Te Karaka - a bounty of richness and mana

On a brighter Ngāi Tahu note - the latest issue of Te Karaka is out and as usual it is packed with very interesting articles, photos and general knowledge regarding Ngāi Tahu. Well worth having a look online here - just look at the variety of information

"In this issue, we have some great stories including our cover story: South Seas Adventure. We follow the fleet of Polynesian waka as they set sail for an epic voyage around the Pacific.

also

Ngāi Tahu sails again. Fresh from a waka wānanga at Kaikōura’s Takahanga Marae and sailing a waka hourua around the Hauraki Gulf, a young Ngāi Tahu crew is one step closer to reviving the iwi’s maritime heritage.

Whale tales. TE KARAKA spends a day chasing whales and talking to the people behind Whale Watch Kaikōura – now one of the world’s leading indigenous businesses.

Taonga revival. The sound of taonga pūoro is becoming more familiar as contemporary music embraces the airy sounds of Māori wind instruments. Ngāi Tahu seeks to breathe life into taonga pūoro at a workshop of musical minds and instruments in Christchurch.

The need for speed. Anthony Knowles. It’s a name to remember because one day this Christchurch youngster is going to be famous around the world. Catch up with the country’s top Under-17 speedway rider.

Upholding the law. The first woman appointed as a Crown Solicitor outside the Crown Law Office in New Zealand is also a proud Ngāi Tahu descendant.

The let down.The National Government has missed an opportunity to right the wrongs of the 2004 Foreshore and Seabed Act. Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Mark Solomon and CEO Anake Goodall give their frank assessment of the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Bill.

Ancestral affinity. Irene Mura Schroder (Kāti Māmoe, Ngāi Tahu) is Curator Visual Arts Southland Museum and Art Gallery. She writes about the arrival of Te Hokinga Mai and what it means for Ngāi Tahu’s southernmost rūnanga.

Financial know-how on par. A landmark survey measuring the financial knowledge of Ngāi Tahu whānui has produced encouraging results.

Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu: Māori Stormtrooper and more

He koreroreo nā Keri Hulme: Toitū te whenua hoki

He whakaaro: Tom Bennion – The foreshore debate – a new deal?

He whakaaro: Guest – Moana Jackson – Injustice compounded

Toi iho: Tuhituhi whenua – Ross Hemera

He kōrero kai: Jason Dell’s postcard from Singapore

Hei mahi marā: Mauri magic

He aitaka a Tāne: Kahikatea – the tallest native

Te ao o te Māori: Shaky times in Canterbury

He tangata: Hinemoana Baker

A bounty of richness and mana. Thank you once again Faumuinā and team, for all the hard mahi in relation to producing this glimpse into Ngāi Tahu whanui and values.

telling it like it is

In an excellent article by Kim Triegaardt within Te Karaka (Spring), Mark Solomon Kaiwhakahaere and Anake Goodall CEO, of Te Runanga o Ngāi Tahu speak candidly about the replacement bill for the Foreshore and Seabed Act and what it means for them and Ngāi Tahu. These quotes are small snippets, go here so you can read the whole article and get the full context of the answers.

What do you find most disappointing about the bill?

Anake - ... "The double jeopardy idea is really offensive. At Otākou those settlers would have starved if our people hadn't fed them...for that expression of mana and manakai they will be excluded."...

If you could create the ideal Act what would it look like?

Mark - ... "... we've had a settlement on the land. I do not believe that Ngāi Tahu has to prove who we are or where our area is - it's in three Acts of parliment. We know who we are and I don't accept that we've ever surrendered our rights to the foreshore and seabed."...

How do you respond to John Key's comment that "I'm not sure everyone will be happy with it - (the legislation) - well, that's just the way it is".

Mark - "See you - see you over the generations."

Anake - "You can pass this legislation tomorrow and we won't lose any sleep over it because it won't endure."

How do you respond to the Māori party welcoming the legislation as a victory?

Mark - " The Māori party can say what they like but the reality is that if the iwi and hapu of the country do not accept the deal then they can pass whatever they like. All it will mean is that we will start with a new claim process and like our land claims that took six generations, if this takes six generations then so be it."...

I think you are getting the idea - there is no acceptance of this bogus bill - these leaders see the truth about the inequality and blatant discrimination against maori within this bill. Step up Māori party or be brushed aside.

Te Karaka - building Ngai Tahu communities and connection

Not sure why it came out leaning

Te Karaka is now online and it is really fantastic. There are opportunites to leave comments on articles which i really believe will help us build stronger Ngai Tahu communities. Go here and have a look and leave a comment. Let's get behind this and support the connection and communication between all Ngai Tahu whanui.

"Welcome to the new interactive TE KARAKA website. Our developer Simon Leslie has been working on this project to enhance TE KARAKA’s online magazine with some of the bells and whistles that can be found on the Internet. Now, you can leave comments, follow us on Twitter, print or email your favourite article at the push of a button. We are especially interested in hearing your opinions about our articles.

I hope the discussions and korero around the Foreshore and Seabed proposals will be available online too, especially important for those of us who are not able to get to the meetings.

Te Karaka - online and loving it!

WOW!!! Tau ke!!!

Te Karaka online is awesome!

Go and have a look, have a read - immerse yourself in Ngai Tahutanga

Very immpressive indeed and great for bloggers :)

Can't buy me Mana

Mana magazine may be reaching the end. Derek Fox, "part owner and editor of the Maori affairs magazine Mana has announced he is looking for a buyer as the publication struggles to survive."

There is a natural cycle to magazines. They grow, they plateau, they decline. magazines are static and are created at a certain time for certain reasons.

