae mai. Ahakoa no Te Arawa, kao me mohio tonu a ia ahakoa mutu ai. Tena koe (Cren?) kua tae mai, me era o a tatau tamariki. Ka kitea (mahine noa nga tikanga moni?), Te Arawa. Hono mai ki tenei o a tatau mahi, ki tenei o o tatau whare.

Hirini, koutou ko o tamariki. Ahakoa, wetahi tangata kua wheturangitia i konei, a, wehe atu ana ki tera taha o te Paritu. Na reira haramai nga tangata o Nuhaka, o Te Wairoa otira nga rohe e kitekite au - Heretaunga ki Tamaki. Ka nui te tangi o te ngakau mo koutou kua tae mai.

E koro Hemi! E koro Hemi. I tera o a tatau ra, i konei ano koe. Tohungia koe e te Atua, i roto i nga tau uaua e pakaikaha nei. Tena ano koe, koutou ko nga tamariki mauria mai. Haramai, whakaotia te pito mahi kei tenei rohe, hei whakamaumaharatanga ki a tatau tamariki.

Kati ki a koutou Te Arawa. Matai, Matai, Tamarau. Koutou nga tamariki na, nau mai haramai ano. He ara kopikopiko nou te huarahi ki Waiapu i runga ano i a matau whanau e noho nei. A, me pehea hoki? He iwi pukumahi. Heoi ano, he mahi mahau he waha moni mai, he haramai he waha moni mai. Kaua koe e korohaha, kua matemate a mea ma, kua mate tera i hari mai i nga koha ma Ngati Porou. Ka nui te aroha ki a ia ka ngaro nei i konei, tetahi atu, tetahi atu, tetahi atu te hunga mate. Haramai te whakatutuki ta matau haere atu ko taku tuakana ko te Iharaira me a maua mokopuna i rua atu ki te ra, i hurahia e te pohatu whakamahara hoki ki era o tatau tamariki. Kati ki a koutou Te Arawa.

Te kotahi o Ngati Kahungunu au whakapiri atu ki a koutou e Te Mihinui. Tae ake ki taku hoa ki a Wiremu Waaka. Te ra o te VC, a, i a (something?), me Wiremu Maaka, me kii. Te rangi nei tana tama kua tae mai, kua kore a Tangi. Mutu ana te aroha i reira. Na reira Te Reiwhati, Raniera, Tuauau, e Ruri, a ka matau te reihana mai, mauria mai te aroha ki to tatau hoa. Ahakoa kua maha nga tau ki te whenua, ka tangi tonu te ngakau ki a ia.

Me a tatau tamariki haria mai. Mo nga tamariki nei te ra nei, mo nga tamariki nei. Whakatutukitia nga mahi, papatau ai nga rori. Rotorua ki Waiapu, Waiapu ki Rotorua. He rau taku pou i reira, a, Ngati Pikiao – i nga raruraru whakangaro atu. Heoi ano, kaore i oti te tumanako kei te mahi tena o o tatau whare me kore hoki koe e mangere te karanga mai. Mahia he korou kia huarahi. Mahia he korou kia huarahi. Mehemea kei taua takiwa, ka kokirihia ra e koutou. Te tangata e kii ra, nga Hirini, ka pou ra tenei o o tatau whare. (Sentence).

Ka pai ai te huri inaeanei te Tai Hauauru e noho nei. Mai Poneke, Manawatu, Ngati Raukawa, Te Ati Awa, Ngati Toa, aku tamariki o Ngati Poneke, Pamutana, kare i tino kite ake i a koutou engari ka mahara kua tae mai. Tae noa atu ki Whanganui, Te Hoeroa koutou ko to Papa ko (someone – oma atu?) e haere mai nei. E haere mai nga mate, e potiki tokotoru kei roto o te awa o Whanganui, e o koutou matua Rangiwhakateka, koira te tangata nana i torotoro mai taku mahi whenua ka toru tekau ma tahi tau inaeanei.  Kua ngaro atu na reira me mutu atu.

Haramai te Tai Hauauru, ka roa enei nga tau e wehewehe ana tatau, me nga tikanga o te motu whanau ake, he tino wehewehe rawa atu. Engari kotahi te mea kaore taea e wai te tapatapa, nga taura kino i waenganui i nga iwi, i runga i o ratau whakapapa, me a ratau mahi. Ko te ra e motumotu ai era taura, ko te ra tera e kore ai tatau e mohio te hanga o te ao, ka pewheahia ki raro i nga waewae o nga Pakeha, ka ngaro. Na reira haramai te torotoro ki nga mahi nei. I kona au, naku katoa i whakarewa ra ki runga, mai i tetahi pito ki tetahi, a, kaore koe i te mohio i te haramai ki te whakaharahara i oku pirangi. Hono mai kia kitekite tatau, a, kei konei ka hua nga korero.

