Te Whā Tekau Tau O Te Rōpū O P.P.S.E.A.W.A.

Te Ao Hou, September 1968, Page 7

Te Whā Tekau Tau O Te Rōpū O P.P.S.E.A.W.A. Fortieth Anniversary of P.P.S.E.A.W.A. na M. Te Kawa Nō te 12 o ngā rā o ākuhata 1968, e rua tekau mā toru ngā mema o te Pan Pacific o Niu Tīreni ka rere atu i Aotearoa ki Honolulu ki te whā tekau tau o P.P.E.A.-A.W.A. E waru ngā mema o te rōpū wāhine Māori i haere. Ko Whiu Tawhai, Perle Winter, Rora Ngata, Hera Motu, Ngapare Hopa, Ema Grooby, Maora Tamihana me tō rātau kaiārahi, Maraea Te Kawa. He pōwhiri motuhake nā te Perehitini nā Mrs Lucas ki te rōpū wāhine. Te taunga atu ki Honolulu e tū mai ana ngā mema o Hawaii me ngā ‘leis’ mō te rōpū o Niu Tīreni. Te wera o ngā rā e whitu tekau—ā, i haere atu rā hoki mātau i roto i te mātao, he wūru ngā kākahu. Tō mātau whare noho ki Wilcox Hall i te Mid Pacific Institute. He kāinga ātaahua, te kakara o te rākau, he poutāpeta, he pēke moni mō ngā tarakete. Ka mutu te rehita, ka haere mātau ki ō mātau rūma moe, tōku hoa nō Korea. Te kākahu o tēnei whenua he ‘muumu’. Te pō tuatahi ko ngā manaaki a te Perehitini, ā, ka tuku hoki ngā iwi tekau mā rua i ngā Haki me ngā mihi o ō rātau whenua. Ngā mihi o Niu Tīreni, nā Mrs Atmore i tuku i roto i te reo Pākehā, nāku nā Maraea Te Kawa, i roto i tō tātau reo Māori. Nā Ema Grooby i tuku te hōro he poutama te tauira, nā Maora Tamihana ētahi o ngā ‘gem stones’ o Niu Tīreni me te pounamu ki te Perehitini. Nō tētahi rangi, ka whakapuaretia e te Hon. Kawana Burns o Hawaii te hui, ā, i tukua mai te hōnore ki Niu Tīreni, nāku i tuku te ‘lei’ ki te Kāwana. On 12 August 1968, 23 members of the Pan Pacific Association of New Zealand left Aotearoa to attend the fortieth anniversary of the Pan Pacific South East Asian Women's Association in Honolulu. Eight members of the Maori Women's Welfare League under the leadership of Mrs Maraea Te Kawa received a special invitation from the International President, Mrs Lucas. After welcoming the delegation and presenting each one with a frangipani ‘lei’, delegates were taken to the Mid Pacific Institute overlooking the Manoa Valley, the conference headquarters with postal and bank facilities. The daily temperature was 70 to 80 degrees, something new to New Zealanders who travelled in woollies. Wilcox Hall midst golden shower trees and Money Pod was set in a peaceful valley, its air filled with perfume from Plumeria and many other sweet-scented shrubs and foliage. After registration, room keys were issued with a special souvenir from the Bank of Hawaii. My room-mate was a Korean business woman. All meals were light and tasty—refreshing drinks, mostly iced tea—dress mainly ‘muumu’ on account of the high temperature. The President, Mrs Lucas, and the President of the Hawaiian Chapter welcomed all delegates from 12 nations, who replied after presenting their country's colours (flag). On behalf of the New Zealand delegation, Mrs Atmore replied in English, and Mrs Te Kawa replied in Maori. Mrs Grooby presented a New Zealand rug with a ‘poutama’ pattern to the National President. A chain of office made from New Zealand gem stones and greenstone was also presented by Mrs Tamihana and other members of P.P.A. of New Zealand. The opening of the conference was the placing of 12 flags by local Girl Guides and a minute's silence for members who had passed on. The Hon. John Burns. Governor of the State of Hawaii, then opened the

Ngā take i kōrerotia i tēnei hui he maha, te piki o ngā iwi o te ao (population explosion), te tiaki i ngā kaumātua, te whakatipu kai hai ora mō te ao, ngā whaea mahi moni, te ako i ngā tamariki mai i te nonohitanga, ā, tae noa ki whare wānanga, te mau ki ngā taonga a ngā tūpuna, te tūnga o ngā wāhine i roto i ngā mahi nunui, te noho a ngā iwi kiri parauri i te ao, me te nuinga o ngā take nohonga whare—te hemo kai o ētahi o tātau. I roto i ō mātau rōpū kōrero, taku kaupapa ko tā tātau noho tahi i Niu Tireni, te haere a ā tātau wāhine Māori ki te āwhina i ngā kiri mangu o āhitereiria (aborigines) ki te whakatū kura mō ngā tamariki nonohi i Box Ridge, ngā haere whakahoahoa a ngā rōpū wāhine ki Whīti, me te haere mai hoki o Whīti ki Niu Tīreni. Ka haere mātau ki te pā whakamutunga o ngā Hawaian, ko Ulu Mau te ingoa, tētahi mea whakamīharo ko te Sea Life Park; akona ai ngā wēra me ngā dolphins ki te mau ake i ngā tāngata mate i rō wai, kai te hangaia he whare i raro i te papa o te moana; nā, haere mātau ki te Bishop Museum. Ko te Rangihīroa te upoko o tēnei whare i a ia e ora ana. Ka tono mātau kia tukua mātau kia haere ki te tangi ki tō mātau whanaunga. Nā māua ko Maora Tamihana ngā maioha, ngā apakura, ā, ka tū mātau i te wāhi i whakatapua ai hei whakamaharatanga ki a te Rangihīroa. Ka haere mātau ki te whare karakia o Kawaiahao e kīia ana ko te ‘Westminster Abbey o Hawaii’. Nā, haere mātau ki te ‘Luau’—he hākari nā tērā iwi mō ngā whare noho, kātahi ka haere mātau ki te East West Centre, muri iho ki te Polynesian Village, nā māua ko Mrs Niuekirke i ārahi atu tō mātau rōpū; nā Bruce Biggs te wero i whakatutuki. Ka pai hoki te pōwhiri a Te Ngaio me tōna wiwi, ko ‘Te Urunga tū’ te haka. Te pō nui i tū ai ngā iwi ki te mahi i ngā mahi a ō rātau whenua. Ko tā mātau he poem nā Tā āpirana Ngata, ‘A Scene from the Past’. Ko ētahi wāhi i tangohia e au, nāku i kōrero, nā te rōpū i waiata, ‘Hoki hoki tonu mai’ i a au e kōrero ana. Muri iho te haka me te poi.