"At its peak Mana had 30 staff, working in print and radio."

"Former Mana journalist Rereata Makiha said the magazine captured the soul of Maori stories when it launched 17 years ago.

"The magic was in how people pulled together to change how the mainstream reported Maori stories."

"Broadcaster Willie Jackson said both the Manukau Urban Maori Authority, which he heads, and Waipareira Trust, which his Radio Live co-host John Tamihere runs, were interested in buying Mana ."

"We think the name is a good brand, no doubt about that. It's got a good name and history but it needs a bit of spark.""

The name 'Mana' is great, but it is hard to keep a magazine going in these times. That is why Ngai Tahu are fortunate with Te Karaka; there is no commercial imperiative for that magazine. But the same issues face both, and those issues relate to relevance and connectivity. New ways of creating and enhancing communication offer complementary rather than competitive options, for instance, an on-line and paper magazine can have different sections determined by the medium. And they can also have similar or connected sections where they intersect. We just have to concentrate on the goal of the communication. Much more time thinking about what we are trying to achieve.

Issue online at last

Yay! Latest Te Karaka online (at last) on TRONT website.

Hidden gems in Te Karaka

An area of Te Karaka magazine that I really enjoy is the book reviews. It's great to read the views of the reviewers and awesome to see the range of books that they cover.

This month the following titles were reviewed:

Ratana The Prophet and Ratana Revisited

An Unfinished Legacy, 100 Years Of Maori Rugby League 1908 - 2008

The Matriarch

The Beating Heart: A Political And Socio-Economic History of Te Arawa

He Pataka Kupu.

That is an impressive selection! I read widely and alot and I like hearing other viewpoints.

So well done to the Te Karaka team and all of the reviewers: Donald Couch, Arapata Reuben, Karen Meihana, Dave Brennan, Eruera Tarena and Lisa Reedy-Jennings for the CD review of Nesian Mystik.

Ngai Tahu Virtual Art gallery already set up!

A virtual Art gallery, showcasing Ngai Tahu artists and their works seems do-able to me. We could go the whole hog like the Louvre, but I think we already have the basics set up.

Within the TRONT website three Ngai Tahu artists are profiled and some of their work shown. Yes that's right, we already have the beginnings of a virtual gallery, my only issue is that it is hard to find and i cannot work out who the audience is. Is the audience Ngai Tahu whanui which would appear to be the case because of the positioning, within the TRONT website of the information. Or is the audience the rest of the world - and if that's the case maybe the virtual art gallery should be on the front opening page of the website.

Whoever the audience is - well done to the team that have got this information onto the website. Let's get more artists on, like the wonderful artists showcased within Te Karaka. Imagine having sections on Modern Art, Traditional art, sculpture, carving, Ta Moko, youth and so on... the list is endless.

Congratulations to the artists profiled too: Ross Hemera, Lonnie Hutchinson, and Jenny Rendall.

Te Karaka - about Ngai Tahu about New Zealand

Te Karaka

I've been surprised by how much I have enjoyed the latest issue of Te Karaka. (Whoops sorry, unfortunately the latest issue is not yet available on the TRONT website)(but on a better note the back issues are available here and that is awesome), And I really have enjoyed each and every article.

Why was I surprised? Well I had a sense of unease about Te Karaka but I couldn't pin it down and then I noticed on the front of the magazine it says, "about Ngai Tahu about New Zealand".

It's about Ngai Tahu yet not necessarily for Ngai Tahu. It's a window on the world of Ngai Tahu for others. (if you aren't sure about that - think about Te Panui Runaka which is for us). And it does an amazingly good job of achieving that goal. What production values, what high quality articles about important subjects, what gorgeous photos - the fact is that this magazine shows us as we want to be seen, and how we are. And Ngai Tahu whanui want to read and see it too. My unease evaporated as soon as I realised the purpose of the magazine and how it achieves that purpose.

We must have this ability to show ourselves as we want to be seen. Te Karaka is one of our leading 'public faces'. I really must commend the quality of the articles, whilst I'm not really a fan of 2 or 3 part-ers, it's got me wanting more. It is a beautiful magazine and it should keep on doing what it is doing well.

I think we have a gap.

The content of Te Karaka is of great interest to Ngai Tahu whanui, it is the only way we get to read, hear about and see some of these activities and certainly the only way, for some, to access the learning contained in the articles. But the magazine is static and allows minimal interaction.

Why don't we put the articles on the TRONT website? Why don't we make a version of Te Karaka as an online magazine where articles can be sourced and research could be done. Where questions and comments can be made.

It's really only a matter of time before Te Karaka has an online version, so why not just get into it.

It would allow deeper information to be available, it would allow interaction of ideas and easy follow up of topics, it would strengthen us. And we would still have the beautiful paper version.

Then Te Panui Runaka could become like a community newspaper, still monthly but with a larger size on newsprint with classified and an online version as well. Ultimately they could all link up into a Ngai Tahu web with virtual galleries and so on. It's not really that difficult.

Imagine the knowledge flow, the strength that will be gained for everyone. We truely will be paddleing in unison and flying along.

We have Te Panui Runaka, we have Te Karaka, and we have the TRONT website. Three great information pathways that need an overall strategy focused on increasing the connection and participation of Ngai Tahu whanui.

Thanks

Kia ora koutou

Yes, I've toned down the black - kia ora for the feedback. I've just recieved my Te Karaka and Te Panui Runaka - I do have some comments but I'll break them down over a series of posts. It does make my heart sing when they arrive.

Any other feedback much appreciated.

Nga mihi

Marty