Te Tiriti o Waitangi: 6 Huitanguru 2024

Te Tiriti books

Kia Tūpato: let’s begin this kōrero (in somewhat turbulent times) with a waiata from Morvin Simon:

And as we pause — kia maumaharatia anō Te Tiriti o Waitangi, me hora te aroha engari anō te rirhau, spread love not anger — ngā kupu mōhio nō ō tātou rangatira:

Here are some resources for Te Rā o Waitangi, gathered from ngā hau e whā…

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Piki Ake, Kake Ake! Bill Oliver Prize 2023

The Bill Oliver Prize is a bi-ennial award for the best book on any aspect of New Zealand history, and the 2023 winners were announced at the New Zealand Historians conference in Christchurch recently. Huge congratulations to:

  • Paul Diamond (Ngāti Haua, Te Rarawa, Ngapuhi) for Downfall: the destruction of Charles Mackay.

    Downfall: the destruction of Charles Mackay / Diamond, Paul
    “In 1920 New Zealanders were shocked by the news that the brilliant, well-connected mayor of Whanganui had shot a young gay poet, D’Arcy Cresswell, who was blackmailing him. They were then riveted by the trial that followed. Mackay was sentenced to hard labour and later left the country, only to be shot by a police sniper during street unrest in Berlin during the rise of the Nazis. The outcome of years of digging by historian Paul Diamond, ‘Downfall: The destruction of Charles Mackay’ shines a clear light on the vengeful impulses behind the blackmail and Mackay’s ruination.” (Adapted from catalogue) Also available as an eBook – Downfall, by Paul Diamond.

    Read reviews of Downfall from RNZ and The SpinOff.

  • Rachel Buchanan (Ngāti Haumia, Taranaki, Te Atiawa) for Te Motunui epa

    Te Motunui Epa / Buchanan, Rachel
    “‘This is a story about the power of art to help us find a way through the darkness. It is about how art can bring out the best in us, and the worst. The artworks in question are five wooden panels carved in the late 1700s by relatives in Taranaki.’ This stunning book examines how five interconnected archival records, Te Motunui Epa, have journeyed across the world and changed international law, practices and understanding on the protection and repatriation of stolen cultural treasures.” (Adapted from catalogue)

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Remembering Te Pāhuatanga o Parihaka, November 5 1881

Remember, remember, Te Pāhuatanga o Parihaka; the passive resistance of Te Whiti and Tohu. There are now a growing number of books and online resources celebrating their lives and deep commitment to the idea of passive resistance. Have a browse and a read of the titles and resources below, learn more and begin to understand this history.

Josiah Martin, ‘Parihaka’ – Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki (1880)

Click through to read about the stories of Parihaka, Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi — the books and links in the list below lay out their foundation kaupapa of peaceful resistance:

Remembering Te Pahuatanga o Parihaka: a Booklist by Wellington City Libraries
Remembering Te Pāhuatanga o Parihaka: a Booklist by Wellington City Libraries

Also included in the booklist above, are some online articles and biographies, collected on Digital New Zealand, that tell the stories of Te Whiti o Rongomai (d. November 1907), and Tohu Kākahi (d. February 1907) and help us remember them.

If you would like to jump straight to this collection of resources, you can find all of these resources collected at the link below:

Remembering Te Pahuatanga o Parihaka: A DigitalNZ Story by Wellington City Libraries
Remembering Te Pāhuatanga o Parihaka: A DigitalNZ Story by Wellington City Libraries

 

And for tamariki, here is a post from our Kids’ Blog with pukapuka and rauemi about Parihaka:

Remembering Te Pāhuatanga – Rauemi about Parihaka for Tamariki
Remembering Te Pāhuatanga – Rauemi for Tamariki

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2023: Whakanuia te mahi tā Morvin Simon: kia kaha te reo Māori

Morvin Simon MNZM
Morvin Simon MNZM, 1944-2014. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons and the Governor-General/Government House website

