Sadly, due to the selfish and deliberately divisive activities of some modern politicians and community leaders, those days of racial harmony appear lost forever.
However, for what it is worth, this is my tale.
It is the story of an enduring friendship between two pioneer Hawkes Bay families who lived and worked together in CHB in the late 1800s. It is the story of survival at a time when Maori/Pakeha relationships were just emerging from the Treaty Signing and looking for partners in business, educational and spiritual opportunities that would include all peoples living in the developing communities they had inherited.
One of the families was led by the Kahungunu Paramount Chief of the time - Te Hapuku who lived at Te Hauke im CHB and the other was led by my Greatgrandfather Edward Bibby Senior who opened the first General Store in Waipawa in 1862.
Given that Waipawa was to become the largest inland town in Hawkes Bay at the time with little else in between, it was no surprise that Te Hapuku and his wives frequented the Bibby Store on a regular basis and that a friendship between the families developed that has lasted until this day.
This friendship has endured mainly based on mutual respect and trust - the single most important ingredients in any lasting relationship of any type.
So much so that only last week on return from an across country trip, we called in to the HB Museum in Napier where the curator had arranged a meeting between myself and my old school mate, Kaumatua Jerry Hapuku who l had not seen since 1958 - the last operating year of the Waipawa District High School before it merged with Waipukurau DHS to form the CHB College.
Although Jerry and I had not enjoyed each other's company for such a long period of our lives, our respective responsibilities as kaitiakii of family heirlooms dating back to the 1870s immediately set the tone for discussions that quickly brought back memories of our teenage years together.
Not only were we able to recall events that occurred during our own lifetimes, but more importantlyable to focus of a couple of Pre European Maori war clubs (a tewha tewha and taiaha) two clubs that had been used in tribal combat pre the Treaty Signing.
These clubs currently form part of a gift from Te Hapuku to my Greatgrandfather about 1870 as a token of the enduring friendship between the families.
The gift cemented our families’ close association and epitomised the public mood at the time immediately following the treaty signing.
It was a period in our nation's history that was full of promise, justifiable expectation and mutual respect - so much of which appears sadly lacking in today's society.
From a purely selfish point of view, this enduring relationship is the source of much personal satisfaction and it is not the families fault that the previously enduring climate of goodwill no longer exists to the same extent in modern society.
But it does show what might have been had those of recent times with responsibility to lead, spent more time giving of themselves rather than squabbling over how we should distribute the Nation's resources equally amongst those who need it most.
Clearly things need to change before we destroy what we once thought was a real possibility ie. the true egalitarian society that now unfortunately looks only to be a pipe dream.
Ever the optimist - while there is life, there is hope!
Clive Bibby is a commentator, consultant, farmer and community leader, who lives in Tolaga Bay.
8 comments:
An interesting contribution . Did your discussion cover why Te Hapuku was called "the groper"?
I'd have kept quiet about the Maori war clubs. Soon some activist will be demanding their return to "his people" because your forebears were evil colonisers who stole them.
There are plenty of judges around who will swallow that line.
That's nice clive...
I too have old longstanding mates, from back when 'we' were mostly one.
Back before the grievance generation became the loudest and placated.
I have no hope for those days returning.
Not sure Basil but my guess is that any nickname was more related to the fish species of the same name than any reference to extra marital activities.
However, the record does show that during negotiations with the Crown agent, McClean to buy the Waipukurau Purchase, Te Hapuku was allocated a “minder” by the name of Ihaia Hutana, a highly respected CHB kaumatua from TePairu Pa (also a family friend) who was no doubt given the job of making sure everything was above board..There are many Hutana family stories that make reference to those land sales and some of them don’t end well for the minor parties
Thanks for the story Clive. Heartwarming and uplifting.
Yes, an interesting comment on the mutual benefit between an early small-town trader and a local paramount chief. Hawke’s Bay owes a lot to Chief Te Hapuku, who welcomed European settlers, with their technology and productive species of plants and animals, and allowed via the Crown the sale of land to the sheep runholders. This is not to say that he didn’t drive a hard bargain; he did.
His descendant, Jerry Hapuku, is the Kaumatua of the Hastings District and a fine Māori who understands the need for, and works to achieve, good race relation. He may have received his secondary schooling at the Waipawa District High School, but he graduated from the University of the Shearing Board, which is as good an education that you could get to do his work. I disagree with the legislatorary (probably a new word) division between Māori and Pakeha, but out in the provinces – the one I’m familiar with anyway – race relations through my lifetime have been good, and still are.
Mr. Bibby - It would be interesting to know, if you have read the book - about Waipawa, the Author Margaret Gray (nee Hessey)?
In the Waipawa Museum, sometime back was an exhibition of Maori Memorabilia, that had been given to a Settler (Family) who had a large land holding - amid the display (actual - not Chinese made) Green Stone Maori War Clubs, plus other artifacts.
Like you, I am a former citizen of said Town.
Yes Anon 506 pm.
The Maori artifacts you speak of that are in the Waipawa Museum are no doubt part of the original Te Hapuku gift to my Greatgrandfather. Those pieces have taken a more direct route to the museum and hopefully will be followed over time by the remaining parts still in the family's possession.
Given Waipawa was the location were the gift was made it is appropriate that all parts end up in safe keeping at a place where the enduring relationship was born.and where the collection is on display for all to see.
After all, it is now part of Hawkes Bay's wonderful heritage - not just ours.
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