he tangata whenua whakapapa roopu vol. 20 issue #4 ... reo november 2013.pdfn e w s l e t t e r te...

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ISSN 1176‐4767 [Print] ISSN 2253‐2870 [Online]

He Tangata Whenua Whakapapa Roopu

Vol. 20 Issue #4

NOEMA/NOVEMBER 2013

Special Interest Group No.76 of the

New Zealand Society of Genealogists Inc. The MIG formed in 1993 & was ratified by the NZSG at the Christchurch Council Meeting on

Saturday the 3rd December 1994

Official Publication of the NZSG Māori Interest Group www.nzsgmig.com

Volume 20 Issue 4 NOEMA/NOVEMBER 2013

NZSG MĀORI INTEREST GROUP

TE REO Kaumātua : Sonny RAUWHERO (Auckland)

Executive Committee 2012-2013

Please address all correspondence to the MIG Secretary as below;

New Zealand Society of Genealogists Atten: Māori Interest Group Secretary

PO Box 14-036 Panmure

Auckland, AKD 1741 NEW ZEALAND

or Mëra-hiko/E-mail: Mā[email protected]

with the Subject line "Māori Interest Group"

CONVENOR : Mr. Owen ORMSBY

SECRETARY : Mrs. Brenda JOYCE TREASURER : Mrs. Brenda JOYCE NEWSLETTER EDITOR : Mr. Bruce MATHERS

COMMITTEE : Mrs. Lorraine RICE Mrs. Celia GEARY Mr. Trevor MOSLEY

RESEARCH ADVISORS : Mrs. Lorraine RICE [Advisory only] Mr. Trevor MOSLEY [Advisory only]

WHAKAPAPA ADVISOR : Mrs. Brenda JOYCE [Advisory only] WEBMASTER : Mr. Bruce MATHERS ARCHIVIST : Mrs. Brenda JOYCE Our Archives are stored at the NZSG FRC LOOKUP SERVICE : Mrs. Brenda JOYCE EXECUTIVE LIAISON : Mrs. Brenda JOYCE [Māori Interest Group only]

When corresponding with officers of the MIG you must always quote your NZSG Membership Number and include a LARGE Stamped Self-Addressed Envelope [SSAE]

with your letter if a reply is anticipated.

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IMPORTANT NOTICES—PLEASE READ! 4

TUPUNA TAONGA—PATU ONEWA—PAPAHARAKEKE 6

MĀORI PIONEER BATTALION 13

WHĀNGAI—DIFFERENCES—ADOPTION AND FOSTERING 16

CAN YOU HELP—CONTACT SOUGHT 18

STOP PRESS—NZSG FAMILY RESEARCH CENTRE 19

MISSING MAIL 20 WHAKAPAPA RESEARCH AT NATIONAL LIBRARY & ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY 21

MATARIKI—MĀORI NEW YEAR 22

MIG QR CODE 24

Membership of the NZSG Māori Interest Group is $5.00 and you must be a financial member of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists Inc.

Up-to-date Membership details should be obtained from the MIG Secretary prior to joining.

IN THIS ISSUE

Please have all material for the next newsletter [Pepuere/February 2014] to the MIG Secretary before

the 25th Hanuere/January 2014

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IMPORTANT NOTICES PLEASE READ!

Kia mau koe ki nga kupu o ou tupuna =

CONVENOR’S MESSAGE:

Tēna hoki koe i ō tātou aituā e hingahinga haere nei. Kua karangatia ō tātou pūkō-rero, kua tangohia atu ngā manu tīoriori, kua pāngia ō tātou mate e te ringa kaha o aituā.

Greetings to you and our dead who con-tinue to fall, our great men of oratory have been called, our great women of song have been taken, our dead have been touched by the strong hand of misfortune.

However we are blessed indeed by all the knowledge that has been passed on, for it is that knowledge which continues to bind and cement our relationships one with each other within Te Ao Māori .To those of Nga Tauiwi who wish to be a part of Tan-gata Whenua in their whakapapa / gene-alogy journey for their uri, naumai, hae-remai.

