Fractious meat plant dispute hurting unity

Ngahiwi Tomoana describes the "Tatau Tatau" nature of the people of Te Wairoa.

"Te Wairoa-hopupu-honengenenge-matangirau."

This is a classic Kahungunu statement referring to the Wairoa River and the lands which are full of whirlpools, snags and boggy holes. But as the waters come closer to the sea they become calm and flow in a gentle direction to the ocean.

This is a metaphor for the nature of the people of Te Wairoa. They are robust and interrogate every issue till the cows come home.

They contest every matter with much debate but they normally agree on important matters, hence the term "Tatau Tatau", "We are one."

This is reflected in the current issues between the Meat Workers' Union and the Affco meatworks owners in Wairoa.

There is huge dissension and corrosion within the community and within whanau with regard to new conditions Affco is imposing on its labour force.

It is pitting whanau against whanau, husband against wife, sibling against sibling, and mate against mate.

The iwi has been in the centre of this maelstrom trying to bring the company and management together with the union and with individual whanau members.

There has been no give in any quarter about who is right and who has the most to lose or gain.

Three years ago the iwi leaders group was able to broker a temporary truce between all factions so that whanau members could return to work while negotiations continued.

This time though the union and individual employees have asked the iwi to intervene on their behalf. The company owners will not talk to the iwi leaders.

I have experienced the stress on the whanau and communities for workers and management and the invisible tensions that have been erected by the changing work conditions.

The Te Wairoa region and the wider Hawke's Bay community cannot afford for the Affco plant to come under any further strain or stress from ongoing destruction of trust among the people.

This iwi will be trying in earnest to bring all parties together.

The real ambition is to get people back to work as quickly as possible. I hope that we will see the end of the Te Wairoa-hopupu-honengenenge-matangirau stage of this highly visible issue so that we can get closer to the Matangirau, Tatau Tatau stage and whanau and the community, and the company can work together to ensure future generations will not be handicapped by deteriorating relationships.

Ngati Kahungunu iwi has always seen Te Wairoa as the tuakana of our region and the rest of us look towards Te Wairoa for leadership in resolving this matter.

- Ngahiwi Tomoana is chairman of Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated.