Tag: Maori

The Signing of Te Tiriti, Wellington, 29 April 1840

Louise

Did you know that as well as being signed in Waitangi on 6 February 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was also signed in other parts of Aotearoa throughout that year?

Ngā mihi ki a koutou katoa i tēnei wā COVID-19.

He pānui tēnei – ānei ngā rauemi ā-ipurangi mā koutou e kimi, mā koutou e tuku i ō koutou kāinga.

Usually our libraries commemorate the signing of Te Tiriti/Treaty of Waitangi in Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington, 29 April 1840, through special events, displays, and the lending of relevant books or audio-visual material on the kaupapa of Te Tiriti. 

Unfortunately our bricks and mortar libraries are currently closed due to the COVID-19 crisis. However our Māori Specialist Librarian, Ann Reweti, has put together a comprehensive selection of rauemi/resources about Te Tiriti and its signing in Te Whanganui-a-Tara in 1840. These can be accessed through our website or the internet and we are very pleased to provide online links in this special blog.

Lockdown is the perfect time to learn more about our local history and how modern day Wellington and New Zealand have been shaped by our unique past, and the relationships between mana whenua and the crown. Take some time to have a look at these wonderful resources  – for a concise overview of history, places where treaty copies were signed, and lists of signatories to the treaties in each of eight locations –  from the comfort of your own kāinga/home.

NZHistory.govt.nz – Treaty of Waitangi information includes the following topics: the Treaty in brief; English and te reo Māori texts; signings and locations of eight treaty documents; Tiriti timeline; biographies of Tiriti participants.

Te Ara – always presents a good New Zealand story for any discussion –  and there are three video reconstructions around the the signing of Te Tiriti.

Bridget William Book Treaty of Waitangi Collection – This amazing collection of ebooks is available on our Wellington City Libraries ELibrary page. You will need your library card and pin number to access these full-text scholarly works.

NZETC (New Zealand Electronic Text Centre) – These links will take you to the full text versions of the following books:

Early newspaper articles weave some thoughts of Te Tiriti:

Papers Past – Access to New Zealand newspapers from 1843-1845.  

Times Digital Archive (1785-1985) – Full text and searchable, every page of every issue. You will need your library card and pin number to access these.

Other useful resources, including videos:

British Parliamentary Papers: Colonies

The Waitangi Collection: Nz On Screen

National Library Of New Zealand: He Tohu and He Tohu Kōrero snippets

Te Tiriti Based Futures And Anti-racism 2020  – An online conference, 21-30 March, 2020. Includes Jen Margaret and  Julia Whaipooti.  

There are also fantastic audio tapes available from RNZ:

And don’t forget, you can always see the Treaty itself in Wellington at the National Library of New Zealand.

 

William Barnard Rhodes-Moorhouse VC (Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Ruanui)

Ligia

As ANZAC Day 2020 approaches, it is timely to revisit the life of William Barnard Rhodes-Moorhouse (Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Ruanui) and honour not just his distinction as the first Māori airman, but also as the first British airman to receive the award of Victoria Cross for his bravery in World War I.

Born in 1887 in Britain, Rhodes-Moorhouse and his siblings did not learn of their Māori ancestry, through his mother Mary Ann Rhodes, until 1908. Sadly, William Barnard died on 27 April 1915 after receiving horrific injuries during a successful bombing mission. However, his wife Linda, and son William Henry, followed in his footsteps and both developed a passion for flying and gained their pilot licenses in 1931.

William Barnard’s son, William Henry, joined the 601 “Millionaires” Squadron at the outbreak of World War II and received a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in July 1940. Sadly, he died later that year after being shot down over the English town of Tunbridge Wells.

Learn more about William Barnard Rhodes-Moorhouse, and his brave and fascinating family, in the document below. You will also find links to further articles, a film, and a documentary.

Lockdown Goals – Kickstart learning te reo Māori

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Resources to learn the Māori Language

We have these two amazing books in our catalogue that would be just perfect to get you started in learning te reo Māori but, before you race to the catalogue to download them and get started, I need to let you know that just one of them is available as an ebook, the link is below.