We have lost many this year as the poro-poroaki above has indicated, we need to be mindful that this is a journey that we

all must make in due course and it is how we relate to our people collectively both tangata whenua and tauiwi in our genea-logical journey and the blessings that come from partnerships and interaction with assisting others.

A genealogical journey as we prepare and research our records for the future gen-erations that need to carry on our work and the training of our youth in geneal-ogy, whakapapa and research, a journey that has no end.

It is paramount that we get past the fact that we are a multicultural society, for in saying such we ignore the fact that we are principally a bicultural nation of Euro-pean (Pakeha) and Tangata Whenua (Māori). The stumbling block for many is the realisation that Tangata whenua are bicultural whereas many Europeans are mono cultural. It is the Europeans (Pakeha) who need to change if we are going to move forward on equal parity with our genealogical pursuits.

“Once our people were many, Once we owned the land from the sun rise to the sunset,

Once our fires twinkled at night like the stars of a fallen sky,

Then the white man came.”

Tecumseh (North American Indian quote)

This quote could also be that of New Zea-land, and though there has been growth and change across the nation, equal par-ity still has a long way to go especially within the New Zealand Society of Gene-alogists, where whakapapa Māori is still primarily tokenistic and white supremacy as in the majority race rules and therefore dictates.

(Continued on page 5)

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EDITOR’S MESSAGE: Tēna Koutou,

It is hard to believe that Christmas and the New Year are only days away! 2013 has been a tumultuous for us personally and it is good to have the year’s events now behind us and we are really looking for to 2014 as it is going to be a good year!

Next year however, is looking to be tur-moil for the NZSG especially with the mammoth task of moving the FRC early next year – but hopefully short term pain will be long term gain for the society. The past twelve months have been a period of strong stability for our group and with each passing event the MIG attends we are gaining more and more prominence and respectability and new committee member Trevor MOSELY has added yet another dynamic to the group. However as the MIG expands, so too do the de-mands on our loyal volunteers and it is here, that we need your help as our Con-ference, FHF and Expo tables are becom-ing increasingly busier over time.

MIG has graciously accepted the invita-tion to attend the Thames Expo (17th May) and on this regard we need more people to help manage the table – there are mem-


We have worked hard as the Māori Interest Group to gain leverage with all of our work and many great things have happened and we have increased membership with Māori and European New Zealand, to those members and supporters nga mihi nui kia kou-tou we are appreciative and will continue to support you all.

Recently I attended the surprise 60th birthday of the Princess Tomairangi at Te Ohaaki Marae in Huntly and the richness of bicultural identity and interaction was wonderful to see with European bloodlines flowing and mixing with Māori bloodlines cementing and intertwining becoming one.

It is with occasions like this and others that we can see the interaction of two peoples working well together within each other and with each other and as such it gives

(Continued from page 4)


Hold fast to the words of your ancestors

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bers of our group whom have regularly attended the Thames Expo but because of the demands on them, they still have not had the opportunity to leave our stand and explore the event themselves or visit The Treasury.

Even if you do not feel confident in your own Whakapapa knowledge you can still help out by simply taking down the con-tact details of any interested patrons and our more experienced team can follow up. So if you are able, please consider giving just a couple of hours to give our regular team a short break. Please con-tact Brenda at [email protected] if you are able to help.

Next year will also see NZSG Council Elec-tions come around, is there a MIG mem-ber willing to stand for council elections to embody tangata whenua?

This year has seen three family members

pass away and Christmas is a time to treasure their memories and as always I remind you all to take advantage of the summer holidays to catch-up with family and update the Whakapapa and to share your knowledge of our ancestors for the next generation… ‘people die only when we forget them.'

Meri Kirihimete - Merry Christmas

Kia mau koe ki nga kupu o ou tu-puna (hold fast to the words of your an-cestors).

