Have you ever felt caught in something that had nothing to do with you? Or have you ever been drawn by something, some event, some incident that took you outside the normal things you did each day?
When questions like “How the heck …. ? ‘ or “ What on earth am I doing here?” buzzed your brain but you knew it was the right thing to do? When, despite the uncertainty or pain, every bone-cell in body, mind-cell in your mind, and spirit-cell of your spirit told you – its okay !
You knew you had to do it until you no longer felt that driving knowing force. Or until you told yourself “That's it! Had enough. I'm out of here!”
Fire of Wharekauri is a forum to tell the story of a journey that took me far from the freedom of dong ordinary things and dumped me seemingly, in the fires of hell. As the legacies of a treaty signed last century, draped its torn feathered cloak over my shoulders, my life changed beyond all understanding.
That sounds like I had no choice in the events when in fact, as I look back, there was always something that I was drawn to that kept me going on the most challenging, rewarding and humbling of journeys.
While those years also took me many places far beyond the shores of the big lake below the family farm at Te Marama where I grew up, the torn feathered cloak honed me for things that were to come.
The greatest task was taking on the government and the tribes of mainland NZ, in the internationally renowned case over indigenous fishing rights, now called the Sealord’s Deal. While I could not have done it without the knowledge and guidance of my mother, Minnie Heni Tuuta (nee Pomare), it is time to tell you why and how I did it.
Time and Life has moved on and it is time to reflect.
The Fire of Wharekauri
I recently read that chaos and orderliness exist together and that we cannot have one without the other. Deeprak Chopra reckons our lives are already organised from within ourselves and that as human beings, we are more comfortable with order. Disorder is uncomfortable and threatening. It is probably why we have so many laws regulations and rules !
The Fire of Wharekauri will simply tell the stories of what I did and how I survived the confusing chaotic and uncertain years of finding solutions for people’s pain and problems as they struggled to settle their grievances of the past.
I am telling my story for those who may want to know, for those who have asked questions and received no answers and for those who still want to know about things that happened. The work and the story continues and those affected by events, need to know what is going on now, and that probably includes you.
Communication and information from those who have the responsibility of taking care of our Islands and assets, has dropped to an all time low and that is unacceptable. How can we know what to do if we don't know what's going on?
This site is my contribution to breaking through the old ways of working so that we can korero. We have to find ways to talk to each other. You are free to comment on the site and to say what you want to say on things that matter to you about our Islands.
More importantly, this site is the continuation of my stories that I tell to my mokopuna, Te Moananui-a-Kiwa Sergio Ross Erueti-Newman, who has inherited stories in his name and who will one day, inherit the land of his tupuna. One day, he too will have to make decisions about the islands and he will want to know, like me ' what the heck ….?’. I don't want him to research remote archives and memories of others, to find out what and why I did what I did.
Facing the Fire
For those of us tied to the whakapapa of the land, the islands of Wharekauri are our home. Linked by the ancestral ties of our pito, the Island keeps its calming cloak around us, reminding us of ourselves as we were, as we are but more importantly, who we can be. We often know what to do but how many of us listen or actually do? Others simply don't know what to do or are stuck in an old rut and cannot or refuse to move.
The Islands of Wharekauri are archetypical, like ancient seers they have the capacity to calm the cauterised heart and the same time, to amplify the egoism of the human condition.
" Everything lands in a heap " reflected one of our wise old kaumatua.
Sitting 800 kms east of New Zealand, there has been an implosion of confusion and fear in recent times, and this has permeated the whole Island as old systems, resources and management and governance collapse.
The magnitude is silencing. the disconnect painful to be in and to watch happening. Worst of all, we don't talk or look after each other as we go through these tough times. My mother told many stories of how they use to do things but it seems to me that talking, caring and sharing was a big part of life then.
As tribal people descendant from ancient times, the tribal models of managing our whanau, farms , fish, trees, plants animals, birds, flora and fauna, have collapsed under the confusion of dynamic global change. We are all being forced to learn new ways as changing world economies and climates patterns transform our lives. So what's new? This is history repeating itself and we, of all the tribes of New Zealand, have born the brunt in modern times, of the myths that have evolved from this phenomena.
As for the fish...oohh well...we were warned by those of old!
Isn't time to set a vision for the future for ourselves, our whanau and our islands?
It's time to Korero !
Evelyn
Fire of Wharekauri is a forum to tell the story of a journey that took me far from the freedom of dong ordinary things and dumped me seemingly, in the fires of hell. As the legacies of a treaty signed last century, draped its torn feathered cloak over my shoulders, my life changed beyond all understanding.
That sounds like I had no choice in the events when in fact, as I look back, there was always something that I was drawn to that kept me going on the most challenging, rewarding and humbling of journeys.
While those years also took me many places far beyond the shores of the big lake below the family farm at Te Marama where I grew up, the torn feathered cloak honed me for things that were to come.
The greatest task was taking on the government and the tribes of mainland NZ, in the internationally renowned case over indigenous fishing rights, now called the Sealord’s Deal. While I could not have done it without the knowledge and guidance of my mother, Minnie Heni Tuuta (nee Pomare), it is time to tell you why and how I did it.
Time and Life has moved on and it is time to reflect.
The Fire of Wharekauri
I recently read that chaos and orderliness exist together and that we cannot have one without the other. Deeprak Chopra reckons our lives are already organised from within ourselves and that as human beings, we are more comfortable with order. Disorder is uncomfortable and threatening. It is probably why we have so many laws regulations and rules !
