At NSPR we encourage everyone to bring their authentic selves to mahi. As a company we have been on our cultural journey for a few years, but we also recognise that everyone is at different stages and that it is a marathon not a sprint. The most important aspect is the wairua and that the intent is genuine. After one of our team, Niki, recently journeyed to her whakapapa in Scotland, she wrote this beautiful reflection piece and we wanted to share this with you with the hope it might also inspire you to connect with your own whakapapa.
We’ve recently been travelling overseas, and part of that trip was the start of discovering my Scottish connection on my mother’s side.
I’ve been to Scotland before, many moons ago, (aged 27!) and I’ve always known that I was Scottish, but I’m embarrassed to write that I never even thought to look into my family history. It’s a sad thought because at that time my beautiful mum was still alive, and I could have learnt more.
Reflecting on my initial family discoveries in Scotland, I realised it was through learning te reo Māori that I had become super curious about my whakapapa.
Yes, as Pākehā we have whakapapa too!
Recently in preparation for an immersion te reo Māori retreat, we had our first session online, which was all about whanaungatanga – meeting and getting to know the other attendees.
For the first time I incorporated elements of my Scottish whakapapa into my pepeha. I felt excited about it but also incredibly nervous as the words held much greater significance and meaning for me, but it felt like a game-changer.
Importantly, through my recent learning (I am of an era where it wasn’t taught at school), I know and understand that it is because of Te Tiriti o Waitangi that my grandfather, John Black Watt (aged eight), was able to travel with his family from Scotland to start a new life – a better life – in Aotearoa.
Aotearoa is where I live, and I love this country immensely. I am committed to being a good citizen of Aotearoa, a person of the Treaty of Waitangi – caring for the whenua and the people in the community I live in, but my whakapapa and my whenua is deeply rooted in Scotland and England.
Whilst on the online whanaungatanga session, I didn’t expect what happened next…
After my turn, others introduced themselves, and someone said, “Ko Clan Buchanan ahau”.
Wait, what…That’s my clan!
I felt this adrenalin rush, I gave a thumbs up on the screen and grinned a mile wide. Wow we are connected, we are from the same clan.
Is this how Māori feel when through pepeha and whanaungatanga you realise you are connected to someone through your iwi or hāpu? You realise you are whānau.
Why am I telling you this? I am writing this post because as Pākehā I have privilege, and I believe it is time for Tangata te Tiriti to actually stand up publicly and support Tangata Whenua.
It is well documented how much easier it is for Pākehā to learn te reo, without the expectation to pronounce everything perfectly, without thinking about your grandparents or parents who were beaten for speaking te reo Māori, without pressure from whānau, hāpu or iwi who desperately need you to help by stepping up and speaking the language fluently on behalf of them at hui/meetings, at whakanui/celebrations, at whakapōtae/graduations and at tangi/funerals.
My privilege to learn without these pressures comes with deep responsibility, and standing up and supporting tangata whenua is part of that. It is necessary to be comfortable in the knowledge of what to do and say but importantly, when to step forward to karakia or kōrero and when to allow tangata whenua the opportunity.
I used to think I couldn’t comment on Te Tiriti issues because I didn’t know enough about it, I now realise by being silent it appears you are in agreement or complicit.
It is time to stand up as a Tangata Tiriti/a person of the Treaty. It is NOT enough just to learn te reo Māori.
I thought we were on the right track as a country but am incredibly sad and deeply embarrassed at our current governments’ decisions with respect to te reo Māori, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the complete disrespect for Tangata Whenua.
Nothing but positivity has come from my te reo Māori journey, now in year three. And while I wish I had started earlier; it just makes me more determined.
My greatest desire is that ALL children in Aotearoa get the chance to learn te reo Māori because through this experience they will have their eyes opened to the beautiful world of te ao Māori/the Māori world view. They’ll learn the true history of Aotearoa, why they are able to live in this beautiful country if they aren’t Tangata Whenua, and an opportunity to ask and learn about their own whakapapa.
We have so much to learn from Tangata Whenua and within my short glimpse into te ao Māori – outside of a deep love for whenua, it is a people world view.
What’s not to love about that?
“E kimi ana i nga kāwai, e toro ki tāwhiti”
Seeking the shoots that stretch afar
E te ahikā o Aotearoa, e mihia ana koutou, he mana nō rātou ki te whenua o Aotearoa.
#toitūtereomāori #toitūtetiriti #tangatawhenua #tangatatiriti #whakapapa #pepeha
