He aha te koha mai i a Tane-rore ki te ao? Ko te haka, e, ko te haka :
Symposium on Maori Performing Arts
Saturday 2 October 2010; 5.45pm; Nga Wai o Horotiu Marae, AUT University, Auckland

Te Ururoa Flavell; MP for Waiariki

‘Kapa haka as a tool of social transformation’

It is an honour to be with you for this symposium and congratulations to Te Ipukarea – the National Maori Language Institute for organising the hui and drawing together such a knowledgeable line-up of speakers.

This is a key forum to celebrate and invigorate Maori performing arts and the artists that give expression to our traditional knowledge, our mätauranga me ona tikanga through haka, moteatea, poi, waiata-a-ringa, waiata-aroha, pao, mau taiaha, whaikorero, karanga – our taonga.

We as Maori must be the exclusive keepers of the cultural and intellectual property of Maori performing arts. In our role as guardians, we must uphold our responsibilities and obligations to exercise mana motuhake in relation to our cultural taonga, including the whakapapa, mana, mauri, ihi and wehi of these taonga.

Why? Simply because there is so much at stake here that we must take that role seriously. The loss of these taonga is not just about the loss of history, but it closes off a vibrant and living part of who we are.

Not that that will happen for some time. I heard just recently the impending Te Matatini Festival referred to as a “war” and as the “Maori Olympics”. Both wars and the Olympics have been with us since way back so we should be okay. But, we must always keep monitoring what we are doing which I am sure will be part of this conference.

But it has always worried me that those in the many groups that participate in our performing arts may only see that participation as just another sport and that we miss the chance to contribute to the transformation of our people. And transformation is something we may need.

Talking about social transformation is easy enough but making it happen is harder because it can only happen if the people want to participate or if that transformation is a desired outcome. This is what I thought I would explore with you tonight as you start your conference.

I was interested to learn that at the symposium held last November in Beijing, there were a wealth of papers that reminded us of the powerful associations that can come with kapa haka. Topics like:

• Te Urikore Biddle : the role of kapa haka and Maori performing arts in the political struggles of the indigenous peoples of NZ;

• Patariki Hape: copyright laws and performing rights within the context of Maori Performing Arts

• Charles Royal – Moteatea – traditional Maori chanted song poetry.

I am sure that this conference will continue in the same vein.

Let me say firstly however that I am really humbled and privileged to be on a speaking list with the icons of performing arts in Aotearoa over the years to the present day. When I saw the speaking list, it is almost like a “spot the kore mohio” competition!! That’s me.

You have former teachers of mine who would all agree that I was a great student. You have former students of mine, and of course people I admire greatly for their contributions to Performing Arts. It is going to be an exciting conference.

To be truthful, I was reluctant to participate. What could I possibly contribute to a discussion on the performing arts that was not going to being dealt with by this great list of speakers? Perhaps that’s it. Being outside of the square might allow me to offer some thoughts which some may not consider or believe appropriate to say. If I can stimulate some debate, I would have done the job.

Being first speaker is a good start. I don’t have to cross off any points of my speech …….

My latest claim to some fame on the stage was being Co-Stage Manager at the last Te Matatini Festival in Tauranga when the stage was rained out and then at the Te Arawa regionals. Well, if you want to make a name for yourself, go for something big I say!!

Actually perhaps I do come with some credentials

As a young student at St. Stephens School, I, like all of my peers hoped to make the Concert Party as we were called then, singing the same programme they sang five to ten years before I got there. I, as Concert Party Leader did exactly the same for the next intake at school being none the wiser. It was what was done

I think it was part of the master plan of us singing all of those war songs to sweeten up the parents and grandparents so they would send their young fine men to Tipene. Singing of the feats of the 28th Maori Battalion was to hold them up as the role models we needed to aspire to. And for most of us, it worked.

One would make it to the 1st XV games, and a vibrant “4 short” would always get us the oh and ahs!! A good old, Utaina, Poutini, Toia mai and a wicked “Ka mate ka mate” was enough for our parents and supporters to say, “they are scared, you boys are in…..” another good win for Tip. …..again…. and again….

Being at an all male boarding school meant we could do some showing off when we left the school grounds and impress the ladies.

I remember when we came to the Auckland Town Hall one year for a competition and believed we would win it with “Poropeihana” some 20 years maybe after that haka was actually written. Why would we? Because we did it well from our perspective but besides that, it was the only haka we knew along with Mangumangu Taipo and the “four short”.

It was the same again at Auckland University Maori club. Why? Because most of the tutors were Old Boys of St. Stephens. The likes of Skip Paenga, Hone Kaa and so on.

I finally made it to Te Roopu Manutaki under the tutelage of Dr Pita Sharples when we won the equivalent of Te Matatini in Whangarei in the seventies when there was real kapa haka!!!

I believe the Minister of Maori Affairs owes me for my part in that performance………. even if I was in row four!!

Since then I have ended up tutoring school groups and can claim some fame for writing a haka and an action song and winning titles with secondary schools.