Hei Kōnei ra,

Bruce MATHERS/Puruhi MATERA Editor/Webmaster. November 2013


TUPUNA TAONGA – PATU ONEWA - PAPAHARAKEKE

Rotorua Museum was hosting ‘Sing Aotearoa’ this year at Labour Weekend and my 3rd cousin, Michael Littlewood whose wife Vivien was participating, thought that this would be an ideal opportunity to see if a visit to view our Tupuna Taonga would be possible. After much negotiation on Michael’s part with the Museum and the Te Arawa Trust Board, agreement was reached and the event was advised to some of the family. From an original group of half a dozen interested family members, the group on the day grew to 23 direct descendants of Papaharakeke through his daughter Tiraha with


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10 partners. Ages ranged from the over 80 year old Aunty Betty Pilcher and her hus-band John, to Megan and Nicki Cook who have not yet reached their teens.

We met at the Rotorua Museum on Friday 25th October at 1pm and were warmly wel-comed to the Museum by Manaaki Pene, Collection Manager for the Museum. She then took us downstairs to a meeting room on the lower ground floor where our Tu-puna Taonga Papaharakeke was displayed in its archival box. The Mihi Whakatau was led by Mauriora Kingi, Director Kaupapa Māori with the Rotorua District Council. He was supported by Anaru Rangiheuea who is a Trustee of Papaharakeke and Manahi Bray – both of whom are members of Te Pukenga Koeke o Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa. Pamela Lovis, Deputy Director of the Museum and Manaaki Pene were also in support throughout the afternoon.

On behalf of the whanau attending, Graham Cook responded with his mihi including a wonderful rendition of the whakapapa of Papaharakeke, the man and the line down to himself. His waiata ‘Te Ngao o Te Wheiao’ was full of heartfelt meaning and much appreciated by all those attending. Anaru Rangiheuea spoke in light of his role as Trustee and was followed by John Cook talking of his research into William and Ti-raha Cook (Papaharakeke’s daughter). Michael Littlewood then told us about his jour-ney over the last few years discovering his links to this early Pakeha-Māori family from the North.

The formal part of the welcome was completed by Mauriora Kingi and due to the size of the room, only the senior manuhiri participated in the hongi with the Museum’s representatives. We were all then invited to hold the patu onewa and pose for whanau and individual photographs. For most of us the opportunity to hold this Tupuna Taonga was an unbelievable experience. While the patu was never held by our tupuna, the fact that it bears his name with such reverence and that the story is still linked strongly to the manner of his passing gave many a chill as they picked it up and cast their thoughts back in time.

Once the photographer Robert Jones, had exhausted his patience in waiting for each group to get together for their photos and all the individuals posing with threatening looks as they held the patu, Anaru Rangiheuea gave a blessing for the afternoon tea that the Museum had provided. We all moved into the dining room where the real ac-tion was taking place. This was whakawhanaungatanga in action.



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Although I had attended the 2006 Cook Whanau Reunion at Labour Weekend in Wai-kare, Bay of Islands, I had not met most of these whanau members before. We looked for family likenesses amongst the different family groups and then for the same looks amongst ourselves. We met as strangers in knowledge but family in blood and by the end of the afternoon we were swapping email addresses and phone numbers to keep in touch. We now all claim Aunty Betty as our own matriarch.

Once the viewing and afternoon tea were over, we were invited to tour the Museum to view the other treasures it holds. At this stage, most family members broke away into their own groups – the talking did not stop however and all who visited that day were very glad they came.

The whole afternoon was a very moving experience. There is no known picture or de-scription of Papaharakeke the man, but through his death and the efforts of Hongi Hika to mark his passing, we have been able to make a connection back through time. Michael Littlewood has been warmly thanked by us all for bringing us together for a very special remembrance of a man we are part of.

The Rotorua Museum and Te Pukenga Koeke o Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa are also to be congratulated for having had the courage to let us loose with such a revered taonga. It is hoped that this event will lead to others being able to reconnect with their



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own tupuna taonga held in Rotorua Museum and other repositories throughout Aotearoa. I would encourage other families to get in touch with Museums in their rohe to see if these connections can be re-established.

Background - The Auckland War Memorial Website Te Kakano, states in part that Ngapuhi warrior, Papaharakeke (my 4th great grandfather) was killed by Tuhourangi at Motutawa Island on the encouragement of Te Rauparaha. The patu onewa ‘Papaharakeke’ was made by Ngapuhi to seek retribution for the death of Papa-harakeke, but was never used. In 1933, the Hon. Sir Apirana Ngata presented ‘Papaharakeke’ to Te Arawa as a token of friendship from Ngapuhi. Later that year, Mr Hamuera Tai Mitchell deposited ‘Papaharakeke’ in the Auckland Museum on be-half of the Te Arawa Trust Board. ‘Papaharakeke’ was returned to the Te Arawa Trust Board in 2007.

