Te Ropu Wahine Maori Toko I Te Ora

Tu Tangata, Issue 5, 1 April 1982, Page 20

Te Ropu Wahine Maori Toko I Te Ora

The New Year opened very sadly for the League with the passing of our First Vice President, Maria Copeland.

To tatau mate kaupapaharo, a Maria. Haere te ma nu korero, te kai whakapuaki inga whakaaro ote hunga kua riro kite po, te mangai o to tatau reo rangatira i roto i o tatau whare kura me nga whare wananga. Kua katoa koe te puawai a te iwi, otira Maria kua ruia e koe nga purapura kite ao nei. Haere e moe i roto i te ariki. Te mamae me to pouri waiho ki to whanau me to Ropu Wahine Toko I Te Ora, kinga mea hoki o tatau i roto ite pouri.

Executive Meeting Feb. 8/9

As almost all Executive members were to be in Auckland from 10 to 15 February to attend the Sub Regional Seminar jointly hosted by the National Council of Women, Pacifica and the Maori Women’s Welfare League it was decided to hold the League Executive meeting there also, on the 8/9 February. The meeting was held at the Freeman's Bay Community Centre and members of the Waiatarau Branch and visitors from other branches in the Tamaki Makaurau area made Executives feel very welcome so well did Executive enjoy the experience in fact that they are hopeful of repeating the experiment

in some other area next year. The opportunity to meet members from the host area and also to encounter at first hand some of the major concerns of that area was much appreciated.

Area Reports These were brief as Christmas and school

holidays occupied members’ energies in December and January.

Waiariki: Areta Koopu I have to begin my report by saying how

saddened and heavy our hearts were in Waiariki, to accept that we and the League had to face the coming year without our dear, dear Maria Copeland. Her death on the 23 rd January after a short and painful illness, saw our League gather in strength for support for her children and family in Whakatane.

Haere e Whaea Haere. Ka mahue moke moke matou.

We called an emergency Regional Meeting in Rotorua in December to discuss with our Research Director the Health Research which begins in Waiariki in February. Our Area Reps had been asked to ask their area how they felt our Dominion Conference could be changed in any way i.e. Speakers or workshops etc. We looked at working in workshops at the Conference in Tainui in May and we came up with 6 workshops, which we submitted to our Dominion Executive for consideraton at their February meeting.

Tainui reported efforts to visit more of her branches and help generate interest in League activities. The Tauranga combined branches hosted a successful softball tournament as their contribution to Maori week, a feature of Tauranga’s centennary celebrations which was timed to coincide with Waitangi Day.

Aotea reported a most successful week organised on the marae by the New Plymouth Govett-Brewster Gallery which had provided materials and personnel for an art and craft week with opportunity for everyone in the community to make, to do and to learn.

Te Waipounamu spoke of the upsurge of interest in craftwork, including Kowhaiwhai and tukutuku in her area and paid tribute to the District Officer of the Department of Maori Affairs, Mr Wishy Jarram, for his skill in motivating the people in this field.

A very successful seminar on health was held in Kaikoura and an education wananga for primary and secondary teachers that was so much appreciated that a further wananga is to be held after conference at the teachers’ request.

Mrs McKinney’s own district had persuaded the Education Board to pay a tutor to teach Maori language, using the rakau method, once a week on the marae. The Board had not previously been willing to fund marae based tutors.

Tairawhiti attended the Kahungunu Area meeting on 24 November and the East Coast Area meeting on 6 December. She reported that many whanau took the opportunity over the Christmas holidays to assist their marae financially as well as with painting and concreting, voluntarily giving their time, especially the city families. Whakapapa, history, local waiata and a real get together has been the theme for 1981.

The East Coast held their Kaumatua hui on 5/6/7 February which aroused much interest as it was the first of its kind to be held in the area.

Taitokerau told of an upsurge in pre-school activities as a result of the whanau programmes in her area. Another result had been that the women had begun to try their hand at selling their craftwork. During the holidays whanau wananga were held over a two week period with 50 to 100 young people coming onto the marae.

Very great effort had gone into preparation for the Waitangi celebrations which had extended for a week from 30 January to 7 February. The motor camp had been ringed with stalls with all sorts of craftwork on sale. A mixed programme had been prepared and a wonderful week resulted which Mrs Wilson hoped would be repeated.

