H6 PUKCnea KOl"erO Koanga (Spring), Volume 2. Number 1, 1996

CITATION FOR THE CONFERMENT OF THEDEGREE OF DOCTOR OF LITERATURE

(Honoris Causa), Massey University, May 1996CLIFFORD HAMILTON WHITING

Mason Durie. Taiarahia Black, Department of Maori Studies, Massey University

All too infrequently, the arts and traditions of the pastprovide inspiration for later generations to constructfresh forms, to create new images and to forgeimaginative links between time and space. The past,they say is an anchor. It steadies us as we explore thesymbols and icons of turbulent oceans, irresistiblyattracted to bigger and bigger waves, yet inwardlylonging for the comfort of smoother waters and morefamiliar landmarks. In fact, few of us ever move awayfrom the shelter of the shore, or venture beyond whatthe eye can see. We are, so to speak, anchored in thesecurity of the past and becalmed by the ambiguitiesof the present. So too, do we hesitate to cross overfrom one great sea to another, or even from one vesselto another; not necessarily because we lack couragebut because we have no charts and in any event wouldnot know what to do once we had arrived. The pointis that we tend to move awkwardly between the pastand the future, between one culture and another, andbetween the contradictory domains of creativity andefficiency.

Cliff Whiting has made those journeys. Hiscontributions to art, to education, to the marae, andindeed to the celebration of New Zealand's culturalheritage reflect his extraordinary capaci ty forinnovation and leadership at a time when inspirationis sorely needed. We honour him today as a mostworthy candidate for the degree of Doctor ofLiterature.

Scholarship knows many forms and no disciplineor elite has a monopoly on it. Quite the reverse: it isthe preserve of domains as diverse as history andphilosophy, the performing arts and the visual arts,education and public policy, community and marae.As it happens, Cliff Whiting is no stranger to any ofthem. His introduction to these several worlds ofknowledge and understanding began at Te Kaha, withhis people, Te Whanau-a-Apanui. There he was ableto absorb the richness of a culture undiminished bythe harshness of concrete and steel, and unfettered by

the links between people, the land, and the sea. Notsurprisingly if there is a single characteristic of hisbrand of scholarship it is his capacity to bring togetherseemingly disparate elements and to do so in a waywhich graces the environment and gives voice to theaspirations of others.

As an artist, and along with his contemporaries, heplayed a pivotal role in moving Maori art into the 21stcentury. He did this not by refuting the contributionsof the past or by discrediting the established citadelsof cultural excellence. Indeed he was himself tutoredby the artists and carvers of the classical school, themost notable being the tohunga, Pine Taiapa. Cliffdrew on those traditions, identifying their essentialmeanings and aesthetics and then projecting them intonew spheres using modern materials and globalperspectives. Furthermore, he was able to multiply hisown endeavours several times over by introducingstudents to the excitement of visual arts. He taughtthem to learn from the past, and to allow themselvesto feel the influence of the past, but in his own examplehe gave them the clear direction that they need not bebound by the past. And when working week after week,even year after year with Maori communities, he tookthe people with him. His style was not to descend asthe master, the distant expert, but to encourage othersto work alongside so that they too could acquire theskills and claim ownership as well as pride, over thefinished product.

His works are everywhere: in school journals,Maori language resource booklets, in public places,homes and, importantly on marae throughout thecountry. Not only has he played a critical role in therestoration of tukutuku, carving and turn of the centurypaintings, but he has also used bold imagery to createnovel depictions of Maori journeys alongside the moreconservative carvings and designs which typified theso-called classical era of Maori design. Nga Tamarikia Rangi raua ko Papa, in the National library, says itall: wood carving, kowhaiwhai, tukutuku, and painting

H6 PUKCnga KOrerO Koanga (Spring), Volume 2, Number 1. 1996

are integrated to tell in symbolic form the significanceof the creation of the earth. Closer to home his eye forstyle, strength and character is perpetuated in thestructure and elegance of Te Kupenga o te Matauranga.Similarly, the breathtaking dining room on the maraeat Whangaparaoa bears his distinctive style while thew h a r e n u i at Takahanga marac, K a i k o u r a is ademonstrat ion par excel lence of his boundlessconceptualisation and his capacity to depict the spiritof Maori voyaging from times past and to futures yetto happen.