Jack Lee in his book ‘I have named it the Bay of Islands’ supports this story with infor-mation given to him by his wife’s family connections.

The patu is made of stone measuring 12.8cm x 7.6cm, it is made of dark grey to black stone. It has 3 grooves on the butt and a cratered wristcord hole. The blade is blunt and the surface is worn and polished.

Further reference is made to the death of Papaharakeke in The Taonui Manuscript written in 1849 by Aperahama Taonui, a son of Makoare Taonui, chief of the Te Popoto iwi of the Ngapuhi federation. He was born about 1815 and lived at Omanaia in the Hokianga - so he was living and reporting on events happening in his lifetime. In 1848, John White, son of Rev J White of Mata, Hokianga, asked him to write down the history of the Ngapuhi, which he did in 1849, in a small notebook of 43 pages. This notebook was presented some years later to the Auckland Institute and Museum Library where is it now catalogued as the Taonui Manuscript.

The relevant passages from his manuscript read as follows:

“Te Raho begot Tihe Tihe begot Wheki Wheki begot Papa Papa begot Tiraha who lives in Paihia



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Papa died at Rotorua, murdered by Te Raupahara (sic)

This was the reason for (Ngapuhi) going to Rotorua. Ngapuhi sought to kill them so it was by treachery, a house was built, those visitors were called to the house. The high fence had been finished, being made beforehand. There were sixty men, and three hun-dred locals. Maori dogs were killed, the hair was burnt in the fire so that the odour should come to the visitors, so that they should say food for us, no, it was a deception. Te Rauparaha stood up and said an incantation. And he got the canoe. Those men were killed by him and he paddled to shore. The sixty were all eaten.”

Lorraine RICE.

References:

The Taonui Manuscript – Aperahama Taonui, 1849, AIL. ‘I have named it the Bay of Islands’ – Jack Lee, 1983 Te Kakano - http://muse.aucklandmuseum.com/databases/sitetekakano/pageloader.aspx?site=tekakanoresources&page=home


THE MERE / PATU

The Mere, also known as a Patu or Waihaka, is a short flat club style Māori weapon. It was usually made from bone, wood or greenstone. It was used by skilled Māori warriors in hand-to-hand combat and in the right hands it was deadly. Warriors who carried a mere were considered to posses great strength and honour. More recently the mere represents the facing and overcoming of challenges life presents.

A patu is a generic term for a club or pounder. The word patu means to strike, hit, beat, or subdue.

Mete Kīngi Te Rangi Paetahi was one of the first four Māori Members of Parliament elected in 1868. Wearing a uniform and holding a patu.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mete_Paetahi

Mete Kīngi Te Rangi Paetahi

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MATTERS OF THE HEART. A History of Interracial Marriage in New Zealand. Angela Wanhalla. Auckland University Press, 01/08/2013 - 316 pages.

Brenda has reviewed this Book for the NZSG to be pub-lished in the NZG shortly.

weight to the Māori Interest Group to be seen not just as the Māori Group but sitting in equal parity within NZSG as the Māori voice for NZSG in whakapapa and genealogi-cal pursuits.

This could be our stance with the next Council election, if we do not take a stand we always play second fiddle and is this where we want to be when we too are equally, if not more so the true New Zealanders with our bicultural heritage and identity.

Have we become removed from our past in that we are so busy chasing our identity back to the old world, that we forget those thousands of European men and women who married into the Māori race by choice, loved their spouses and partners and



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raised their children as New Zealand citizens taking pride in both cultures and their respective practises and customs.

The following gives weight to the question are we ‘ at home’ or is there a rush to be-come what our ancestors were, and not what they have contributed to New Zealand society and their relationship to and with Māori.

