Pitopito korero

Tu Tangata, Issue 25, 1 August 1985, Page 42

Pitopito korero

The newly established Maori group “Aotearoa”, who has recently put out the album, “Maranga Ake Ai” is promising more music for keen listeners. Lead guitarist, Ngahiwi Apanui, says that they are hoping to record five more songs in the next two months.

The government looks like it’s going to keep up with its part of the bargain as far as the Maori cultural foundation is concerned.

At the annual conference of Nga Puna Waihanga, the Maori writers and artists heard from our Minister that the foundation has not been forgotten. Mr Wetere said that the representative of Nga Puna Waihanga will be consulted further as soon as possible, to help bring the Maori Cultural Foundation to completion.

Auckland Museum has recently appointed Mr Warena Taua of Mangere to the position of Assistant Ethnologist.

His position fills the vacancy left by Mrs Nola Arthur, of Ngai Tahu, who served as Assistant Librarian and subsequently Assistant Ethnologist.

Media Peace Prize 1985 The NZ Media Peace Prize is being offered for any published ‘peace stories’ from September 1984 to October 1, 1985. The Media Peace Prize is a practical incentive and reward to producers, directors, journalists, scriptwriters and others in the media whose skills and imagination have been applied to the task of tackling issues of conflict sensitively and constructively.

The NZ Media Peace Prize is awarded in three categories. Television/film, radio and print. The winner in each category will receive a prize of SI,OOO together with a piece of specially commissioned sculpture by Marte Szirmay. Any person or group may forward a nomination either of themselves or others. People interested in making a nomination should contact: The New Zealand Foundation for Peace Studies, Inc PO Box 4110, Auckland. 29 Princes St, Auckland 1.

Sydney-based Maoris have recently held a wananga on what maoritanga means for them living in Sydney.

It follows on from comments made in the June/July issue of Tu Tangata by the Sydney Maori chaplain, Rev Kingi Ihaka. He said after spending eight months in Sydney, he could see the Maori people there needed to figure out what sort of maoritanga they wanted for themselves and their children.

Developments from this wananga will feature in future issues of Tu Tangata.

Kahungunu officer

Ngati Kahungunu has taken over the community relations job in Invercargill again.

Mr Douglas Thompson has replaced Mr Hata Wilson, also of Wairoa as Community Relations Officer for the district.

Mr Thompson has been living in Southland for the past 20 years. He was the former president of the Murihiku Maori Warden’s Association and has also worked at the Invercargill Youth Institution for almost ten years.

He is a tutor for the Te Rongopai intermediate culture group and through these associations has a strong rapport with children and young people.

Invercargill has been without a community relations officer since Mr Wilson left there in February.

Unused marae

Dr Peter Tapsell had quite a lot to say about unused marae at the Historic Places Trust hui at Papawai Marae, Greytown.

“Marae need to be in full-time use, not just for tangi and formal hui,” he said.

“There are 24 marae around Lake Rotorua,” he said of his own area. “These are locked up until someone dies and then it is a job to find the key.”

The Minister went on to say that although restoration of decaying marae was badly needed, the more important factor is ‘using’ the marae. “I never want to pass a marae, and there not be people there.”

He also said that now that Maori land no longer supports the marae, efforts should be made to make it economic.

“In the past, the land owned by the people funded the marae. Now it is gone or sold or whatever. It should make a contribution.”

He brought up the fact too, that Maori people no longer live around the marae. “A classic example is the old fruit trees around Papawai. People have moved away to find work. Marae

are kept running just by a few elders.”

And he didn’t have too much of a kind word to say to young people. “It is up to every Maori setting foot on to a marae to make a personal koha. Young people think they can walk on and someone else can pay for it. Who pays for the grocery bill?”

Dr Tapsell said that although the Historic Places Trust was not in a position to provide funding of all marae, “They can renovate the odd one, but there is no way they can maintain them all.”

The chairman of the Maori and South Pacific Arts Council, Mr Kuru Waaka, is happy that its grant has almost doubled this year, but said “it’s still not enough”.

The grant of $380,000 from the Queen Elizabeth Arts Council last year, has gone up to $685,000 this year.

“The money we got was far less than our target,” said Mr Waaka. “We never get enough, but at least it has almost doubled this time.”

Mr Waaka hopes the grant will double again next year.

The Q.E. Arts Council works with funds provided by the Government and the New Zealand Lottery Board.

It has received a grant of nearly $lO milion for the 1985/86 year.

“We are a tenth of the population, so we should be getting a tenth of the share,” said Mr Waka. “We really should be getting $1 million.”

MASPAC, comprising a chairman and eight council members, has pointed out it no longer wants to be answerable to the Q.E. II Arts Council.

“We want to stand on our own feet and be on equal status to them,” said Mr Waaka.

“It's difficult to get what we want, and we’re forever submitting cases to increase our budget,” he said.

“But the Arts Council only grant us what they want to.”

This years’ funds will go towards traditional Maori and Pacific Art programmes, such as language promotion, and weaving and carving programmes.

Funding will also go towards hui in contemporary music, arts and crafts, and modern dance and drama.

Anyone can apply to MASPAC for funding, and grants are allocated depending on the artistic or cultural merit of applicants’ projects.

Mr Waaka, of Rotorua, doesn’t think MASPAC is getting enough publicity.

“We need more profile. A lot of people don’t know who we are,” he said.