I am now retired although I did think of joining my cousin Te Wetini Mitai Ngatai and Te Mataarae i o Rehu. The running I could do, jumping….. dicey….. but the landing on knees, na no good.

Like I say, it is Stage Manager for me now and I can still say that will hit the stage!!!

So where is this all heading?

In the last few weeks, we have had the Manu Korero competitions in Dunedin, the Maori Womens Welfare League hui a tau in Gisborne, Kura Reo in Rotorua. Today, we have this conference, we have two days of sports in Rotorua for Te Arawa uri labelled Te Arawa pride.

All of these are great events, but I wonder how many of my own for example even take time out to think about the event not as just sport for example or just a hui but as part of the bigger picture of celebrating who we are, and the fact that we are actually reflecting on where we are and setting things up for the future, that these efforts are about a plan for the transformation of our people?

Today is also Sir Howard Morrison's unveiling. Who now can deny the effect of him singing “My old man's an All Black”? A pointed dig at Maori not being included in the All Blacks. It wasn’t in te reo but it was a Maori voice and it was part of transformation. For me, this is what we need to keep in mind with our performing arts because the expression of the transformation gets the message across in so many ways.

The haka Poropeihana, was used to send a powerful signal to Apirana Ngata who made the controversial decision to finance the payback of the mortgages on the East Coast dairy farms through a two-year prohibition on alcohol. Supposedly the money that was not spent in the pubs could go to pay the mortgages on the dairy herds.

I am told that it was a decision not popular amongst the men of Ngati Porou.

• Ee...Ko Apirana Ngata ra te tangata
Takarure mai ra i nga ture
i roto o Poneke!.......................(and later in the haka….)

• Õ ture patua ki runga ki te tekoteko
o te Whare e tu mai na

• Mahi hamupaka koia raka! Ture kaunihera koia raka!
Poropeihana koia raka!

Tania Ka’ai stated in her writings that quote : “Such protestation by the people was a sign that they had grown tired of colonial laws and an expression of continuing their quest for tino rangatiratanga in relation to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and their rights as Indigenous people of the land."

Clearly we have seen a monumental change in the Performing Arts over the years in all sorts of ways. From my days of the four short when we celebrated “the old days”, nga ra o nehe, we have progressed through the years to a point where, even if you were an ignorant politician, you can attend any Kapa Haka competition at any level, and be absolutely clear about the hot issues of Maoridom. Why? Because that’s what our people sing about, haka about and so on.

In the old days, Ta Apirana, Tuini Ngawai and many others made direct messages to the people about their views on prohibition, on being reliant on the social welfare system.

We have had waiata-a-ringa telling us about needing 50cents for a spacie machine, or a haka telling us about child abuse and domestic violence, we know what's hot in Maoridom at our performing arts celebrations.

Even if we have painted bodies telling us about Maui Mua, Maui Roto, Maui Waho, Mauitikitiki a Taranga, the stories still come back to be relevant to today's issues.

So can Kapa Haka be a tool for social transformation? Well we are left in no doubt about what the issues are but it is questionable as to whether the transformation takes place. That transformation can only take place if the people take up the challenges from all of those messages we sing about, we poi about, we haka about.

The question I believe we need to ask ourselves is whether we are just doing the Kapa Haka for the purpose of performance or is it about transformation?

I have always been keen to ask groups after each performance, how many of them actually take on board the messages. All good to sing about the effects of smoking but whats the point if performers head around the corner straight after?

Yes, yes let's learn our language and culture and Kohanga Reo and Kura kaupapa are wonderful but how many of the groups are actually active speakers, or supporters of Kura and Kohanga?

Just imagine if every performer at Te Matatini was asked to attend Kura Reo before they are eligible to perform. What sort of a shift that would make in the retention of our reo?

Our performing arts can be a huge contributor to our transformation as a people and I hope you give this some consideration in the course of your hui.

Let me return to the idea of being kaitiaki of our taonga. If you did not know, astronomers this week discovered a new planet. It is an orbiting star called, Gliese 581 and it is some twenty light years away. The astronomers say it has the closest conditions they have found so far, to those on earth.

And it made me wonder, how would we describe the role of haka to the inhabitants of the new planet?

With these days of satellite TV, it is possible they might see a rendition of the haka going to air in Italy, to promote the new car Fiat. The advertisement features women wearing black, performing the haka, Ka Mate, beside the new Fiat car, and as it finishes, a woman drives away in the Fiat and the little boy in the back seat, adds the final touch, by poking out his tongue.

Or through the assistance of digital technology and enhanced broadband facility, they might be able to download a baker’s advertisement, in which gingerbread men performing the haka are flattened by a giant bag of white flour; or access the Sony website to view the latest so-called Maori warriors in various stages of haka stance.

The tragedy is, that all of these examples are real-life. The haka today, has a prominent reputation throughout the world, powerfully associated with top-level sport, international diplomacy, sophisticated marketing and branding.

And here at home, we use haka to welcome our manuhiri, to farewell our dead, to celebrate success, to express our collective pride, to bring people together. Waiata are composed to kinaki the korero; karanga are delivered to acknowledge the significance of the moment, the people, the importance of the hui.

