15 April 2014

Message takes 26 years to cross the divide

The messenger passed away 26 years ago but last Friday Ngāti Hine saw to it that its illustrious leader’s last oration on the Taumārere River was realized and his message would make it across the great divide, metaphorically and literally.

Renowned Northland carver Wallace Hetaraka recalled how Sir James Henare had commissioned him to carve the Pouwhenua (carved post) opposite the Opua hall, the message he wanted to send was that the authority over the river had been usurped and the entity vested with its care was deaf to the concerns of his people.

“That is why the figurehead on the post has a hand clasped over its eye,” Mr. Hetaraka told a crowd of about a hundred, “it was frustration at not being heard.”

The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Hine and Far North Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of the Far North District Council, was a bridge that the Chairs of both organizations hoped would create the dialogue that Sir James had yearned for.

However, the event didn’t go without a hitch with several voices being raised in opposition. Some were displeased with process and others confused about what was at stake. A more than equitable number spoke in support of the signing as a positive way forward.

The Chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Hine, Waihoroi Shortland took a novel approach to encapsulating the controversy by telling his co-signee, “If your intent to treat Ngati Hine is not reflected in this MOU, don’t sign.”

Ross Blackman, Chairman of Far North Holdings Ltd assured those with doubts that he didn’t expect that the MOU would change Ngāti Hine’s opposition to stage 2 development of the Opua Marina. “But now we can talk about securing the best outcomes for the river.”

Each Chairman then signed the documents and the hui moved outside to the Pouwhenua where a plaque was unveiled to commemorate the day. It read;

Afternoon tea was followed by a boat ride up the Taumārere River and the Waikare inlet. Two sides divided at the start of the day, brought a little closer by a commitment to listen.

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