Whanganui marae to feature in river documentary

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 658, 15 October 1996, Page 5

Whanganui marae to feature in river documentary

Raetihi-born film maker Larry Parr was in the area last week directing the filming of one of a series of documentaries entitled Papakainga. The episode being filmed was on the Whanganui River and its iwi. Larry is well known to Raetihi people for his success as director of several New Zealand films. The documentaries will appear on the Sunday programme Marae. To date three have gone to air covering, the iwi, their life styles, the history of their area, the rivers and other natural resources that they are associated with and how those resources have sustained and continue to sustain them as a people. Larry said the areas covered are very diverse. They include, Murupara, Otaki, Te Upoko O Te Ika (Wellington), Whanganui River Maori and Te Tai Poutini (the West Coast of the South Island). TeTai Poutini will go to air on 20 October and Whanganui on 27 October. The people interviewed onfilm livevariedlivesbut they are all people who live on the Whanganui River or are tribally connected to it. They included tourist operators Baldy Haitana and Arlene Phif.ps, and Fanny Magdelene Bell — a kuia from Hiruharama, who speaks of life as it was in the "old days" at the river settlement, the convent, Mother Alberta' s influence on the Maori living there. She said she taught them not only Christian spirituality, but modern cultivation of fruit trees, harvesting, packing and preparing them for export. Mrs Bell also showed

them where James K Baxter lived and where he is buried. She talked about the marae, and the future of Hiruharama with regard to tourism. The crew went on to Ranana and interviewed Polly (Pare) Teki who, at 88, is the oldest lady living on the river. She was 12 years old when she first came to live there, having being brought up by her grandparents in Taumarunui. She milked cows for her father and eventually took over the farm when her father died about 1922. Aunty Polly, as she is affectionately known, won the bid as a harvest contractor for all the big stations in the area, from Ranana to Pipiriki, including Morikaunui. She never married but adopted 1 5 children, one boy and the rest girls. She said they all had a

college education, they have all done well for themselves, and are all married although sadly her son was recently killedin atrucking accident in New Plymouth. Mrs Teki still drives her own car and she now has her daughter Everlyn and son-in-Iaw Peter living with her. The crew completed their filming the next day , cover-

ing the Koriniti, Parikino, Kawhaiki andPutiki marae. They had previously interviewed and film Maungarongo Marae at Ohakune and interviewed kaumatua from Raetihi. Larry Parr started his working life in the law business. While working for a law firm in Wellington, a film crew used the offices for a film set and Larry says

he "thought he wouldn't mind getting into that sort ofthing." "It looked more interesting than what I was doing," he said. Since then Larry has worked on films such as Smash Palace, Came A Hot Friday, Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, Pallet On The Floor, and Bridge to Nowhere.