LETTERS

Kaea, Issue 5, 1 February 1981, Page 3

LETTERS

To our surprise and delight, most of the letters which come in to the editor are complimentary or congratulatory in tone. While we love to receive them, they don’t necessarily make interesting for you. So in this issue we’ve only printed one such letter, because of certain issues the writer raises. But thanks to the rest of you for your support and kind words.

Meanwhile some of you have put pen to paper on specific matters of interest to us all. Some of them are printed here, and we urge the rest of you to drop us a line with your comments, opinions, queries or

complaints. Keep those letters coming!

TUNE IN TO TE REO

Why cant we have more Maori on our radio?

At the school I go to my friends used to make me cry because my fathers a Maori. Not long ago our class listened to a storey about a Maori lady who came down from the sky and Married a chief who turned into the rainbow. Now I dont cry and my friends don’t tease me cause I told them I’m a princess and they believe it. Mum says its true and my brothers a chief. Love,

Berel McClutchie

(Ngati Porou) Wainuiomata

P.S. My big sister helped me do this.

For three years now I have been trying to learn the Maori language. I have not had much success. My ancestors are dead and therefore I never hear the tongue of my tipuna. To hear Maori spoken these days is, I feel, a very rare thing, and this is I think the reason why I find it difficult to learn the language. I have passed UE Maori, but I am not a fluent speaker. This fact causes me much pain, because I’m trying hard and getting nowhere. I do not want to see the Maori language die in my lifetime. There has been one bright spot on my almost incessantly gloomy horizon. It is this. During Maori Language Week I was able to hear almost continuous conversations in Maori on the radio. I feel that in one week I gained more by hearing the language spoken than I have in three years of study. I feel in order to learn a language, to speak it, one must hear it spoken. Alas, that one bright spot, like the setting sun, has gone down on my horizon seemingly forever. I hear no more Maori on the radio. For this reason I would like to hear your opinion, and also the

thoughts of your readers on a suggestion I have to make.

Could we ever have a Maori radio station? I envisage a station run on parallel lines to all other radio stations in New Zealand, except the language would be Maori. I admit that perhaps some of the time there would have to be a little English spoken.

There is a wealth of material upon which a Maori station could base its

programmes. Here are a few things I’ve thought of. Stories based on Maori history and legends for both young and old. Talk-back sessions. Interviews with Maori people from different walks of life. The voice of our elders. Lessons in Maori. Music. Ancient chants. Haka. I could go on for ever.

Yours sincerely,

Dickie Thomson

Petone

In fact there are Maori programmes broadcast outside Maori Language Week, though far fewer than many Maori would like to hear. Nevertheless, RNZ’s Maori and Pacific Island Programming Unit Te Reo o Aotearoa, does a good job with the following Maori programmes on the NZ National Programme:

Te Puna Wai Korero (in English) Saturday 10.30-10.50 am Produced by Whai Ngata Te Reo o te Pipiwharauroa Sunday 5.30-5.48 pm Produced by Purewa Biddle He Rerenga Korero (in English) Wednesday 7.30-B.oopm Produced by Haare Williams and/or Wiremu Kerekere News in Maori Sunday 5.48-6.00 pm Weekdays 6.41-6.45 am, 5.55-6.00 pm, 7.00-7.05 pm (On Wednesday the 7.00 pm news is followed by a magazine giving a backgrounder to the week’s news.)

As for the possibility of further developments in TV and radio, see page 6 of this issue.

WORTH ITS WAIT

Your magazine is worth every bit of the long-time-no-see inbetween-times waiting for the next issue to appear. This may be hoha to some but never mind! And the price is OK by me too. I don’t think you can afford to reduce the cost although I’m sure this is not an issue because the value in it is tremendous.

I would like to draw your attention to two things, to congratulate you really. The first is the overall layout and visual impact of the magazine. The print, the pictures of people, places and events are top-class. They are professional, in fact easy to read and to see. There is no difficulty in deciphering words and pictures which is rather good I think for

many of our koroua who may be suffering from short-sightedness or whatever.