The amazing author, Hēmi Kelly, wanted to help everyone out and he has started a Facebook group called  “A Māori Phrase a Day”.  He has selected phrases from the book that everyone can learn as a helpful resource during the level 4 Rāhui (lockdown).

It’s a public group so just click here to go directly there.  If you just want to watch the videos in order (as the feed is full of positive feedback and questions for Hēmi so may be hard to find), you can just click on the video tab to find all the videos together.

Now to his titles here on our catalogue:

A Māori phrase a day : 365 phrases to kickstart your reo / Kelly, Hēmi
Also available as an ebook now, check it on Overdrive.
“A Maori Phrase a Day offers a simple, fun and practical entry into the Maori language. Through its 365 Maori phrases, you will learn the following: Everyday uses English translations Factoids and memory device Handy word lists Presenting the most common, relevant and useful phrases today, A Maori Phrase a Day is the perfect way to kickstart your te reo journey!” (Catalogue)

A Māori word a day : 365 words to kickstart your reo / Kelly, Hēmi
“A Maori Word a Day offers an easy, instant and motivating entry into the Maori language. Through its 365 Maori words, you will learn the following
– English translations
– Word category, notes and background information
– Sample sentences, in both te reo Maori and English
Exploring the most common, modern and contemporary words in use today,  A Maori Word a Day is the perfect way to kickstart your te reo journey!” (Catalogue)


Okay so now you can go and put one of these titles on your reserve list and, just in case you hadn’t heard the good news, reserves are free and you can choose any of our library branches (once we reopen) to collect them from.  Actually just before you do that, read on and check out a couple of apps I’ve listed below that you can use on your phone to learn Māori kupu as well.

Apps to learn Māori Language Vocabulary

Here are two apps, Tipu and Kupu that you can use on your phone to learn te reo Māori vocabulary.  If you would like to make some labels to learn the words for everyday items around your house then I suggest you take a look at the app ‘Kupu’. It’s lots of fun taking photos and learning the te reo Māori translations of many of the objects in your own home bubble.

Tipu will help you to learn Te Reo Māori quickly!

Koi is your teacher and she has an innovative Personalised Progression Memory which allows her to remember what words and phrases you know and which ones you need a little extra testing on. This ensures that you are learning as quickly as possible.

Download Tipu here 

Kupu is really easy to use and of course, lots of Wellingtonians will need the kupu for coffee!   Simply take a picture and Kupu will then use image recognition to identify what the object is in the picture and provide Te Reo Māori translations for the object(s). 

Perfect to label things in your bubble! 

Download Kupu here

 

 

You might be surprised to discover you already know quite a few of the kupu when you start watching the Facebook videos or using these apps.  Philip Matthews in a Stuff article published on the 8th Sept 2018 titled ‘The borrowers: Why you are speaking more Māori than you think’  says that;

There will be around seven Māori words in every 1000 words of New Zealand English, including the names of places and people. That may not sound like a lot, but it is relatively high and it makes New Zealand unique among post-settler societies, historians say. You do not see similar borrowing at work in Australia and North America.

So you may know more than you think!  If learning te reo Māori is one of your lockdown goals and a way to make the most of some the free time you might have during the lockdown period or you could use it as a break from work, if you are working from home, then give it a go! Or to say it in te reo Māori,  karawhiua!

That’s all from me for now, so yes, you can go and put one of Hēmi’s titles on your reserve list now!

Ka whiti mai te rā!

Ligia
Ra Vincent, Anchor Stone (2004), stone, Whairepo, The Lagoon

Whānau, friends and citizens of Te Whanganui-a-Tara,  gathered on this year’s Waitangi Day at Whairepo, The Lagoon, in front of the Wharewaka to observe and participate in the re-dedication of the punga: anchor stone, sculpted by Ra Vincent,  which formerly graced Civic Square.

Ra Vincent has blessed our city with four other public works.