“The contemporary quest for roots is a response to the trauma of displacement associ-ated with migration. That which has become a global commonplace which individuals are able to conduct meaningful, morally, defensible and authentic staff narratives from the ambiguities and discontinuities of their migrant histories and thus recovering a sense of being ‘ at home’ in the maelstrom of modernity.” (Sykes, 2006, p.76., Blood of the Isles).

It is our ethical responsibility as New Zealanders to embrace all people on equal standing with no one having the right to question one’s ethnic identity and practises, this responsibility reflects the reciprocal nature of values and reasoning of whakapapa and genealogical research relevant to the people, our members and for all who come into contact with us.

In closing and on behalf of the Māori Interest Group we wish to acknowledge all those of the committee and members who have supported and engaged with us and we look forward to further meetings and interaction in order to assist with the best of our abil-ity.

Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me Te Tau Hou A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Mā te Atua koe e tiaki e hoa ma God be with you all.

Owen ORMSBY—Convenor Māori Interest Group NZSG Inc November 2013


The Māori Interest Group Committee in order to best serve our members in their research of whakapapa and genealogy is requesting from our members their hapu (sub tribe of kindred family connections) affiliations and the iwi (principal tribe) that their hapu connects to and the rohe (region) in which that hapu resides. This information will be strictly confiden-tial to the Māori Interest Group Committee and will enable us to best support your requests in research and to align and connect with you with other families with similar research names and hapu affiliations.

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MĀORI PIONEER BATTALION

Did a member of your whānau serve in this battalion during World War I?

Next year is the centenary of the outbreak of The Great War and a significant time to remember and pay tribute to those men who fought in battle and especially those who were wounded or never returned home.

At first the government was unwilling to recruit Māori but such was the pressure from the iwi that the Māori Pioneer Battal-ion was raised. Over two thousand vol-unteered of whom 336 died and 734 wounded. In 1914 the Land Wars were within living memory and the bitterness was still there so it is not surprising that some kaumātua discouraged their men from fighting the Pākehā war. The sur-prising fact is that so many men did vol-unteer. The Battalion fought mainly on


NZ Pioneer Battalion soldiers at the funeral of Lt-Colonel King at Ypres, Belgium 1917

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Australian stretcher-bearers carrying a wounded man from the Chailak Dere 1915

Māori pioneers at the front, Gommecourt, France, 1918

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the Western Front and at Gallipoli.

Now is the time to research your whānau’s contribution to the war effort. They might not have been a member of the Battalion but those at home suffered too. The young children without fathers: women without their husbands: older people without their sons. In 1914 Māori were mostly living in the country, living off the land. With the young and fit men gone to war the women and children had to undertake the heavy work of farming and fishing.

Start your research now. There are so many websites devoted to Māori in WW1 and I’m sure Ancestry and Find My Past will soon be producing new data bases of war records. Try New Zealand Electronic Text Collections hosted by Victoria Univer-sity of Wellington (Google NZTEC). Here I found a list of all those Māori who died in the war and also a Roll of Honour.

Write your whānau story and share it with our roopu. We will publish it in Te Reo and on our website. It can be as short or as long as you like. Photographs would add interest. Send it any time from now to the end of next year.

Send your work to [email protected] or by NZ Post to Brenda JOYCE 17 Peterhouse Street Tawa Wellington 5028. This will be a ma-jor koha to the membership of the Māori Interest Group and to your whānau. BJ


Officers of the N.Z. Pioneer Battalion, 1919.

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WHĀNGAI – DIFFERENCES FROM ADOPTION AND FOSTERING

The whāngai system was open. It was done with the full knowledge of the whānau or hapū, and the child knew both their birth parents and whāngai parents. Rather than being the sole decision of the mother or parents, a wider community was involved in the decision.

Adoption and fostering are ways to find homes for children who are unwanted or whose parents have died, whereas in the case of whāngai, parents often gave up children to comply with the custom. Whān-gai children were often wanted by both families. While whāngai has received some legal recognition at various times, it has largely operated outside the legal processes of adoption.