At Waiomatatini and Waipiro Bay on the EastCoast, and also at Manutuke and Waituhi, near TeKaraka, and at Koroniti on the Wanganui River, thefruits of his painstaking restoration are evident in thenow resplendent houses, Porourangi, Iri te Kura,Rukupo, Rongopai and Te WaihTrcrc. The old and thenew rest comfortably with each other; there is no clash.Instead the artist's capacity to blend, to reflect, and toportray underlying themes and spirit, has led to theemergence of harmony and consensus whered i s j u n c t i o n and conf l i c t might otherwise haveprevailed.

Cliff Whiting has brought those same qualities,harmony and consensus, to his style of teaching andmanagement. Whether as a lecturer at the PalmerstonNorth College of Education, or a member of the Maoriand South Pacific Arts Council (and he was one of thevery first appointed members), or as Chairman of TeWaka Toi within the Queen Elizabeth Arts Council,he has been able to combine his deep knowledge ofhis subject with effective and inspired leadership. Ifever there were doubts about the place of Maori artand culture within contemporary New Zealand, thosedoubts have been effectively dispelled. Now, asKaihautu of Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of NewZealand, he has particular responsibility for ensuringthat at a national level, the portrayal of our heritage isbalanced and meaningful, and that all New Zealanderscan relate to the many messages about our past andour future.

These accomplishments, impressive though theyare, speak not only of the man, Cliff Whiting, but sayas much about the growing body of knowledge, bothacademic and practical, pertaining to Maori culture,art and artistic expression. A range of polytechniccourses in Maori art, Maori c o n t r i b u t i o n s tomuseumology, and a four year university degreeprogramme in Maori visual art at Massey University,owe something of their origins to the work of a

dedicated group of Maori artists, Cliff Whitingincluded. Those pioneers dared to go beyond the safetyof the shore to explore the uncharted waters of theabstract, the tangible, new textures, shapes, the etherealand the earthy. They recognised the limitations ofwestern concepts and perspectives and, equally, thedangers of fossilising art in the stereotyped moulds ofearlier eras. What they have created is a vibrant,pulsating dynamism within which Maori art andculture can take form as it searches for new frontiers,bringing in the process a distinctive dimension to theNew Zealand identity.

Cliff Whiting is an artist, a scholar, a teacher, aleader and a educator. Few New Zealanders have attheir command such a wide range of insights andunde r s t and ings , nor do many of us have theopportunity or the skills to contribute to the art andculture of the nation in the way that he does. It is apleasure and an honour to be able to recommend himfor the conferment of the degree of Doctor ofLiterature.

To toki, c hika, ko Hui-te-rangiora,To toki, e hika, ko Atua-haemata,To toki, e hika, ko te Rakuraku-a-Tawhaki!Tend hoki te Manawa-ka-ue,Tend hoki te Manawa-ka-pore,Ko taku manawa ra ka hoake mohou,Te Manawanui-o-rangi,Ko Hou-tina, ko Hou-maota,Ko te Ahutu koe, ko Horo-te-po e,Ko Marua-nuku, ko Marua-rangi,Ko Hau-whakaturia, ko Whakahotu-nuku,Ko Whakahotu-rangi, ko Tu and ra,Ko Te Ao-marama, aue!Ko Tatai-arorangi, ko Te Huapae ra,Ko te Rangi-hopukia, ko Hinehuhuritai,Me ko Manutangirua, ko Hingangaroa.Ka tu tona wharc Tc Ra-wheoro e,Ka tipu te whaihanga, c hika, ki Uawa.Ka rim te whakautu, te Ngaio-tu-ki-Rarotonga,Ka riro te manaia, ka riro te taowaru,Ka taka i raw na, i a Apanui e,Ka puta ki Turanga, ka hangai atu koe,Ki te ao o te tonga, i patua ai koe,Kia whakarongo mai e to tlpuna papa,E Te Matorohanga, na i!

Kei te Tumu Whakarae, te whakarauika o te WhareWananga, nga iwi o te motu tena koutou katoa. Kia

HC PUKenga KOrerO Koanga (Spring). Volume 2. Number I . 1996

uia atu ratau katoa nga rarangi toa, nga hou kotuku,nga tumu whakarae o roto i a te Te Whanau-a-Apanui,i noho noa ai nga maunga whakahl, nga aw a whai uri,nga onepu, nga toka tu moana, nga tahuna tapu, ngahakuturi o te ngahereherc, te ora o te haupapa o te iwi.Haere ra koutou nga nohanga whakanui o te iwi, ngararangi awatea, moe mai koutou, okioki.

