Richard Kerr-Bell reflects on three aspects of consultation that will involve us in our bicultural heritage.

“Whakarongo ake au
Ki te tangi a te manu
E rere runga rawa e
Tui, tui, tui, tuia
Tuia i runga
Tuia i raro Tuia i roto
Tuia i waho
Tui, tui, tuia
Kia rongo te ao
Kia rongo te pö
Tui, tui, tuia

I listen I listen,
where up high a bird flies
Its cry rings out
Sew, stitch, bind it together
From above
From below
From within
From outside
Sew and bind it together
During the day
and the night
Sew, stitch, bind it together"

I believe that all of our learning and understanding of another culture adds to our ability to listen and understand better. It does not make us experts nor does it give us a shared experience of the story of another but it can give us insight into the value of difference.

The main point of biculturalism in Aotearoa is that there are two parties. From the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, they are Māori and everyone else represented by the British Crown. Understanding this provides a context for bicultural relationships and consultation.

As indigenous peoples organised in whānau, hapū and iwi, we have mostly been able to retain the historical traditions and practices of our ancestors and their language, despite colonisation and legislation directly and indirectly designed to remove these. They have become a gift for all people in the bicultural relationship. They ground us all in the land, on the land with people who are of the land binding us together in Aotearoa.

Tihewa mauri ora!

Working with Whanau

Several examples come to mind when I reflect on my own bicultural relationships in everyday life. I'm often called on to lead rituals and explain a deeper meaning in our connections with the land.

I was asked to do a whakawātea, or clearing of the house, for family friends. The family were descendants of Catholic immigrants from Europe who had married into Kai Tahu Whakapapa. They described the impact an area of the house was having on whoever occupied a particular room — the person experienced becoming depressed and having an emptiness about them. They’d also noticed that their horses became disruptive when they came near that part of the house.

So they called and I came. I too became aware that one of the rooms and the adjoining space felt harmful and oppressive. As I moved about the home and immediate property, I felt that some atrocity had occurred and those who had suffered remained trapped in their trauma in some way.

In the ritual we acknowledged the pain, injustice and the lives affected. The family later communicated that they now experienced a calm, a new peace and were all able to move on from whatever had affected them. This is an example of bicultural relationships — a mutual respect and understanding of the gifts each brings.

I have been called many times to lead, advise or participate with whānau in processes that are important in their lives. These include blessing of a new house, removing or clearing a space of negative spirits or energy and attending an area where a death has occurred.

Consulting with Groups

A critical element of community work is to take an open mind and heart into the meeting or conversation. Each person brings a different perspective, priorities and for some, a different way of meaning-making in the world. So openness is vital to ensure each person, whānau, or group feels and trusts they can participate equally. The last thing we want is people to feel that they are not heard or valued.

Consultation requires patience, a preparedness to listen to the collective intention, to clarify who the decision-maker(s) will be, as well as the values that will underpin the decisions. Clarity around the process is the starting point.

And it is vitally important to bring our authentic selves to the process. Nothing is more destructive than a lack of congruence between what we feel and our words. We all need to be able to respect and trust the truth. And as we discuss with one another, we need to listen for possibilities on which we can agree — so we can find a pathway together.

I cannot stress enough — do not call a process consultation if the decisions presented are not open to amendment. It is essential that the key stakeholders or advisors are included at the very start of a project and all the way through.

Accountability, Reciprocity, Participation

I’ve found three principles are essential for consultation.

First is accountability to those we are working for and with, to their whanau and community.

Second is reciprocity: if we are not giving anything back materially, we need at least to be present and give our best to the process – even to preparing the kai.

And third is participation by making suggestions and working in such a way that is inclusive of everyone concerned.

Tikanga in the Community

I’m often asked to lead mihi whakatau, tangihanga, karakia, weddings and whakawātea in the community. For many people these are first experiences of tikanga Māori.

For example, recently I was invited to lead the ritual that acknowledged, blessed and cleared from negative influences a newly renovated office space for an accounting and advisory firm in the city. The invitation to do the blessing at the opening came through my football team manager. The firm had some Māori staff and a past partner was of Kai Tahu descent, so they recognised the opening as a spiritual event and not just business as usual.

On another occasion I supported my wife and students in a ritual around the preparations of a Catholic college kapa haka group. My niece, who works in the college, gave the welcome and introduction. I then explained the process and the reasons for it and gave a brief translation of the karakia I would use. I prayed in te reo Māori, starting by acknowledging the beginning of all things, God and Tangaroa. Then I prayed a Trinitarian blessing upon the water we used for the clearing. I mihi to Tane in the materials they would use and Papatūanuku upon which we stood.

We moved around the space clearing anything negative and retaining all that was loving, creative and life-giving. We acknowledged those who first walked on the land, the mana of Kai Tahu Whānau whānui (wider Kai Tahu iwi), the ancestors of the settlers and the many who have since worked or travelled on or over the ground we were standing on.

Then we gave thanks for the gifts passed down to the young performers and their use of them to uplift all people of Aotearoa. The kapa haka group sang before a karakia on the kai which we all ate enthusiastically, especially the children.

I realised that for most of these young people it was their first participation in tikanga of the land. Through their kapa haka group they will grow in understanding and participate more in the future.

Whakamutunga — Last Thoughts

Our hope for good bicultural relationships lies in the many communities, marriages, children and opportunities in our whānau, communities, Churches and society. Faith invites us into bicultural thriving and by speaking, listening and being authentic we will grow in understanding and appreciating each other more.

I te kore ki te po ki te ao marama — from the nothingness to the night to the full light of day.

GLOSSARY
Mihi whakatau — arbitrations
Tangihanga — funerals
Karakia — prayer
Whakawātea —clearing of the house
Tikanga — customary system of values and practices that have developed over time and are deeply embedded in the social context
Kapa Haka — Māori cultural performing group
Te Reo Māori — Māori language
Tangaroa — ancestor with influence over the sea and fish
Tane — ancestor with influence over the forests
Papatūanuku — Earth mother

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 240 August 2019: 8-9