The demigod Māui is one of the most fa-mous whāngai in Māori tradition. When he was born, his mother believed he was dead so she wrapped him in her topknot and

cast him into the sea. Māui, however, survived and washed ashore. He was found by his grandfather, Tamanui-ki-te-rangi, and was raised as a whāngai and trained in his whakapapa, tribal tradi-tions, haka and waiata. He eventually returned to meet his birth mother and father. This is a common type of whān-gai, where a child is raised by a grand-parent and schooled in tribal traditions.

QUEEN VICTORIA AS MATUA WHĀNGAI

Hariata Pōmare and her husband Hare were in England with a Māori tour party in 1863. The party met Queen Victoria who, observing that Hariata was preg-nant, asked to be the child’s godmother. When the baby was born he was named Albert Victor, and along with his parents was presented to the queen. It was later noted, ‘Kaore pea etahitangata i te mohio


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Births Dec Qtr 1863—http://www.freebmd.org.uk/ Surname First name(s) District Vol Page POMARE Albert Victor Edmonton 3a 138

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he tamaiti whāngai Maori ta te Kuini, ko te tamai a Pomare, no Ngapuhi’ (few are aware that Queen Victoria has a Māori child as a whāngai, a child of the Pomare family, from Ngāpuhi).

Source: Basil Keane. 'Whāngai – customary fostering and adoption - The cus-tom of whāngai', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 13-Jul-12 URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/whangai-customary-fostering-and-adoption/page-1

READ THE FULL STORY: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1p21/pomare-hare


CAN YOU HELP? INFORMATION WANTED—CONTACT SOUGHT

GRACE AND TAUKAMO FAMILIES—CAN YOU HELP?

I am trying to find whakapapa information for the families Grace and Tau-kamo who came from the Ruatoria / Tupuroa area and I am wondering if anyone has submitted any whakapapas for these families.

My specific interest is in Ngawhira Grace and her parents. She married a Rewi Taukamo

Many thanks Lorraine BRENNAN Email: [email protected]

SURNAMES OF INTEREST—CAN YOU HELP?

HEREAKA Te Arawa Rotorua WINEERA Ngati Toa, Ngati Kimihia Porirua RANKIN Ngapuhi, Ngati Rahiri Kaikohe MOON Ngapuhi, Ngari Rahiri Kaikohe KAWHARU Ngati Whatua Auckland

Alan TUNNICLIFFE PO Box 29144 Fendalton Christchurch, CBY 8540 Email: [email protected]

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A STABLE FUTURE FOR THE NZSG FAMILY RESEARCH

CENTRE The past three months have been a period of investigation and review towards identi-fying a solution which meets the needs of our Society.

Council acknowledges the stress this has placed on some members of our Society, and particularly on our staff and volun-teers at the FRC. We have unfortunately been unable to share the very real pro-gress being made over the relocation of the Family Research Centre with anyone else in the organisation. This is because of the extreme commercial sensitivity of the information involved, and the risk that any “leak” would pose to our negotiations.

What's the news? Council is now able to share the outcome of those deliberations with you.

For the foreseeable future, our Family Research Centre will be

remaining at 159 Queens Road, Panmure.

Back to square one? How did that hap-pen? As you know, there were some serious concerns about the present FRC prem-ises, particularly the water leaks in the

building which posed various risks to our staff, volunteers, members and the library collection itself. Equally unacceptable to us was the imminent rent rise. Despite our best efforts we had been unable to resolve these issues with the landlord. We were faced with no other choice than to accept the building in its current condi-tion, or terminate our current lease ar-rangements.

This led to us informing the landlord on 31 August 2013 that we would not be renewing the lease when it expired on 30 November.

Council increased its ongoing activity to find a new home and identified three suit-able premises. They all tick most of the boxes on our wish-list. In the meantime, our landlord, faced with the reality of los-ing an excellent sitting tenant and his inability to find replacement tenants in the time available, became more open to negotiations and, as you already know, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with us on 8 November extending our tenure until 28 February 2014.

The terms of the memorandum include specific undertakings to investigate and rectify the leaks in the building and make various other repairs. If these items are not fixed by 28 February, the tenancy can be extended on a month by month basis.


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When - and only when - the repairs are completed to our satisfaction, our original lease can be signed up for an additional three years at the current rental. This would remove our two primary reasons for leaving Queens Road.