Kei te Tumu Whakarae, te whakarauika o te WhareWananga, he uri a Clifford Hamilton Whiting no TeWhanau-a-Apanui. Ko Huriana Herewini tona koka,no tera o nga hapu o Te Whanau-a-Apanui no TeWhanau-a-Kaiaio. Ko tenei wahine a Huriana hetohunga rawa ki te raranga whariki, raranga kete. Kotc matua o Cliff he Pakeha. Ko tenei tangata hehumarie, he tangata matau ki nga tikanga Maori mo teono kai, mo te hii ika, hangai tana titiro ki temaramataka Maori hei tohu i ana mahi.

I tipu ake a Cliff i runga i nga toka o te ngutu awa0 Te Kereu, he whltau here atu ki te oranga o tehaupapa. A, pakeke noa i te poho o ona matua me aratau tohutohu. I kuraina a Cliff ki te kura tuatahi, kuratuarua o Tc Kaha i kona ka tutaki i a Merv Antist. Ikona ka tipu te whakaaro nui ki roto i a ia ki te ringau-a-toi, te whakatinana i ta te hinengaro titiro, i ta tehinengaro whakaaro.

Me kii ra koia tenei ko te 'Kura nui, ko te Kuraroa' e korerotia nei. Kua pakeke ke ona pumanawa inga hau awhiowhio a ona matua, te tuku ki a ia, taeatu hoki ki nga piringa taiao o taua takiwa o TeWhanau-a-Apanui. Na, ka hua te whakaaro. Kihai iwaiho e Cliff enei whakaaro hei moemoea. Heoi, ewhakapono ana ra tatau te iwi Maori, he hua kai roto1 te moemoea, ina te tauira o te moemoea. Rokohangaatu e kite nei tatau katoa i nga hua o te moemoea aCliff kai runga i nga paetara o nga whare o te motu,kai runga ko ana kupu whakawhanaunga i te ao Maoriki te ao kei te tu mai.

Ko te momo rco o te mahi toi me nga tikanga o teKura Nui, Kura Roa o nga tlpuna o te wa kainga tetuapapa, te poupou whakairi korero mo nga uriwhakaheke hei whakarei, hei whakamatarae, heiwhakatumutumu i waenga i te wa kua hipa, i waengai te wa kai te to mai. I korerotia ai c ona matua "Ehikamahia nga mahi ".

Ko te ao o nga tlpuna te rakau tapu, mo te tauirakokomo penei i a Cliff. Ko tenei te tau o to ate heitukituki i nga whakaporearea o te wa e manakohia anae Cliff. Kahore enei momo wahi i tukua, engari ka tutonu hei tokotoko arai atu i te pohehe kia puta te raoraoroa o rehua nui.

E te Tumu Whakarae, kua omakia tenei omangaroae Cliff Whiting. Ko tana ringaringa toi kai te mau kite kei o te matauranga Maori-a-toi, a-marac, a-kainga,a-hincngaro tauira, ki tc whakawhanaunga mai i teuaua, i te pohehe, i te awangawanga, ki te raranga i teauaha kakahu tangata mai tetahi ao ki tetahi atu ao.Ko te koha kii tena a tona koka a Huriana, me tanahoa tane i waiho iho ki a ia. Kua tiria e ia tenei momomara, kua hauhaketia nga pua. Ko ia tonu te mataracmo nga mahi toi nunui o tcnei motu. Ko ia te tumuhere tangata, o te matauranga, here wawata hoki. Ki amatau ko ia te rehua o te ra, hei poupou nui mo te tohuTakutatanga. Ka hau ona rongo ki nga wahanga katoao te iwi Maori. Ko te matauranga Maori kai roto i tehua mai o nga ketc o te wananga i rarautia atu eTawhaki. Ka tipu whakaritorito:

E ngau te waha ki te tuaE ngau te paepae toiKoia nga tapuKoia nga popoaKoia nga whareKoia nga urungaKoia nga tapuMahihi ora ki tc whaiao,Ki te ao marama

Whaiuru atu e tc Tumu Whakarae, kahore eneimomo matauranga i tc mea hou ki a Cliff Whiting,nana i whakawatea kia noho ai te wehi ki tc wahi etika ana, te whakaaro hou hei parirau whakarere i temomo reo-a-toi a te iwi. He maha ratau nga momotangata, wahine i whakangaua ki tenei momo paepaepopoa a toi. Kihai rawa i huri mai te tuara o Cliff kinga kii atu o ona matua o Te Whanau-a- Apanui. Engariko aua tohutohu i hapaina e ia mo te taiao ki nga roheo te motu. Rokohanga ka whakairotia e ia eneitohutohu ki te rakau a Tanc, ka mau a ringa ki te toi kita te Maori tumanako. Ka whiriwhiria i te po, i teawatea, i te po, i te awatea.

