Kāhu ki Rotorua: Finding a purpose for his people in the law

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

See below for English translation

Nō te timatatanga o tēnei tau i kawea e tātou ngā kōrero papai mō Te Maiora Rurehe – Young Achiever 2022. Nō ēnei rangi kua hori ka noho tahi anō i a ia. Anei āna kōrero.

■ He aha te kaupapa?

E hoki ana taku kōrero ki ngā tau e wha kua hori. I haere māua ko taku rangatira ki te Matakite.He mahi noa tēnei nā māua ki a pā tonu ā māua ringaringa ki te whetukinga manawa a Taha Wairua nei. Kāti ka hau atu māua, nā wai rā ka whakapuakina e ia, taria te wā ka wehe ahau i tēnei whenua ka rere atu ki whenua kē ki reira mahi ai. Wheoi anō he tauira kē ahau e ako ana i te Wahre Wānanga, kāore aku whakapono ki ana kupu kōrero.

Ka hipa ngā tau e wha , kai Amerika ahau e noho ana e whai ana i taku tāhu paerua ture ā taiao, ki te whare wānanga whakahirahira hoki o te ao e rongonui ana mō āna karaehe ture taiao nei, ā, ko Te Whare Wānanga o Pace i White Plains i te tāone nui o Niu Ioka.

■ Ka whea te roa o tēnei kaupapa e haere ana?

He kotahi noa te tau te roanga o tēnei kaupapa.

■ Me te take o tēnei kaupapa?

Nā Annette Sykes ahau i akiaki kia tahuri nā ki taua whare wānanga, tuatahi ake kia whai karahipi e whiti ai ahau ki tāwāhi. Nā ōna hoa huhua me ngā huarahi kua takahia e ia e ngawari ai taku takahi i tēnei huarahi. Atu i tēnā he kaupapa e whakatata tahi ai māua ko toku hoa rangatira i tā māua aroha nui ki te kaupapa tiaki taiao, kua roa nei māua e kōkiri kaupapa ana i tēnei ao.

Te Maiora Rurehe in New York.

■ Ko wai mā ngā rangatira o tēnei pahi?

Ko tetehi wāhanga he tuhinga roa. Kai te aro kau ahau ki te mana motuhake o te tangata me te roanga atu o taua mana ka whakaaengia ki runga ki te tangata. I Hawaiki Tahutahu nei, kua uhia tenei mana ki runga ki nga pokowhiwhi o Te Urewera me te awa o Whanganui, ā, kai te kōrerongia te Kāhui Maunga inaianei.Ko te tikanga o tenei whakaaro, e taurite ai te mana o ngā maunga me ngā awa me he tangata, pēnei i ahau, pēnei i a koe. Nō reira anō te whakaaro, ka taea e rātau te kawe kaupapa hamene ki te Kooti ? Ka taea hoki e ēnei tūāhuatanga te whakatakoto ritenga e pāhekoheko ai te tangata ki a ia?Anei ngā pātai ka āta tātaria e ahau i taku tuhinga roa: ■ Te Kāhui Raraunga

■ Fullbright New Zealand

■ William Georgetti

■ Kōhanga Reo national Trust

■ Bay of Plenty Regional Council

■ Whānau and Friends

■ Ka heke iho ngā hua o enei kaupapa ki a wai, ā , me pewhea hoki e tae ki a rātou ?

Nō Tūhoe ahau, nō Te Ātihaunui-ā-Pāpārangi toku hoa rangatira. E whitu marama noa te rahi o tā māua tamaiti tane.Ko tenei kaupapa, tuturu e hāngai pū ana ki tō tatou whakapapa. E tumanakohia ana e ahau ma taku tuhinga roa e mātau ake ai tātou ki ngā hua ā ture nei e pakari ake ai te mana o te tangata he ahakoa he maunga, he ahakoa he awa rānei i Hawaiki Tahutahu.

■ I whakangungua koe?

Kauaka ko te whakangungu tuturu engari ko te whakapono o te whatumanawa ki tāu e whakapono ai. Te whakaaro rangatira me te whakapono o toku rangatira mahi kai reira kē te wana. Nāna tonu i whakatō i te uho o te whakapono ki taku whatumanawa, he oranga nui ko te ako ki tāwāhi he mea ka taea e te tangata whakaaro whānui, he mea ka taea hoki e ahau te tū niho ki te niho, pokowhiwhi ki te pokowhiwhi me ngā taniwha oreore o te ao, whaihoki, ko te mātauranga o tātou te Māori, he mana nui kauaka ki Hawaiki Tahutahu noa, engari te ao whānui nei.

