It seems a long time since the last TE KARAKA. Probably because so much has happened in between. As we were preparing this magazine to get to the printers and distributors, we were of course planning the next two magazines. So somtimes the magazine that’s being published feels aged, old somehow because our team has read, re-read x5 to get it as perfect as possible. Then, finally the public see it and their reaction is fresh and revealing.

At TE KARAKA we often talk about recording the stories of our elders, capturing their wisdom and life’s adventures. In this issue, we were fortunate to have two such elders on our He Tangata page. Te Pura o te Rangi was bestowed a Queen’s Service Medal for services to Maori and the community earlier this year. When the announcement was made, I thought it was a perfect time for Te Pura to be our He Tangata. Once approached, he asked that his wife Reihana, or Doe as most of us know her, be included. Since I generally think of them as a pair, I was happy to oblige. It proved a smart decision because their answers are both entertaining and an insight into their long and loving partnership.

Shortly after this issue was printed, Te Pura passed away. I was saddened at the this news because Te Pura was a beautiful, charismatic man who led gently and wisely. His death is great loss to all who had the honour of knowing him. However, I was also heartened that TE KARAKA, as a record of Ngai Tahu whānui, had caught this last thread of conversation. Many readers have been moved to tears as they read He Tangata and remember Te Pura. E haere koe kia tauāwhitia koe e ō tīpuna haere, haere, e oki, e au te moe.

Yesterday, the finalists for the Magazine Publisher Association Awards were announced. And the news was good. Very good. Keri Hulme has been named a finalist for the Columnist of the Year and I have been named a finalist for the Editor of the Year award. It is an honour to be judged worthy of these finalist positions, which are awarded if the person achieves 75 per cent or higher in the judging criteria. Continue reading

Recently a colleague was trying to find some pictures of Ngāī Tahu families to illustrate a presentation. The pictures were to depict the notion of intergenerational investment. It took a few days before he realised that it wasn’t as simple as just selecting some cute faces taken at iwi events. Continue reading

Last week,  a dozen Gisborne farmers were left holding protest placards at their local airport while Prime Minister John Key, whom they had hoped to persuade to amend the Emissions Trading Scheme legislation, went and visited numerous Māori and iwi organisations.

The PM was travelling with Māori Party co-leader Pita Sharples and their visits to those Māori and iwi organisations would not have happened without extensive planning so  it’s not as if the PM just decided to have a hongi and a cup of tea with Gisborne Māori. Continue reading

At the weekend, I spent time at a wānanga aimed at reviving Polynesian sailing traditions for Ngāi Tahu. Run by waka expert Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, this inspiring project will feature in the next issue of Te Karaka.

I was privileged to twice sit in a waka as it sailed within the coastal reaches of Kaikōura. While reflecting on the voluminous sea, I was reminded of some words I wrote years ago as part of an art exhibition catalogue. The exhibition, Vikings of the Sunrise – named after Te Rangi Hiroa’s book,  revealed notions of Polynesian star navigation and long-distance voyaging. Continue reading

This morning I received a batch of handwritten snail mail. The light-handed cursive script revealed older writers before the envelopes were gleefully torn open. Instantly, memories emerged of ink wells, blotting paper and fountain pens with fragile nibs that oozed ink if pressed too hard. I attended a Catholic primary school and the nuns there were vigilant in making sure we wrote with the right amount of slope and flourish. I know the ink stain is not there anymore but I check my right index finger anyway. Continue reading

Welcome to the new interactive TE KARAKA website. Our developer Simon Leslie has been working on this project to enhance TE KARAKA’s online magazine with some of the bells and whistles that can be found on the Internet. Now, you can leave comments, follow us on Twitter, print or email your favourite article at the push of a button. We are especially interested in hearing your opinions about our articles.

In this issue,  we lead off an article focusing on rangatahi and the prison system. This year there seems to be a real interest in how to keep young offenders out of jail. Some of the solutions are debated in our story and we look at what iwi and hapu are doing to support whanau.

We also remember the tragedy of the Takapuneke massacre and celebrate the creation of a historic reserve there in February.

There are many stories just waiting to be read, as well as illuminating columns from Keri Hulme and Tom Bennion. Go on, have a look for yourself …