Eyes that see do not grow old

As I made my way to the Polytech this morning, I have been thinking of three Taranaki leaders who have recently passed away.

I think of Te Ru Kokiri Wharehoka - a flamboyant and vibrant presence in any hui - a skilled orator who lived his commitment to te reo me ona tikanga. Parihaka will be forever enlightened through memory of his knowledge.

I think of Uncle Ted Tamati, who demonstrated leadership throughout so many marae, reserve trusts, the Taranaki Maori Trust Board, Paraninihi ki Waitotara Incorporation and many levels of land management and farming experience.

And of course we are all bereft from the loss of Taranaki’s distinguished kuia, Ivy Werenia Papakura, who had a twinkle in her eye and a story to tell for all of her 105 years.

When I think of this trio – and I know there are so many other loved leaders who rest heavy in our hearts – the feature that stands out in all of their lives, is the ability they had to tell our stories.

It is the treasure of these tales which brings you and I together, today; a treasure which we must respect, protect, and nurture.

I always enjoy my visits to Te Kura Matatini o Taranaki, and in particular to spend time with the WITT Journalism School. The stories you have access to, through the fascinating people you meet, are your everyday business – and it is a business which I have come to know you have high success in.

I have seen the results of this course in the news that make it to the Taranaki Daily News; the Midweek, South Taranaki Star; Stratford Press, and of course wider afield too.

Telling stories is something which your industry – the media – and my industry – politics – are based on. Some of these stories are manipulated into a particular political direction; other stories never get heard, voices marginalised, views silenced in the curious juxtaposition that emerges through political journalism.

In a weekend paper I read a story which was remarkable in its ordinariness. A Flaxmere woman, Rahia Jessup, was driving home from Havelock North last Wednesday night, when she saw a wallet lying on the road. Not just any wallet. A wallet which belonged to local shearer, Julian Toheriri, who had just cashed in his pay cheque with over one thousand dollars.

When Rahia was asked why she didn’t just pocket the cash, she replied, “Somebody might have gone hungry without that money. I know what it’s like to go without….what comes around, goes around”.

In that simple story, we can read so much. We can read manaakitanga - that behaviour which acknowledges the mana of all others. We can read kotahitanga – that principle of the whole is greater than one – the need of another is a greater good than one’s own self-gain. That sense of kaitiakitanga – the exercise of responsibility in ensuring the $1000 cash was restored to its rightful owner.

I share this story, a good news story, because to tell the truth, it seems rare to see examples of stories which promote the essence of who we are in ways which are uplifting and give us all heart.

You may know that a 2004 study, ‘The Portrayal of Maori and Te Ao Maori in Broadcasting, concluded that newspaper and television are unfairly unbalanced in their treatment of Maori people and issues. In general, the study reported that ‘bad’ news about Maori predominated over ‘good’ news. In some media, denigrating and insulting comments about Maori were reported.

For classic examples of this, one only needs to think about the constant diet of stories which describe Maori concepts and symbols being misused, misappropriated, and mistreated. I think of:

the French owned security company which called themselves the Maori Group, because “Maori was a famous rugby name”;
the Maori Face Tattoo kit promoted on the American halloweentown store website;
the use of Maori designs by Philip Morris in their cigarette packaging,
a baker’s advertisement in which gingerbread men performing the haka are flattened by a giant bag of white flour,
the copyrighting of Maori names by Danish toy company, Lego; or the use of the so-called Maori warrior in a Sony game;
or just last week, designs featured in Vogue from Jean Paul Gaultier’s collection, in which the use of the moko is combined with images which are culturally offensive – a female model with a moko is posed sitting with her legs open – and other images convey a theme of cannibalism.


While the media rushes to display the offending images, and set up the classic opposition between the cultural expert and the ‘man in the street’ about the acceptability of such images, a particular story is being told.

A story which suggests that the theft of our indigenous designs should be perceived as proof that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

I would suggest that same story is not being told to the French wine industry in use of the term, Champagne; or to multi-national corporate brands like Coca-cola, Nike, or McDonalds.

The irony is that the use of moko is in itself about the essence of knowledge and stories pertaining to the power of whanau, hapu and iwi.

