Owae Whai-Tara Marae

May I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand, in English, Māori, Cook Island Māori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language.

Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the morning (Sign)

May I then specifically greet all the Kaumatua and members of the Owae Whai-Tara Marae.

Ladies and Gentlemen and children. 

Thank you for welcoming my wife Susan and I, and our party on to Owae Whai-Tara Marae before this historic house, Te Ikaroa-a-Maui, which recognises and is a memorial to the Sir Maui Pomare.  Sir Maui was not only an accomplished doctor and Māori health reformer, but also a distinguished member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister.

He was a man who moved with ease between the Māori and Pākehā world and was respected in both.  Sir Maui is one of many Māori leaders, both before and since, to hail from Taranaki.

We are here for a three day visit to the Taranaki region, to meet its peoples and learn more of its future plans.

It is not our first visit to this most western part of the North Island.  Prior to being appointed Governor-General in August 2006, Susan and I visited Taranaki many times. 

The Governor-General role, however, has happily created many opportunities to visit Taranaki.  Our last visit was to Manaia in  South Taranaki in February this year, when we presented a posthumous award to the owner of a Jack Russell terrier that saved several children from an attack by two pit bull terriers. 

This, however, is our most extended visit to Taranaki.  In recognition of its significance for Te Atiawa, and for Taranaki, we have made Owae Marae our first port of call.

This house and its intricately carved panels, and the land on which it stands, speak to both of the past, the present and the future.

The past, as is well known, has cast a long and dark shadow over relations between Māori and Pākehā, not only in Taranaki, but throughout New Zealand history.
 
The point was well made by the late Sir Robin Cooke as President of the Court of Appeal in his judgment in The New Zealand Maori Council case 22 years ago.  He wrote:

“It has been recognised for many years that the confiscation of lands in Taranaki after the wars of the 1860s was unjust. The wars stemmed not from disloyalty by Maori, but from the Government’s persistence in trying to complete the purchase of land at Waitara when it knew or ought to have known that the subchief and his party who agreed to sell the land did not have sole right to do so.  Such at least was the opinion of the Royal Commission of 1927, chaired by Sir William Sim, the senior Supreme Court Judge of the day.  It has been the constant verdict of historians  … and there is no reason for us to question a view so strongly supported.”

In the present, the grievances of that time remains a burning issue for Te Atiawa.  They have been passed down from one generation to another.  So it was with good reason then that when the Waitangi Tribunal began its hearings on the Taranaki claims in 1990 that it did so here in his beautiful wharenui. 

It was also with good reason that when the Tribunal issued its interim report on those claims in 1996, it noted, among other matters, that the Crown acknowledged that “the Waitara purchase and the wars constituted an injustice and were therefore in breach of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.”

Since that time four Taranaki iwi—Ngāti Tama , Ngāti Ruanui , Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi  and Ngāti Mutunga —have settled their Treaty of Waitangi claims with the Crown.   I understand the Hon Christopher Finlayson, when he spoke here at Maui Pomare Day in June this year, said looked forward to the Crown and remaining iwi settling on terms of negotiation next year.

This process inevitably takes time but an earnest attempt is being made to heal the past and build a new future.  We should never forget the past and we should be ever mindful of its lessons.  All New Zealanders look forward to a time when the grievances of the past can be laid to rest so we can build a new future for ourselves and our children and grandchildren.

That is a future in this region, under the shadow of the great maunga Taranaki.  The mountain makes Taranaki special.  No other part of New Zealand is so dominated by a singular mountain that stands apart from all others.  The point was made well by an early missionary, who on seeing the mountain from the sea 160 years ago, wrote: “The cone does not terminate in a point; but in a small level platform; like an altar-table uplifted into the pure ether, whereon to sacrifice to the Sun.”

The rich and fertile plains that surround it are the mountain’s bounty and are at the heart of region’s wealth in agriculture.  So too are the many rivers that criss-cross the land and continue to enrich the land.  It is an icon that beckons growing numbers of tourists and trampers who enjoy the beauty of the Egmont National Park, New Zealand’s second oldest national park , and also the region’s magnificent public and private gardens.  There are few other places where one can ski in the morning and go surfing in the afternoon. 

The influence of Mt Taranaki can be seen in weather and the climate.  I am told that on a clear day, if one is flying from New Plymouth to Wellington early in the morning, looking west you can see the wide shadow the mountain casts over coastal Taranaki.   Indeed, I understand Taranakians are known to quip that if you can see the mountain it is going to rain and if you can not see the mountain then it is raining!

But I jest.  We have come to meet the people of Taranaki.  We have come to learn of your plans in local government, business, industry, tourism, conservation and in the community and voluntary sector. 
Thank you again for welcoming us here on Owae Marae.  It has been a special time we will always treasure.  

And on that note, I will close in New Zealand’s first language Māori, offering greetings and wishing everyone good health and fortitude in your endeavours.  

No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.