Ko Cliff, klhai rawa ia e hiahia kia whakaritea iaki te wehi o ta tc tohunga titiro ki ana mahi, engari kahapainga e ia te aroha. Ka hapainga e ia te kupuwhakatipu hinengaro, kupu whakaahuru hei hiki i ngamahi kia mauritau ai. Ka pupuri ka whai ta tona kokaa Huriana i whakaO. Kei nga wahi katoa ana korero,ana kupu, ana pukapuka-a-kura, pukapuka hapai i tereo, nga kainga noho o te whanau me nga marae kanoho hei pukenga korero mo te iwi e marewa ana. Konga tukutuku, ko nga kowhaiwhai, ko nga waitohu o

HC PUKCnga KOrerO Koanga (Spring), Volume 2. Number 1996

te hunga o tera rau tau nana i hoatu he parirau heikai ma te whatu o tenei whakatipuranga. Ka maroke terakau ka pakaru ona piha ka huaina e ia he kawa houhei matapopore i aua taonga. Mai i Te Kaha kiWhangaparaoa mai Tawhiti, ki Waiomatatini, kiPorourangi, ki Iri te Kura, ki Rukupo, ki Waipiro, kiManutuke, ki Waituhi, ki Te Karaka, ki Rongopai, kiTc WaihTrerc, ki Mataatua, ki Te Waimana, ki Ruatoki,ko Kuramihirangi ko Rangimoaho, ki Koroniti te aw ao Whanganui, ki Te Kupenga o te Matauranga, kiKaikoura, ko Takahanga marae, Te Waipounamu.

Ka takahi ona waewae ki roto, ki mua, i ngakaupapa whanui-a-toi o te motu. He pouako o nga kuratuatahi, tuarua, he pukenga ki te whare Takiura ki Papa-i-oea, he kaihautu, kaiarahi i waenga i Te Waka Toi,Te Kaihautu o Te Papa Tongarcwa. Kai enei turangakatoa e taea c ia te whakawhanaunga i te wairua o tematauranga o nga taha e rua.

Kai te takoto ana tohu i roto i nga whare taonga.Ko nga hua i puta i ana mahi, he orite ki nga puaataahua o te pohutukawa i te raumati. Kua tipu i a ia,kua awatea te reo o toi, kua awatea te reo o ona matua,kua awatea te takiri mai o te hincngaro tauira. Kairoto i a ia te ia o tona tlpuna, a Kaiaio me nga momotoa o te kainga, a Tamahae, a Te Ehutu hoki.

E te Tumu Whakarae, ko te ika topuni tenei no terao nga hapO o Te Whanau-a-Apanui, no Te Whanau-a-Kaiaio. He tohunga, he ngarahu, he kaitiaki, he ahomatua, he ipu whakainu i te iwi ki nga hua rcka-a-toi.He iti rearea enei momo tangata, rakci whakairiwawata mo nga iwi e rua o Aotearoa Maori, Pakeha.E matau ana ia kia hapaina te ahurei nui, te hungamaharanui, tc uira e hikohiko mai ana i runga i aMaungaroa, kia tuhikitia, kia tuhapaina te matamatao te momo matauranga o tenei o nga Whare Wanangao tc motu, te tohu nui whakaharahara, te kakahu waeroo ona tlpuna kia whakakakahutia ki te kakahu nui otenei Whare Wananga te tohu Takuta, te Mareikura kia ia, ki a ratau hoki ko tona iwi, tona hapu, tona whanauki nga rarangi tlpuna i whakawatea i a ia ki enei momomahi.

E te Tumu Whakarae:

To toki, e hika, ko Hui-te-rangiora!

Ko Clifford Hamilton Whiting o Te Whanau-a-Apanui

Te Whanau-a-Apanui panel.