She described the damage done by the protestors when they sprayed with black paint the inside of the canoe house and the photos of the ancestors hanging there and the feeling of outrage that this had caused among her people. These visitors had not come onto the marae in friendship and could not expect to be welcomed as friends.

Tamaki Makaurau had been involved in the very considerable preparation involved in the planning for the Sub Regional Seminar.

Social Rehabilitation Subsidy In October 1981, the Department of Social Welfare introduced a new subsidy to assist voluntary organisations, the social rehabilitation subsidy. This is aimed at assisting voluntary organisations which are involved in providing a programme in a residential setting for the rehabilitation of persons with problems arising from drug and alcohol addiction, psychiatric or emotional disturbance, repeated offending, or related difficulties.

Health Report

Executive were very sad to say farewell to Miss Moira Dougherty who retired from the Department of Health in December. Our very best wishes go with her. Moira prepared this last report for us on a subject she felt was most important care of the aged:

The elderly are increasing in absolute numbers and as a proportion of the total population. They are also living longer with increased life expectancy being particularly significant for females.

The rapid growth of this age group is of particular concern in countries like ours. In 1970 8.9% of our population was aged 65 years or over. It is estimated to be 10% by 1991 with 18.1% (of this estimated 10%) being over the age of 80.

The majority of elderly live in the community (94% in 1976]. Elderly women in the community outnumber men by four to one, 40% of these women live alone.

Perhaps you might say what is this to us? Maori people have traditionally cared for their elderly people. That is true, but the Maori people on statistics do not live as long as the pakeha.

Make arrangements

Times are changing with an improved standard of living. Maori people are living longer than previously, many are living in cities. Families are smaller than they were 10 years ago, many more Maori people are travelling both within New Zealand and abroad, for example, the number of young Maoris who are now living in Australia. Will your children still be around to care for you when you are old we need to think about this and begin to make arrangements for our old age.

What sort of arrangements? Perhaps we need to care for ourselves now, have regular medical check-ups, look after our feet it is important when you are old to have good feet. Take exercise do not get too overweight and above all keep the mind active.

Develop hobbies now that will see you through old age (I do not think that will be difficult for the ladies of the Maori Women’s Welfare League).

Tu Tangata Magazine

Because of difficulties experienced with the circulation of the magazine we are asked to take out a subscription, $5 for 6 issues, which ensures that the magazine reaches us direct within a couple of days of publication instead of the month or more it sometimes takes to come via local offices of the Department.

Your Area Representative has coupons which you can fill in or just send your cheque with your name and address to:

Tu Tangata Magazine

Cl- Department of Maori Affairs Private Bag

WELLINGTON.

The editor is most anxious to receive any topical news of League Activities that would be of general interest to readers. Mark any contributions as League material and stipulate whether you want any photos or other material provided returned. Send material to the Editor, Tu Tangata Magazine at the above address.

Research Project

A well attended training hui was held in Waiariki over the weekend of 19/22 February and interviewers are now in the field in that area keep them in your prayers.

Maori Affairs Bill

Executive received a reply on 18 November 1981 from the Minister of Maori Affairs to a request for information on the progress of the work in re-drafting the Bill which said:

“The reason why the League has not been receiving information on the progress of the work in re-drafting the Maori Affaiors Bill is that the New Zealand Maori Council's legislative Review Committee is still working on the matter.

When the Committee makes its report to the Council the Council will no doubt be presenting ne with a draft or at least some further discussion papers. I would expect that whatever is produced will receive wide circulation and I have asked both my department and the New Zealand Maori Council to ensure that 20 copies of any such material is made available to your League.”

Maori Electoral Roll

Between 1 March and 30 April you will have the opportunity to exercise your option to vote on the Maori or General Roll. The Post Office will begin to post out re-enrolment cards to every elector at the end of this month. If you wish to change from the Maori to General Roll or from the General Roll to the Maori Roll this is your opportunity to do so there will not be another opportunity until the time of the next census. Watch out for publicity about the exercise of the Maori option in newspapers or on TV and radio and be sure to return your enrolment and before the end of April.

Marion Antonievich, National Secretary