Ra Vincent, Pou Whenua, (2005), stone, corner Lambton Quay and Molesworth Street
Ra Vincent, Te Waka Pou, (2007), stone, wood, bronze, corner of Oriental Parade and Herd St
Bodhi and Ra Vincent with local rangatahi, (2012) , Taranaki Street

“The Tenths Trust gifted twin 6.3-metre Pou Whenua (tribal boundary markers) designed by Te Atiawa sculptor Ra Vincent. The Pou Whenua stand as if on the former beach, symbolising upturned waka. The perimeter of the site is landscaped with plantings.”
(– From Wellington City Council)

The Waka Pou stands in Waitangi Park and commemorates migrations of Pacific Islands people and Europeans to New Zealand.

Read the full article here.

A brick sculpture was created in Vivian Street from bricks which once buried  Waimapihi Stream. These bricks were uncovered during excavations of a culvert on the site of the planned Z petrol station. Check the full article with a photo here.

Ra and his father, Bodhi Vincent, have also created a mural in Taranaki Street, with help from young people:

“The design is based on kowhaiwhai patterns that emphasise the spirit of the building’s proximity to coastal waters, and Māori as kaitiaki (guardians) of the land.” (from Wellington City Council)

Mana Whenua of Te Whanganui-a-Tara are proud to claim Ra Vincent as one of their uri – firstly for his beautiful works around the city, but also for his inclusion in the latest Oscar nominations.

His incredible achievements have been chronicled in various websites from IMDB , his personal website, to articles (here, here and here) and so many more.

Congratulations, Ra, for your second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Production Design – (following on from 2012 The Hobbit : an unexpected journey)  –  such a very proud moment for your whānau and for our city and citizens as well.

Apirana Taylor entertains: Waitangi Day celebrations 2020

Ligia

Wellington City Libraries present two sessions with Apirana Taylor, for school-age children, at He Matapihi Molesworth Library situated on the Ground Floor, National Library of New Zealand on Thursday 6 February as part of the Waitangi Day commemorations.

11.30 am
1pm

These two sessions will fall between the National Library’s two bilingual tours of He Tohu and will complement their programme.

Waitangi Day at He Tohu – ‘Walking backwards into the Future’

Waitangi Day at He Tohu is an opportunity for you and your whānau to see the Treaty of Waitangi.

Activities will include:
– whānau and bilingual He Tohu tours
– tours of National Library digitised collections
– a reading corner with books/ comics and other Treaty resources
– film from Nga Taonga Sound and Vision, and a
– kids’ craft table with Treaty-related activities to help the new generation walk backwards into the future.

The Octavius Hadfield Collection

Gábor

Wellington City Libraries is proud to launch an online, digitised collection of correspondence from one of New Zealand’s most significant missionaries and supporters of Māori rights, Octavius Hadfield.

Octavius Hadfield Papers on Recollect

These original letters and diary extracts were gifted to Wellington City Libraries by his daughter, Amelia Caroline Hadfield, in 1951 and are now easily available to read for the first time as part of our heritage database, Wellington City Recollect.

Hadfield arrived in New Zealand shortly before the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and soon made his way to Kāpiti. There he befriended Te Rauparaha and was able to prevent the great warrior making a retalitory attack on Wellington following the Wairau ‘Affray’ of 1843. Te Rauparaha and his son Tāmihana later encouraged Hadfield to establish the Rangiātea church in Otaki. He worked closely with Māori communities, introducing them to farming to allow them to engage with the settler economy and became a fierce critic of the NZ Government because of their actions in causing the NZ Wars. Despite many Europeans turning against him and even accusing him of treason, in 1870 Hadfield became the second Bishop of Wellington and then in 1890 he was elected to head the Anglican Church as Primate of New Zealand.

These letters are amoung our most valuable taonga and offer a fascinating insight into the mind and thinking of one of the greatest New Zealanders of the colonial period. Each document includes a full transcription.

Discover these taonga and more on Recollect .