conference. New Zealand was given the honour of placing a ‘lei’ round the Governor's neck. This was performed by Mrs Te Kawa. Discussion groups on trade in the Pacific, the population explosion, problems and needs of women, United Nations and advancement of women in business, lectures and talks, interesting discussions on preschool centres, retarded children, care of senior citizens—new industries such as materials from pineapple leaves—‘shelters’, nutrition, culture, education, the working mother and race relations, were held. My own topic in Group 9 was ‘Race Relations in New Zealand’. We discussed help to Aboriginal women in forming play centres in Box Ridge, Australia, Maori Women's Leagues on goodwill visits to Fiji, Fijian P.P.A. as hosts. We paid a visit to Ulu Mau village, the last Hawaiian village in Honolulu, then on to Sea Life Park, where methods are being undertaken to mine the ocean bed for more seafoods, and there is a glorified aquarium of trained porpoises and whales. On a guided tour to the Bishop Museum the Maori delegation told the Director, Dr Force, they would like to pay respects to their kinsman Dr Te Rangihiroa Buck. Led by their elders Mrs Tamihana and Mrs Te Kawa, they chanted a lament to the memory of Dr Te Rangihiroa, followed by the rest of the New Zealand delegation. We went to a church service in the Kawaiahao church, ‘The Westminster Abbey of Hawaii’ built in 1814, then to a “Luau’ at the Willows to honour some of the foundation members. Monday found delegates discussing ‘shelters’ and housing, followed by a visit to the East West Centre where exchanges are made between students. A visit to the Polynesian Village, led by Mrs Niuekirke and Mrs Te Kawa, and escorted by Professor Biggs to the challenge (wero) by Mr Joe Te Ngaio, was one of the highlights. International Night was a great occasion, each nation performing its national dance in costume. The New Zealand Maori group item was an extract from the poem by Sir Apirana Ngata, ‘A Scene from the ‘Past’ recited by Mrs Te Kawa with the group humming a love ditty in the background, followed by an action song and a poi dance. E rua ngā taonga nā ō mātau hoa Pākehā i kōrero; tētahi nā Hana Weka o Ngāti Porou i tuhi, nā te Pākehā i kōrero. Te kaupapa kōrero o te rā whakamutunga: (a) Te noho a ngā whānau i roto i te ao hou—nā Ngapare Hopa. (b) He ako i te noho a te whānau, nā Mrs Niuekirke. I riro i Niu Tīreni te tūnga Perehitini, Mrs Niuekirke, te tūnga hekeretari, Mrs D. Dobson. E rua ēnei wāhine nō te rōpū wāhine o Arahina o Ākarana. I te pō whakamutunga ka haere mātau ki te kāinga o Mrs Lucas. Ahakoa te nui o ngā mahi o te hui, i haere tonu mātau ki Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbour, Alamoana, Halekalane Hotel, Diamond Head. Ko māua ko Ngapare Hopa i tae ki te Kōti Whakawā tamariki, ā, i tūtaki māua ki te Tiati. Te mea nui ki a au ko te hoahoa, te whakawhiti whakaaro te tuapu taonga, te noho tahi o ēnei iwi. Aku mihi ki te rōpū Māori, ki tō mātau Perehitini, ki te hekeretari, ki te Komiti o Hawaii, ki taku tuakana, ki a Ulu Lani, ki a Ana, ki a Alvina, Lordy, mō te tiaki i a au me aku hoa; e kore koutou e warewaretia. Arohanui. The Pakeha members recited two poems, one written by a Maori girl, Hana Weka of East Coast. The theme of the last day was— (a) The changing pattern of family life in Polynesia—by Ngapare Hopa. (b) Family Life Education—by Mrs Eunice Niuekirke. At the election of officers Mrs Niuekirke was named International President, and Mrs Dorothy Dodson, International Secretary, New Zealand gaining two positions. The conference ended with a barbecue meal at the home of the retiring President, Mrs Lucas. Though the programme was a very tight one delegates were able to visit the shopping centres, Waikiki Beach and Pearl Harbour, and to lunch at Halekalane Hotel. Ngapare Hopa and I were able to meet Judge Corbett and members of the Family Court of Hawaii and visit homes. The exchange of gifts, renewing friendships, making new ones and exchanging ideas made the P.P.S.E.A.W.A. conference one which all New Zealand delegates will never forget. To all members, especially to the Maori group— a big thank you— and to our President and hard working Secretary. Kia ora Molly. To our hosts of the Hawaiian Chapter, to my big sister Ulu Lani, to Ana —thank you for your loving care to me and my Maori friends from Aotearoa. Arohanui to Alvina and Lordy.