Morvin Simon, 1944-2014
Te Āti-Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Tuwharetoa
b. Kaiwhaiki Marae, Whanganui River
Composer, kapa haka leader, choirmaster and historian

In this Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, let’s remember the special team of Morvin and Kura Simon, who gave a life’s partnership to sustaining Te Reo Māori and enhancing Māori performing arts:

Morvin composed many waiata including our workplace favourite: (Te Aroha 1983) – so simple and yet so beautiful but he composed many other waiata such as:

His wife Kura was his pou for the last seven years of Morvin’s chronic ill-health. Kapa haka is a wonderful way of promoting te reo and they brought aroha and whanaungatanga to the lives of rōpū such as Te Matapihi, and Te Taikura o te Awa Tupua.

Together, in 2013, they were awarded Queen’s Birthday honours – Morvin as Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, and Kura as Queen’s Service Medal , for their services to Māori.

In the previous year, 2012, Morvin received an honorary Bachelor of Arts (Māori Performing Arts) from Te Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.

Our library has copies of Morvin’s history of pā of Whanganui – Taku Whare e! but his tuhituhinga included:

Te Kohanga reo, he ahurewa mana = A language nursery, seedbed of dignity (1990)

1946-1996 Hui Aranga : “Te Aranga Ake” = “The Resurrection” (1996)

A century of Maori song : a collection of words and music for 56 traditional and contemporary Maori songs of the 20the century. Volume one (2002)

He whakaaro hei korero (1991)

and a section of Te Wharekura. 46: Te Taonga nei o te tikanga.

Morvin exhorted his learners to be always prepared for any occasion:

You never know when you just might have to step up to the plate and get your reo on:
Moea to taiaha ; Moea to patu ; Moea to poi

Sleep wth your taiaha, sleep with your patu, sleep with your poi / Be prepared for the unexpected.

Learn more:

Whakanuia: BWB Texts Collection

The Bridget Williams Books – Text Collection is a diverse group of short eBooks on the big issues facing Aotearoa. Dive in to discover stories, insights and analysis by some of Aotearoa’s best writers and commentators. The collection is available to read online for free by logging in with your WCL library card here.

In 2013 BWB launched the first of their 100 BWB Texts series. A celebration of this milestone is happening at National Library at 6pm on Tuesday 26 September. Speakers on the night include Morgan Godfrey, Rebecca Kiddle, Rebecca Macfie, Damon Sales and Tom Rennie.

My all-time favourite Bridget Williams Book, and top of the charts, is Imagining Decolonisation (2020) because of the kōrero of Moana Jackson in the launch of the text at Unity Books:  Read Anahera Gildea’s account of the “slim book that invites us to dream big.”

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Auē in And Just Like That

Sharp spotting and posting by Makaro Press: Becky Manawatu’s novel Auē, winner of the Jann Medlicott Acorn Pride for Fiction, 2020 and the Ngaio Marsh award for best crime novel, 2020, wins a walk-on part in And Just Like That, the revival and sequel of television series Sex in the City.

How could this possibly happen? Well, it seems that Sarah in her role of literary icon, Carrie, along with that show’s writers, delights in choosing which books she will carry as an accessory to her character.

But there is a further association with New Zealand culture. She enjoys New Zealand sauvignon blanc, and in 2019 became a business partner in Waikato’s wine Invivo.

Still haven’t read Auē? Reserve it from our catalogue:

Auē / Manawatu, Becky
“Taukiri was born into sorrow. Auē can be heard in the sound of the sea he loves and hates, and in the music he draws out of the guitar that was his father’s. It spills out of the gang violence that killed his father and sent his mother into hiding, and the shame he feels about abandoning his eight-year-old brother to another violent home. But Arama is braver than he looks, and he has a friend and his friend has a dog, and the three of them together might just be strong enough to turn back the tide of sorrow. As long as there’s aroha to give and stories to tell and a good supply of plasters”–Back cover.” (Catalogue)