We have been even moved to pöwhiri jumbo jets, to get mokoed and piupiued up and head down to the end of Queen Street to be photographed for $10.00.

In short, kapa haka is a living part of a living culture; the business of every day life.

But how do we ensure the full range of Maori performing arts are respected and protected outside of the entertainment value; or differentiate the renaissance of Maori identity as distinct to the value of culture tourism?

What is the role of Maori arts and culture in nation-building, in contributing to cross-cultural understandings; the pursuit of kötahitanga of nations, Maori and Pakeha?

How do we ensure that when arts and culture are used in economic activities they occur within an environment of cultural respect?

Where is the place of kapa haka in an education curriculum, as a mechanism for educating, for affirming and expressing spiritual connection, for protecting and promoting cultural heritage?

What opportunity is there for the preservation of our cultural heritage to occur while also supporting contemporary innovation and cultural advancement?

Is sufficient attention given to supporting emerging artists and cultural exponents?

Who is leading the charge to ensure the Crown’s legal and moral duties to protect and promote the rangatiratanga of iwi and hapu in respect of their taonga is given due weight?

Maori Language Review

I put all these questions – not because I have all the answers – but because I believe the time is absolutely right to be asking ourselves the hard questions.

You will be aware that my colleague, Dr Pita Sharples, that person who put me in the fourth row, has established a review of the current spend on Maori language, as part of our search for the best ways to ensure the survival of Maori language.

This is the prime time for everyone involved in Maori language revitalisation to talk about the issues you see, and the solutions you propose – and no doubt Te Ipukarea will be submitting recommendations from this Symposium to the review panel.

That panel is chaired by Professor Tamati Reedy with Toni Waho, Hana O'Regan, Cathy Dewes, Pem Bird, Pania Papa and Rahera Shortland as members.

The purpose of that review is to scrutinise the strategy and infrastructure of the Maori Language sector ensure the programmes and expenditure across the whole of government are responsive to Iwi/Maori aspirations.

Government spends around $226 million every year to revitalise Maori language. But what Pita has been saying is that we need a more coordinated approach. We also need a strategy that will empower Iwi/Maori to take control of the Maori Language.

The Way Ahead – some thoughts

The Maori Party brought into Government, the view that tangata whenua should have a more direct stake in the resources provided for the promotion of Maori language, culture and economic development through broadcasting.

We believe that Government funding should be commensurate with the Crown's duty of active protection of the tino rangatiratanga of iwi in respect of our taonga.

The Crown and its agencies must respect that hapu and iwi are the appropriate guardians of their respective taonga, and the Crown’s duty as a Treaty partner is to assist and support iwi and hapu to fulfil their responsibilities. That’s all as it should be – that the responsibilities for protecting te reo me nga tikanga should be jointly shared between tangata whenua and the Crown.

But what will we do – how, who, when and why?

Te reo rangatira is the most precious gift our tupuna bequeathed to us to protect, maintain and share with the world.

In his doctoral thesis at the University of Waikato, Paul Whitinui talked with 20 Maori students, and 27 secondary school teachers about the educational benefits of kapa haka, and in particular the implications for improving teacher practice. He posed the view that kapa haka gave Maori students many more opportunities to engage in learning about their own language, culture and customs.

The findings concluded that the most effective way to improve levels of Maori student participation – interest, attendance, engagement, association and success – was for schools, teachers and Maori communities to work together to seek a deeper understanding of ways to include te reo rangatira, culture and customs as a valid part of the curriculum. He concluded that kapa haka could be a “culturally preferred pedagogy”.

Finally, I remind us all of the huge scope and coverage of kapa haka.

The Auckland Regional Kapa Haka Competition always pulls more than 1000 participants, and thousands more spectators, the Manu Korero Regional Speech competitions draw thousands more, the ASB Maori and Polynesian Festival gets up to 100,000 visitors every year, and the Ahurea Kapa Haka competition, and the Primary School Kapa Haka competitions pulls thousands of more people. That’s without even mentioning Te Matatini.

We must ensure ownership of nga taonga tüturu remains firmly with mana whenua, the appropriate tribal owners, to protect the misuse of Maori cultural material.

And I honour the work of Aroha Te Pareake Mead, of Ngati Awa and Ngati Porou, who played a leading role in the development of the 1993 Mataatua Declaration on Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

I want to recognise also the incredible work of the claimants from Ngati Kuri, Te Rarawa and Ngati Wai, Ngati Porou, Ngati Kahungunu and Ngati Koata who have put before the Waitangi Tribunal, the flora and fauna and cultural intellectual property claim, WAI 262.

It is our inherent right under article two, to te tino rangatiratanga o o rätou whenua o rätou kainga me o rätou taonga katoa. Our cultural heritage estate, our taonga tapu, are who we are as indigenous peoples, as expressed in our ownership, authority and protection.

But culture and heritage are never stagnant; frozen in time. We must continue to consider our taonga as opportunities for social transformation; for politicising; for educating; for inspiring, for challenging; for promoting, for encouraging the renaissance and the revitalisation of our essential life force.

ENDS

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