POROPOROAKI/Obituaries

Tu Tangata, Issue 2, 1 October 1981, Page 20

POROPOROAKI/Obituaries

Ka tanuku Ka tanuku Te tihi o te maunga ka tanuku Te keho o te marama ka whati Ka whati koa taku manu kotuku He huia no runga i a Te Arawa Haere ra! Haere ra! Te mana o te waka Ka mounu te puru Ka taupoki ki raro ra e Ka taupoki.

Hinga atu ana te kaka haetana, te whakaruruhau, te takare o te waka i te Paraire te waru o nga ra o Mei 1981. Ka takahia atu e Te Pokiha Hemana te huarahi whanui ki ana matua-tupuna e noho mai ra i Matangireia. Kua tae ia ki ana karangarangatanga maha o runga o nga waka puta noa te motu.

Hoki atu ana nga mahara ki ana hikoitanga i mua i titakataka haere ia i runga i nga marae, i roto i nga iwi. No te hinganga, haruru ana te whenua, a ngaro ana tana tupuna a Rangitihi i nga ope whakaeke.

E whakamomori tonu nei to iwi a Te Arawa ki a koe e koro kua ngaro nei koe i roto i te tirohanga tangata. Me e tika ana a ratau hamumu, kua tae koe kite tini, kite mano. Kua whai atu koe i to ure tarewa e tae ai koe ki a Ngatoro-i-rangi, ki Te Tini-o-Manahua, ki Te Pokaitara a Manaia.

Kua tuhonohono koe ki nga puna e rau a Atuamatua. E kite ai koe i a Puhaorangi hei waha i a koe ki Te Toi-o-nga-rangi. Kei kona katoa ratau hei pohiri i a koe otira i a koutou ko o

hoa i a Kupai raua ko Kawiti, tae atu ki era o ou karangamaha i hinga atu i muri i a koe. Haere e koro. Kaore. Ahakoa ngaro atu to tinana i o iwi, engari ko ou ahuatanga ka muu maharatia e o karangamaha mo ake tonu atu. Hei aha i te pa harakeke kua tu hei kawe i ou na ahuatanga i whakarerena iho e koe kite ao marama. Haere! Haere! Haere! Na Te Arawa katoa.

Mrs Rita Paikea, of Ngati Whatua, died in June this year. She was 71. A mother of nine, she is survived by her children Mavis (Mrs Manukau), Bruce, Slim, Jack, Willy, Ruby (Mrs Lewis) Hine (Mrs Dunn) and Koro.

Mrs Paikea, better known as Aunty Rita, was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for community services in 1977, and one of her pet projects was to establish a community centre at Otangarei.

Her work for and in the community was endless, beginning when she was married in the Oneriri area near Kaiwaka. There she worked as a midwife because it was difficult for pregnant women to get to their doctors.

When World War II broke out, Mrs Paikea joined a patriotic committee to learn home nursing and passed her examinations. She went to Whangarei in 1963 and became seriously involved in the Maori Women’s Welfare League. She was president of the Otangarei branch until 1974 and was later made a life member of the league.

It was her belief that the league had much to offer in the care and health of Maori women and children. She believed it was hard for Maori people to come out and talk openly to Pakeha people because many thought the Pakeha cleverer. Mrs Paikea was a respected exponent of Maori arts and crafts who had definite ideas on how the crafts of the Maori should be used.

She saw weaving as a part of the culture and of Maori identity, and believed more harm than good could come of weaving for commercial purposes.

She once said if weaving was done commercially it was wasted and hardly worth doing at all. According to her friends and acquaintances, Mrs Paikea was not afraid to call a spade a spade and always spoke her mind. But there was always a feeling of warmth and love which softened any bite there might have been.

She was known to give anything and help anybody who needed it.

Haere te mapihi pounamu, Haere te pononga a te iwi, Haere te matua o te whanau pani. Kua mahue tahanga to iwi i a koe.

Farewell to the treasured one, Farewell to the servant of the family, Farewell to the father of the bereaved family. You have left the people bereft and desolate.