Our newest Council of Conference Elder Kuina Schrivener from Taitokerau Rohe shares her Waitangi Day experiences spent on the Te Tii Waitangi marae. She retraces and explores why these experiences continue to have meaning in her faith journey. In our retracing may we discover the trajectory of our lives is not shaped by us alone. It is shaped by the actions of our tupuna, events of the day, and guided always by the encounter of a life-giving wairua active in and among all things.

My cousin Hokimate and I were raised by my Aunty Pini. She was a deaconess in the church and she spent a lot of time at hui. Her proper name was Ripeka Huingariri Wilcox and she was known as Sister Atawhai. It was through Aunty Pini that I have wonderful memories of going to Waitangi. As kids, she used to take us there every year, and not just for the one day but for a few days before the big day. We spent the time running around on the beach, doing what kids do, swimming and meeting up with our relations.

Aunty was on a committee that met at Waitangi every year. Their meetings were always held in Te Tiriti o Waitangi 1840, the wharehui, on Te Tii Waitangi marae. Back then the Māori Affairs Department was involved and helped organise the programme and the hospitality with the local hapū. We would only go up to the Waitangi Treaty grounds for the dawn flagraising ceremony on Waitangi Day. The rest of the days were spent at the lower Te Tīi Waitangi Marae by the beach or on the grounds listening to the rich kōrero from speakers.

Aunty Pini was part of the Pewhairangi community life, always with her ear to the ground. As she saw girls with promise in the community, she would encourage their parents to send them to schoolat Kurahuna or to Seamer House. She gave many of us girls from the country an introduction to life in Auckland. That was New Zealand in the late 1950s and 60s and Māori were facing new challenges, learning to cope with life in the cities.

I continue the Waitangi tradition whenever I can. This year I attended the pōwhiri for the Kawe mate of Ngāpuhi on Te Tii Waitangi marae. This event remembered all those of Ngāpuhi who had died recently. Those from my hapū were acnowledged alongside elders Nau Epiha, Titewhai Harawira and many others. Over the following days I returned to listen to the passionate speakers in the forum tent, Phoebe Davis, Margaret Mutu, Annette Sykes and we heard the responses from the Labour Party politicians.

On the Te Taiao panel the speakers spoke about the partnership between Māori and the Crown over land issues and water rights. I enjoyed listening to the speakers talk about recognising our rights, our tino rangatiratanga and our struggles as tangata whenua being voiced before the United Nations. I really thought the United Nations was a place for hearing indigenous peoples concerns, and it is, but it is not an easy road.

I went there to hear kōrero about He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Niu Tireni and what it was all about. At Te Taha Māori Wānanga we’ve discussed the churches involvement in the Treaty because the church leaders made the translations for the Treaty of Waitangi. What I heard clearly from the forum tent was that He Whakaputanga was the rangatira’s declaration of their sovereignty, Te Tiriti was a Māori translation of a British view of a treaty with Māori. I valued my time in the forum tent for our history is important. We need more forums like this to delve deeper into the core issues to understand the struggles going on in our communities.

E te Atua tō mātou Matua nui i te rangi.

Kua huihui mai mātou i mua i a koe i tēnei wā.

Ki te whakanui te haintanga te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Kia manaaki ngā iwi ki runga i te mata o te whenua.

I roto i tēnei ao hurihuri.

Ko koe anō hoki hei kai whakaaora i a mātou katoa.

Nō reira manaakitia mātou tō iwi ake ake amine