The Fire of Wharekauri will simply tell the stories of what I did and how I survived the confusing chaotic and uncertain years of finding solutions for people’s pain and problems as they struggled to settle their grievances of the past.
I am telling my story for those who may want to know, for those who have asked questions and received no answers and for those who still want to know about things that happened. The work and the story continues and those affected by events, need to know what is going on now, and that probably includes you.
Communication and information from those who have the responsibility of taking care of our Islands and assets, has dropped to an all time low and that is unacceptable. How can we know what to do if we don't know what's going on?
This site is my contribution to breaking through the old ways of working so that we can korero. We have to find ways to talk to each other. You are free to comment on the site and to say what you want to say on things that matter to you about our Islands.
More importantly, this site is the continuation of my stories that I tell to my mokopuna, Te Moananui-a-Kiwa Sergio Ross Erueti-Newman, who has inherited stories in his name and who will one day, inherit the land of his tupuna. One day, he too will have to make decisions about the islands and he will want to know, like me ' what the heck ….?’. I don't want him to research remote archives and memories of others, to find out what and why I did what I did.
Facing the Fire
For those of us tied to the whakapapa of the land, the islands of Wharekauri are our home. Linked by the ancestral ties of our pito, the Island keeps its calming cloak around us, reminding us of ourselves as we were, as we are but more importantly, who we can be. We often know what to do but how many of us listen or actually do? Others simply don't know what to do or are stuck in an old rut and cannot or refuse to move.
The Islands of Wharekauri are archetypical, like ancient seers they have the capacity to calm the cauterised heart and the same time, to amplify the egoism of the human condition.
" Everything lands in a heap " reflected one of our wise old kaumatua.
Sitting 800 kms east of New Zealand, there has been an implosion of confusion and fear in recent times, and this has permeated the whole Island as old systems, resources and management and governance collapse.
The magnitude is silencing. the disconnect painful to be in and to watch happening. Worst of all, we don't talk or look after each other as we go through these tough times. My mother told many stories of how they use to do things but it seems to me that talking, caring and sharing was a big part of life then.
As tribal people descendant from ancient times, the tribal models of managing our whanau, farms , fish, trees, plants animals, birds, flora and fauna, have collapsed under the confusion of dynamic global change. We are all being forced to learn new ways as changing world economies and climates patterns transform our lives. So what's new? This is history repeating itself and we, of all the tribes of New Zealand, have born the brunt in modern times, of the myths that have evolved from this phenomena.
As for the fish...oohh well...we were warned by those of old!
But you know what ? .....Myths are just stories and memories of past times and they are a powerful tool to teach us lessons for our time. Life, however, will force us to take reality checks if we continue to live on and in our myths.
We are born to use the things of our time and world to do the best we can for ourselves, our whanau and the world in which we all live. We cannot live in or change the past, but we can certainly do something about the present and future.
Fortunately, this is a time when new ideas and things happen and that is most exciting. It is the hope and the wairua that drove the creation of this Wharenui. We have so much and as history repeats itself, let's take those lessons and go for it. DO SOMETHING !
It is almost as if we have gone full circle. In the 1800’s, we were very much part of the international trade routes of the world. Back then, our economic patterns were tied to the vessels that traversed the oceans of the world and called for supplies or fish. So what 's new? Whales, seals, paua and crayfish, the Boat ? We all have a boat story!
We are born to use the things of our time and world to do the best we can for ourselves, our whanau and the world in which we all live. We cannot live in or change the past, but we can certainly do something about the present and future.
Fortunately, this is a time when new ideas and things happen and that is most exciting. It is the hope and the wairua that drove the creation of this Wharenui. We have so much and as history repeats itself, let's take those lessons and go for it. DO SOMETHING !
It is almost as if we have gone full circle. In the 1800’s, we were very much part of the international trade routes of the world. Back then, our economic patterns were tied to the vessels that traversed the oceans of the world and called for supplies or fish. So what 's new? Whales, seals, paua and crayfish, the Boat ? We all have a boat story!
Today however, we are overwhelmed by our reducing ability to cope, as things no longer work the way they use to and in some instances, have gone all together. So too, are our people going.
Doesn't it make good sense to have a yarn about what we have left and to plan a different future then the one that is dragging us all along now ? There is no doubt that we have to change our thinking and ways if we are to build a better future for ourselves.
Doesn't it make good sense to have a yarn about what we have left and to plan a different future then the one that is dragging us all along now ? There is no doubt that we have to change our thinking and ways if we are to build a better future for ourselves.
We have to do it not as individuals but as independant self- functioning human beings who care about what happens to whanau and for the Islands.
Whatever is, it will take commitment and hardwork by all. Fish won't do it...they just want to be fish!
As our new leaders decide upon new ways to look after our dwindling resources or what's left of them, what do we as a tribal people, want for ourselves? What do you want for yourself?
As our new leaders decide upon new ways to look after our dwindling resources or what's left of them, what do we as a tribal people, want for ourselves? What do you want for yourself?
What do we want our tribe to do and be for us? How do you think we should achieve this?
Isn't time to set a vision for the future for ourselves, our whanau and our islands?
What do you want for the survival and sustainable development of your Island papakainga?
Isn't time to think about our mokopuna and the legacy we will leave them? What is your vision for them? What do you want them to inherit from you ?
Isn't time to think about our mokopuna and the legacy we will leave them? What is your vision for them? What do you want them to inherit from you ?
It's time to Korero !
Evelyn
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