How was the decision made? At the Council meeting held on 23-25 November, Council reviewed all aspects of all the options currently available, and after weighing them up has decided that our best option in the short term is to remain at 159 Queens Road. While we took into consideration issues such as staff and volunteer retention if we were to move away from Panmure, and the con-siderable attachment many of our mem-bers feel for the premises, the greatest consideration had to be the long-term financial sustainability of the NZSG. The current rental is lower than for two of the other options, but the third option, which had lower rental, would have required substantial fit-out, plus the cost of re-moval. The security of tenure offered by the terms of the memorandum with the current landlord was also a convincing factor. Our property advisor's report about the four properties concerned and

general market conditions supported our ultimate decision.

How can we be sure the problems will be fixed now when they weren't before? We believe the landlord is now seriously committed to rectifying the problems with the premises. His builders have already re-investigated the problem areas thor-oughly and believe they have discovered the source of the leaks. The landlord is now organised to begin extensive work on the building within the next couple of weeks. The repairs will be rigorously tested before we accept that they are com-pleted to our satisfaction and sign any further agreements. Should that not hap-pen, we already have month by month security of tenure assured until other suitable premises can be found. This places us in a very favourable position should we have to house-hunt again.

We acknowledge and regret that the wait for this decision has been a long and diffi-cult one for us all. We hope you will all be as relieved and pleased as we are with the outcome.

Gay Williams Acting President on behalf of NZSG Council Newsletter e-KIT Special Edition 014, 26/11/2013


MISSING MAIL: Several letters addressed to the Māori Interest Group C/- the FRC, PO Box 14036, Panmure, Auckland 1072 have gone missing. Two, originally posted in May and July of this year have been found but there could be others. If you have sent letters to this address and not received a reply would you please contact me (Brenda) urgently. Thank you. Brenda JOYCE, MIG Secretary and Treasurer, [email protected] ; 17 Peterhouse Street, Tawa, Wellington, WTN 5028. Ph (04) 232 5786.

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WHAKAPAPA RESEARCH AT NATIONAL LIBRARY & ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY

These two institutions work together to provide monthly lunch time talks on family history. They concentrate on the resources of their institutions and how to access these. September’s talk was on whakapapa. Below are tips and advice that I gained and that you might find of use.

* Staff are keen to assist researchers from out of Wellington. Go to the home page of National Library. Click on the Ask a librarian link at the top of the screen. The pub-lic are encouraged to use this service. You never know: you might find a way to break down the proverbial brick wall.

* Do a runanga search for your iwi or hapu. * Explore the AtoJs. Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives. * From National Library home page carry out searches for geographical areas of New

Zealand as well as people’s names. * Tapuhi. Here you can search by name, iwi and hapu. * Use lateral thinking when searching for Māori names i.e. spelling variations, angli-

cised versions of names, indexed under given name as well as surname. * Māorimaps give details of marae. * The list below gives websites that are free to search and where the full text is avail-

able on line.

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WHAKAPAPA: An introduction to

researching Māori and Pākehā-Māori

families, their history, heritage, and culture.

NZSG Māori Interest Group, 2008. 38 pages A4. $18.00 includ-ing P&P within New Zealand. Avail-able from the Secretary of the NZSG Māori Interest Group: Brenda Joyce, 17 Peterhouse Street, Tawa, Welling-ton 5028 or NZSG, PO Box 14036, Panmure Auckland 1741.

The first edition of our Whakapapa guide was written nearly four years ago and, mainly because of recent legislation, has become outdated. The committee worked hard to write an updated and expanded edi-tion. This was launched at the AFFHO Congress in Auckland, January 2009. It discuses the phi-losophy underlying whakapapa re-search and includes many more examples of documents that can be accessed and where to find them,

useful websites and suggested answers to many frequently asked questions.

Above: MIG interpretation of how the Society’s banner could possible look sometime in the future with the addition of a Māori name for our society.

MATARIKI—MĀORI NEW YEAR—NOT JANUARY! Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. It rises just once a year, in mid-winter – late May or early June. For many Māori, it heralds the start of a New Year. Tradition-ally, Matariki was a time to remember those who had died in the last year. But it was also a happy event – crops had been harvested & seafood & birds had been collected. With plenty of food in the store-houses, Matariki was also a time for singing, dancing & feasting.