The second is related to the first, i.e. the professionalism you so obviously aim for in Te Kaea. If an event is worth preserving (and this applies to people as well) then I think it is worth the extra trouble and cost of doing the job

properly. I would guess that many people will find this of tremendous importance in the future.

You have obviously set a high standard for the magazine; keep up the good looks. Maoritanga can do more with your kind of quality thinking and image-setting now and in the future.

H. Mare

Wellington

(Needless to say, we appreciate letters like this one! What does need to be said perhaps is that we are aware of our shortcomings. The most obvious during our first year of publication has been irregular appearance. We have an

obligation to our thousands of subscribers, casual readers and other wellwishers to get Te Kaea out to your homes or into your shops on a regular basis, and 1981 will see a great

improvement on last year’s performance. Mr Mare comments also on the cost of Te Kaea. Well, quality costs money, and as we are trying to produce a magazine that looks good, reads well, and will stand up to re-reading and being passed around among friends or family, we think the money we ask for your copy of Te Kaea is reasonable. And most of you seem to agree. But it’s worth pointing out that the magazine comes cheaper if you take a subscription. And whether you have a subscription or buy from a shop, it is our intention to maintain the present prices for the foreseeable future. ed.)

SYDNEYTANGA

As a proud Maori who crossed the Tasman some eleven years ago and as a member of a Sydney Maori cultural group, I was saddened to read the article by Tainui Stephens in which he so quickly discredits the Maori cultural activities here in Sydney.

Perhaps he should have stayed longer than six months and looked deeper behind the scenes at the considerable efforts of those with a genuine concern who are doing something about it. Sydney is an exciting city: its colour, pace and opportunity have long been a magnet to Maori and Pakeha alike. In spite of all this,<t can be a very

impersonal city, one of extreme loneliness. Hence the Maori have flourished in their many walks of life because they have fallen back on their strong traditional ties. We still think, share, love, socialise and respect as we have always done. The hospitality and

warmth we portray to our Australian

neighbours make us unique as a people for here we are one people with no tribal distinction.

It is true that we are not as well versed in the Maori language and tradition as we should be, but it is heartwarming to see not only the learned few willing to teach but also the many young people here willing to learn. This determination arises from pride in what we are and where we come from. We are determined to retain our identity in this huge metropolis: Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi Engari taku toa He Toa Takitini Our group, He Toa Takitini, was involved in the Sydney Maori Festival to which Tainui refers. It was made up of a number of novices, both Australia-born Maori and migrants from New Zealand. As expected, the group did not figure in the placement results, but the experience gained was to stand us in good stead. Our promise was recognised, and an invitation was received to compete at the Coronation celebrations in Ngaruawahia last year. Any number of reasons could be found for declining lack of finance, new costumes, new repertoire but we decided to accept anyway. Not because we expected to win, but because we would learn from the experience. Here also was an opportunity to give a little of our new country back to our homeland, and in return recapture a little of that spirit which binds our race.

In addition to the championships, the group performed in Auckland, Hamilton, Wairoa and Hastings. The reception to “Ngati Skippies” was of total appreciation, and to the marae where we performed we are truly indebted. Perhaps in some little way we have made a closer bond between our Maori people here in Sydney and those at home.

No, although we have a long road to travel Maori culture is very much alive in Sydney. Kia ora koutou katoa,

Beverly Moana Hall He Toa Takitini

Sydney (Tainui Stephens replies: Of course I recognise that people in Sydney wish to retain their culture and identity, but I feel that emphasis has been put in the wrong place. While catering to entertainment, the culture has suffered to some extent

from carelessness and commercial gloss. Money is not as pertinent to our heritage as traditional aspects such as language and waiata tawhito, and all that is needed to hold on to them is effort and an attitude which says “no compromise!” it should not be too hard to do some “homework” in Sydney. There is no need to wait for a marae to be built before having a hui. The most successful ingredient for any hui is simply people, not a million-dollar complex. Perhaps the whole situation could be summed up from a TV interview with He Toa Takitini when they visited New Zealand. Interviewer: What is one of the reasons for your return home? Reply: To raise money for a marae we want to build in Sydney. And then, almost in the same breath: Interviewer: Why do you live in Sydney? Reply: There’s more money over there! We have enough trouble trying to raise money for our own marae.)