Tariana Turia

4 May, 2009
Pukemokimoki Marae, Napier

I am honoured to be at this remarkable marae.

This is a marae that the people of this rohe, have been trying to see built since the early 1950s. It is a place to belong today, for a new generation, but it is firmly built on the treasures of the past.

There is, amongst the taonga of this marae, reference to the landmarks of this area, such as the Pukemokimoki hill; the Ahuriri lagoon, the loss of the seafood basket that followed the 1931 earthquake.

Within the carvings, the tukutuku, the murals and all the art is the complete history of this area, including respects to the 28th Maori Battalion.

It is an excellent place to be thinking about rongoa.

I see rongoa as a taonga for our whanau, a gift to uplift and feed our spirits alongside our physical, mental and social health. It is a gift of life which values the past, to build our present and invest in our future.

In the publication which I released earlier this year, ‘The Future of Rongoa Maori: Well-being and Sustainability’ one of the stakeholders expressed this view clearly by saying:

“The land has supplied the medicine or food.

There is reciprocity between man and the environment.

When the language of the country is sung or chanted, the plant is revived, the land replenished. The heart, head, spirit, there is no separation, all is related, whole”.

There is no separation; and nor should there be in the way in which we regard the significance of rongoa Maori in our lives.

And so I am very pleased to be here today, to be amongst Te Paepae Matua mo Rongoa; those whom our people regard as keepers of the knowledge, those who care for, protect, grow and develop the practice of rongoa.

This is my first official opportunity to congratulate Te Paepae Matua mo Rongoa for the hard work you have committed to, since you were launched as a national body last June.

I am very interested in the relationships within your structure –

1. - te Paepae Matua – the knowledge experts in rongoa;

2. - the Paepae Matua Tautoko – the wider pool of knowledge experts;

3. - Paewhenua – representatives from across the rohe and iwi;

4. - And Paepae Mahi – the administrators.

This model, the paepae model, is an exciting model driven by our own tikanga and kawa.

It is pleasing to me, that we are using our own models, respecting our paepae as the voice of authority and leadership to determine our own future forward.

A key principle for me in rongoa, is that our traditional practices and beliefs are valued as an essential part of the pathway forward in our pursuit of self-determination.

It is, fundamentally, about the way in which we exercise our own power and control, to enable tangata whenua to realise our own aspirations.

I am here today, to listen to your leadership; to hear the voices from across the nine rohe included in Te Paepae Matua.

I will be interested to learn how the diverse views and experiences around rongoa may be distinguished within a national body. How do the particular practices here in Ngati Kahungunu differ to that in Ngapuhi nui Tonu? What are the commonalities that bind you together; the shared values and priorities?

Sustainability for the promotion and practice of rongoa is dependent on the conversations we have with each other.

Sustainability is first and foremost about Papatuanuku; about the wellbeing of our environment and the ease in which we can access plentiful, healthy rakau.

I know there have been concerns expressed by some of our traditional healers about the devastation and degradation of the environmental resources of such vital importance to our rongoa. I’m thinking about the impact of chemicals, 1080, pests, the changes in land use, and pollution which all serve to threat the strength of rongoa.

But sustainability is also, importantly, about he tangata, he tangata, he tangata.

We must remain committed to what you describe as Paepae Matua – our knowledge experts.

Knowledge retention, the validation of our rongoa practices, and the way in which it is used will be a key priority for you in your workplan with the ultimate outcome of whanau ora.

We know there have been challenges around the opportunities for training, or side-by-side learning. How do we support the transfer of information in an appropriate way? What are the best strategies to protect the depth of matauranga and tikanga Maori associated with rongoa?

And importantly, as we all await the findings of WAI 262, what are the key things we must all do, to uphold and protect the cultural and intellectual property rights associated with the rongoa plants, and with the knowledge, the traditions and the practice.

I want to give you my commitment to ensuring that rongoa flourish – and to do so, I know that requires the support and care of our healers, our tohunga, our rongoa services, our kaimahi.

I am interested to learn of the path that the Paepae Matua mo te Rongoa will determine.

And I will be keen to hear about the health and wellbeing of the crucial relationships in this regard, particularly with Nga Ringa Whakahaere o Aotearoa.

What is absolutely clear in my mind, is that our futures depend on all of us, working together, with the single belief that tangata whenua are best able to determine our own pathways forward.

This requires a commitment to whanau ora, to our wellness. It is about believing in ourselves, knowing that we do not need to rely on others to tell us how to be, we can do for ourselves.

Whanau ora is about having strengthened whanau capabilities; and it is roopu such as yours who will be critical in the wise use of your skills and knowledge to achieve these goals.

In Wellington, I see one of my most important jobs is to promote the message of whanau ora – to encourage all sectors, all agencies of the State to understand the value of working together, to support whanau to support themselves.

We talk about whanau being able to champion whanau interests.

That is my challenge for this Hui Taumata for Te Paepae Matua mo Rongoa – to see how your model works in lifting our whanau; to achieve whanau ora.

I want to thank you for your commitment to rongoa, and your commitment to whanau. Let us do all that we can, to see whanau blossom and thrive, to feel the spirit of whanau ora all around us.

ENDS

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