■ He aha te pae tata me te pae tawhiti e tā?

Ko te pae tata, kia puta ahau i te wānanga, ko te pae tawhiti kia whiwhi mahi māua ko toku rangatira i ngā kaupapa tiaki taiao.

■ He aha hoki, ā rohe, ā ao whānui rānei?

Ko tēnei kaupapa ake, ao whānui e hoa.

■ Hai kupu whakamutunga āu e hoa?

Ko tēnei haerenga, kaore au e huna i te kōrero, he haerenga nui, he haerenga uaua hoki kua mahue taku whānau me taku huatahi , whati kau ana ngā kokonga o te whatumanawa , engari he mōhio nōku, he mamae poto, ka rere anō te rā.Nōku e tuku tono ana, ka puta te kōrero kua hapū taku hoa rangatira , na wai rā ka tae te kupu ki a māua kua whai tūranga ahau ki tēnei kaupapa, ko te whakaaro matua kia takahia tenei huarahi e māua tahi , nā wai rā, ka wānangangia tēnei kaupapa, ka oti i a māua te whakatau, kia takitahi kau te haere, e kore rawa he kaupapa pēnei nui te mana, e hoki mai ki te ihu o te tangata.

English Translation

We covered a story on a Young Achiever Te Maiora Rurehe in May 2022, we recently caught up with him to see what he’s been up to since. Here’s what he had to say.

■ What is the kaupapa?

About four years ago, my partner and I went to see a Matakite. This is something that we do often to ‘check-in’ with Te Taha Wairua. On this particular visit, the lady matakite said she could see me going over seas and working in certain areas. Being at University and not knowing where I was going, I didn’t believe her.

Fast forward four years I find myself studying a Masters of Environmental Law at America’s foremost University for Environmental Law: Pace University in White Plains of New York. ■ How long has it been running? The study program runs for one year.

From left is Savanna Hiha,Supreme Court clerk to Justice Joe Williams,Mr Tūrongo Taketake & Te Rua Wallace at the Awards Ceremony.

■ What was the purpose of initiating the kaupapa?

I was encouraged and supported by my former boss, Annette Sykes, to apply for scholarships to head overseas. Thanks to the relationships and many friendships she has formed over the years, she was able to broker those relationships for me.

Not only that, it was opportunity to pursue a degree which would bring and my partner and I closer in work. We have a shared passion for the environment and to work collaboratively in that space has been a long-held desire.

■ Who is involved?

A component of the research is a thesis. I intend on looking into legal personality and how far those rights can be conferred. In New Zealand, Te Urewera and the Whanganui River have been given this right, with the Kāhui Mounga currently in discussion. Having legal personality, they are said to have the same rights as human beings. Does this mean they can take proceedings under the Criminal Law Act? Can these ‘entities’ determine how people interact with them? These are questions that I look to answer through the thesis.

I have also been fortunate to be supported by:

■ Te Kāhui Raraunga

■ Fulbright New Zealand

■ William Georgetti

■ Kōhanga Reo National Trust

■ Bay of Plenty Regional Council

■ Whānau and Friends

■ Who benefits from the kaupapa and how?

I am from Tūhoe and my partner is from Te Ātihaunui-ā-Pāpārangi. Our son is nearly seven months. This kaupapa is for our whakapapa.

I also hope that through the thesis, we will have a greater understanding of how legal personality can operate in New Zealand.

■ Was training involved?

The most important ‘training’ for this was having the belief that this was possible. Having the encouragement of my boss was the tipping point. She really instilled in me the belief that studying internationally was possible, that I could tussle with the big guns and really, that our knowledge has place in international jurisdictions and understandings.

■ What is the short term and long term goal?

The short-term goal is to ensure I get through the course. The long term is to operate a consultancy or work with my partner in the Environmental space.

■ Is this regional or national?

This kaupapa is International.

■ Anything you want to add

This journey has been particularly challenging because I have had to leave my whānau and fairly new-born son behind. Wasn’t an easy decision, but I know this is a short-term sacrifice for long-term benefits.

At the time of applying, we had just discovered we had fallen pregnant. When we found out I had received scholarships, whilst we intended coming over together, we resolved that I had to continue as the opportunity would not come around again.