Maori oral history tells us that moko and mataora promote particular tribal messages relating to the genealogy and knowledge that person inherits by virtue of their birthright.

The moko recognised that the wearer had attained the status of the higher learning attributable to them; the pursuit of knowledge being highly valued.

And yet, tragically, these are not the stories, this is not the knowledge, that comes to the surface when these examples of misappropriation of indigenous knowledge are reliably reported by the media.

You might remember that song by Moana Maniapoto -

I wear my pride upon my skin
My pride has always been within
I wear my strength upon my face
Comes from another time and place
Bet you didn’t know that every line has a message for me

The moko indicated genealogy, rank, accomplishment
It represented masculinity, beauty, warriorhood, identity
So don’t use that word tattoo

And of course even Moana Maniapoto herself, is a perfect case of cultural misappropriation. The music of Moana Maniapoto is absolutely rich with messages which promote the importance of maintaining cultural identity and yet she was confronted with the trade-marking of her name by a German company – and unable to afford the significant costs that would have enabled cultural protection of her name.

It is issues like this which are at the forefront of the WAI 262 hearings in respect of Maori knowledge and indigenous flora and fauna.

It is issues like this which have resulted in Te Waka Toi, establishing a registered trademark, toi iho, to promote Maori arts.

And yet it is issues like this, that the current Government has failed abysmally to respect and protect.

Despite the fact that Parliament has, this year, passed legislation to protect and preserve particular words and emblems that might be used for major events like the Rugby World Cup, the Prime Minister responded to the theft of the name Maori by the French security group, by saying, “There is no international mechanism which could provide redress to Maori."

How very interesting then, that just last week, New Zealand was one of a tiny group of four countries that refused to sign up to the United Nation's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – while 143 other countries voted in support.

A declaration which emphasises the rights of indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and traditions, and to pursue their own development in line with their own needs and aspirations.

Telling their own stories. Protecting their stories. Respecting their visions, their hopes and dreams.

A declaration which also prohibited discrimination – the bad news stories just for the sake of making indigenous people marginalised and vulnerable amongst their communities.

It is a Declaration totally in line with the indigenous history of Aotearoa, which resonates with our own Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which describes and explains the relationship between Maori and the Crown.

And yet Nanaia Mahuta has said the Declaration is ‘incompatible’ with government policy.

Parekura Horomia has diminished its importance by calling it “toothless", that it's "nothing more than aspirational statements".

It is profoundly disturbing that these Maori MPs have been set up – and yet again are prepared to give airtime to Labour lines and lies which act against Maori.

They have been prepared to vote against a Declaration which is at the heart of our rights, as tangata whenua, to culture, identity, language, employment, health, education.

Finally, I want to just draw on the words of that great media expert, Virginia Winder, who in talking about her journey to WITT, described some key qualities that students need. She said,

“you’ll need to equip yourself with enthusiasm, insatiable curiosity, an open mind and perseverance”.

In a moment, I want to take you through a case study of the recent media interpretations of the chronic child death rates in our country, to put these qualities to the test.

They are qualities which I would love all journalists to apply to every story that comes before them, every person that has a tale to tell. It is not enough to simply describe the fact that cultural offence has been taken, without having the open mind to ask the questions – where does the offence emerge from?

When an offender is described as Maori or Polynesian, and then another offender has no such ethnic classification provided, be curious, persevere, ask the questions why?

These stories are everywhere, if you have the enthusiasm and the open mind to know that you can provide a mirror to the world, of the full world that we live in – not just the one that is deemed desirable for ‘mainstream’ eyes.

Finally, as we think of the incredible achievement last week in endorsing the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples across the world, I want to finish with two proverbs which speak to me about the types of messages we seek in our vision for a better world.

The Nicaraguan people have a proverb which says, ‘eyes that see do not grow old’.

And the Native American people remind us, ‘never criticize a man until you’ve walked a mile in his moccasins’.

Let us all be part of a world, with young eyes to see each other, with enthusiasm, with open heart and mind, and the responsibility to know we must respect, protect, and nurture the stories we are given.