Source : Paul Meredith. 'Matariki – Māori New Year', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zea-land, updated 4-Dec-12 URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/matariki-maori-new-year

TE REO PAGE 23

DISCLAIMER

The Editor and Webmaster welcome contributions for publication, but reserve the right to edit as necessary. The views expressed are not nec-essarily those of the Society, MIG, Editor, Webmaster and/or the Committee, and we

therefore do not accept any responsibility for information or opinions expressed.

All information is provided in good faith as a general reference source only and which is given for Genealogi-cal purposes as possible finding aids. The Society, MIG and their executives cannot vouch for the accuracy of any reference material.

The Māori Interest Group occasionally provides Maps as a general reference source only and the researcher should undertake more in-depth research, once the broad proximity of the Iwi has been identified.

When corresponding with officers of the MIG always quote your NZSG Membership Number and include a LARGE Stamped Self-Addressed Envelope [SSAE] with your letter if a reply is anticipated. E.&O.E. BM

N.B. I am very reluctant to publish member’s E-mail addresses only in Te Reo – I don’t think that this is being fair to those members without access to the Internet and it is also limiting your own chances of receiving a reply to only those members with the Internet. BM

MIG OBJECTIVES

1/. To assist others researching Māori Whakapapa by way of sharing our knowledge of areas of research.

2/. To compile a list of repositories, books etc that will assist with Māori research.

3/. To acquire books purchased through the Māori Inter-est Group for all [NZ] members to use via the FRC.

4/. It is noted we will not be researching for others but offering assistance to give others a channel of research that may help them. We have a research officer who will offer assistance in an advisory capacity.

MIG Services: Quarterly Newsletters; February, May, August & November. Published Newsletter Queries. Brief Research Queries Answered. Members Surname/Whakapapa Interest List.

*MIG Subscription: Membership of the New Zealand Society of Genealogist Māori Interest Group is $5.00 and you must also be a Financial Member of the New Zea-land Society of Genealogists. [*Ratified MIG AGM 27th August 2011]. Those NZSG Members wishing to receive hardcopies of the MIG newsletter Te Reo must supply the MIG Secretary with four (4) A5 envelopes with a $1.20¢ stamp on each envelope (subject to postal in-creases). Up-to-date Membership details should be obtained from the MIG Secretary prior to joining.

MIG Meetings: Usually in conjunction with the NZSG Annual Conference—This is usually the MIG Annual General Meeting. BM

NZSG MĀORI INTEREST GROUP LOGO (Also see Te Reo Noema 2006 pg13)

Tukutuku Panel. Dyed flax woven over strips of wood to produce a design of a series of steps or putama. These steps represent the staircase to heaven that the god Tane climbed to get the three baskets of knowledge for the Māori people.

• Te kete-tuatea (basket of light, present knowledge) • Te kete-tuauri (basket of darkness, things unknown) • Te kete-aronui (basket of pursuit, knowledge humans currently seek)

The steps can also be seen as generations on a whakapapa or family tree chart. Thus the logo represents learning and family history research. BJ

He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata What is the most important thing in the world? ‘Tis people, ‘tis people, ‘tis people.

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© NZSG MIG 2013 BRM 50

Te Reo—Proudly Sponsored by Bruce since 2001

The current MIG Executive term began on the 2nd June 2013 at the NZSG Pukekohe Conference & will end at the 2014 AGM. The MIG formed in 1993 and the NZSG ratified the MIG at the Christchurch Council Meeting on Saturday the 3rd December 1994.

Registered with the Charities Commission on the 30th June 2008—Registration Number CC34423.

MIG QR (or Quick Response) code, this is an application for smartphone users. With the one we have created here, it will take the scanner to the MIG website – just think of

it as an electronic business card!

TE REO - The Voice of the NZSG MIG Reference source:

The Reed Pocket Dictionary of Modern Māori . P.M. Ryan 1999.

he tangata whenua whakapapa roopu vol. 20 issue #4 ... reo november 2013.pdfn e w s l e t t e r te...

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