Veteran defends anthem

Press, 12 October 1988, Page 12

Veteran defends anthem

By

JANE ENGLAND

An executive member of the Returned Services’ Association yesterday said there was nothing wrong with the New Zealand national anthem being translated into Maori.

Maori was an official language and New Zealanders understood what the word “Aotearoa” meant, said Mr Robert Whaitiri. Mr Whaitiri is a veteran of the Maori Battalion, a life member of the R.S.A. and an executive member of the association in Southland. He was responding to what was reported to be “general concern” about the anthem and its title. Mr Whaitiri received the Gold Star, which is the highest award given to a serving member of the association. He said he did not agree with all the comment which had been made on behalf of the dominion executive committee of the association by its president, Mr Alan Johnson. “The national anthem must be respected for its dignity. Use of the word ‘Aotearoa’ and translation into Maori, our native language, does not take away from that dignity,” he said. Mr Whaitiri said he had been disheartened when two National members of Parliament walked out of a meeting last month at

which he was speaking in Maori. He had been giving the traditional Maori greeting when the member of Parliament for Awarua, Mr J. J. Grant, and the member of Parliament for Invercargill, Mr J. S. Munroe, staged a walkout, he said. Mr Whaitiri had been intending to translate the speech into English, “but when they walked out I just gave up.” The meeting concerned the 1990 commission and activities for the commemoration of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. That had particular significance for the area because the treaty had been signed on Ruapuki Islanci. A member of the commission yesterday indicated that the members of Parliament left the meeting early because they had another engagement. However, Mr Whaitiri said that they had broken Maori protocol by leaving during the speech of welcome.

Members of Parliament were in a powerful position and had a duty to educate themselves about the Maori language and etiquette, he said.