Kati kia koutou Te Whanau-a-Apanui, aku tamariki i puta mai nei i runga i te karanga atu “Mauria mai ena paepae!”. Me te mea ano hoki ko te takiwa, ki kona e te piriti ma te Kainanga, kare e pa karanga atu. Ka pararuraru nga pireti, kaore e taea te hopo, a, kua wahawaha mai koutou i roto o Raukokore, i roto o Whangaparaoa. Mehemea ranei, mehemea ano kua tae mai. Kaore ano au kia kite ake. Hono mai ko te karangatanga o tenei hui kei te mohio katoa koutou, te Paritu a te Mataiau, te Mataiau a Potikirua, Potikirua a Taumata-a-Apanui. Haramai koutou i te karangaranga tuatoru o te rohe nei ki a tatau mahi. No tera hui tonu to koutou na hui. Kia tae atu ki te ra o te hui waea mai ai he waka ngunguru, enei o koutou waka. Ara, kei runga kei Te Kaha-nui-a-Tiki e noho nei i mua i o ratau wero, ka raru mai ai te waka, Te Whanau-a-Te Ehutu. Ma nga taura nga mea hei whakapuahaki noa iho nei o ratau tangihanga i te mea nei kaore au. Nana i mamao ko ratau te iwi putaketanga, ka tae atu tera.

E Tia! Mauria mai, mauria mai o tatau matua i te taha Maori a Tirikatene. Te ra o te VC i konei ia e whakanui ana raua ko te tama a Paikea, e whakanui ana i te ra o te Tairawhiti, ana e whakanui i tera o a tatau tamariki. Haramai, ko koe te tangata whenua o te ra nei. Mau ano e manaaki a taua manuhiri, ma koutou ko nga kaumatua aku tuakana e noho nei. Naku te mahi na i mua na, kei a koe inaeanei. A, he tohu pai he potopoto koe i te korero. Kare au i te mohio ki a Tiri, ahua “royal” i a i etahi taima.

Kia ora e Tiri! I haramai koe i Poneke i te oropuhanga o nga mahi katoa. Nga manaakitanga a te Kawanatanga kei runga kei au, kei a Ngati Porou e takoto ana mo te whare nei. Taea ai he rakau, taea ai he haearu i oti ai, i kite ratau e tika ana kia whakanuia, te whakamahara a tenei iwi nga hoia i haere ai ki te patu i a ratau mo to tatau Emepaea. Korua tokorua e noho mai na, me etahi atu i te whawhai tuatahi ko ratau i te taha i enei tamariki i te whawhai tuarua. Na reira ka pai ta korua haerenga mai i mua ki roto ki a matau, e, i to tatau taha Maori. Waiho atu te hanga Pakeha nei, a, mo to ratau na haora me to ratau na ra e tae mai ana.

Ara ko taku pao kua mutu ake ra. Want any more? Ne! Ki te mohio ke taku tamaiti kei te parakatihi. Ka tae matau ki Ruatoki, he tamariki na matau nga mea e takahi ana. Na, ko te whakautu o tenei e rima rau nga tamariki o Ngati Porou kei konei kei te haka. Na reira kia ora tatau! A, katahi nei te kupu a te iwi Maori. Kia mau!

That the real worth of the Maori twenty, it would’ve been strange if during the football season we didn’t ask the authorities to stage an important match here. First of all it was suggested that a Prince of Wales Cup victory match should be held here and in negotiation of a meeting. That fell through because of the projected tour to Fiji. The Fiji Tour was abandoned and the New Zealand Rugby Union organised a team of representatives of the Maori footballers to travel New Zealand. Oh, we tried very hard to bring down the two Shmidt boys in Taihoe, and I don’t know if there are any better footballers in these, but certainly they got reputations and so on. Not that we want it to be a gate, we got a big enough gate without them. But you know, we as humans we go with the champions, the reputed champions. And so, Kingi (aside – is Sandy here?). Ah, I’m forgetting my old friend Sandy? Who has come down to lesser life like my friend Kingi. San! You are very welcome back again to the coast. I remember the first time you visited the coast in your capacity as chair-

[Audio cuts out]