Reports and Updates 17 November 2022
Ngahiwi Tomoana is the National Iwi Chairs Forum mandated Lead for Te Aratini & Trade. Following the impressive Aotearoa presence at the 2021 World Expo in Dubai, he is now preparing for the 2025 World Expo being held in Osaka, Japan. The following is an update from Japan. Click here to link to the Te Aratini webpage.
1 2 3 4...we're off to Singapore, 5 6 7 8 9 0...then it's onto Tokyo...
Thanks to Iwi chairs, Pou Tahua, MFAT, TPK, NKII, NZMT, and everyone else Danielle, Paddy Mason, Tatere and Karetai, Kahurangi, Mere and I are promoting Te Aratini with the commercial and cultural Japanese people. Our ambition is to get the Japanese to embrace Te Aratini just as the Emiratis did in Dubai. But the secret is getting countries and nationhoods with tribal and indigenous peoples working together. Convincing politicians, bureaucrats, business, heads, and corporate giants that cultural knowledge has more application to commerce, conservation, and community and has no bounds. And Māori with our government is leading the way.
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Let's look at Wharerangi Marae and their opening on 26th November as a local example. Hapu that has been smashing it out with each other in courts over emails, hui after hui, over claims in the Waitangi tribunal, the land court, the select committee, and so on, are working together to have the greatest opening for Ngati Maahu, Hinepare and Tawhao because of the kaupapa, not fighting over boundaries or money or mana.
Every Sunday led by Bill Prentice, Beverly Kemp, Evvy Ratima, Layna Box, and the local kuikui, have composed and practiced waiata for the occasion. Kowhaiwhai and tukutuku have been led by Hana Wainohu and Maraea Tanoa with heaps of others. A lot of the kiekie and pingao came from Otaki, Waipounamu, and up north. The carvings were chipped out by Tipene Cottrell, Philip Belcher, Thompson Hokianga, and others. Mere and I gave tuna from Pekapeka, karengo from Tautane,koura from Kairakau hangi wood from Pakipaki while Wi Huata gave 2 pigs.No doubt truckloads of kai and koha will roll in over the next 2 weeks. Matiu Eru and Tatere will lead the early dawn karakia. But its all hands to the pingao, paepae, and pots, not balling fists or ringing lawyers or doing rude texts. Culture gets cut through.
And that's what we are trying to do here, create an international kaupapa that engages and shares in climate change , capital inclusion, techno teaming, cultural revival and social equity.The secretary of the UN recently said " the world is torn by war, battered by climate change, poisoned by hate and shamed by poverty and inequity. We need a new way" he went on to say. Maybe we are creating an option based on tikanga whakapapa and korero.
Canada,US,OZ,Paraguay,PanamaScandanavia, the UAE Emiratis,Malaysia, South Africa, now Japan with India now being curious as well.Pacific nations are interested.EU trade delegates here a month ago wish to be part of teTe Aratini also. So we might be on a bit of a roll but if we hadnt taken the risk with support from the Emirati ambassador and some senior execs and if we didnt come today then who knows.
Well, this globetrotting in my time started of course with the likes of Piri Sciascia, Rose Pere, Pita Sharples,Hinewehi Mohi, Tama Huata, Moana Jackson sandy Adsett, Derek Fox, and Timoti Karetu, the finest ambassadors this countries ever had romancing the world Kahungunu style. Im sitting with Helen Clarke in the Singapore airport reflecting on the global mobility of Maori. Our Kahungunu Hui a tau is also in 2 weeks and although the financial pressures are on, theyre every where we dare to look. We will be here for another 100, 500, maybe 1000 years. Its the 1st AGM Ive missed for 34 years..We need to reach out not be shrinking violets in a time where people are looking for better and fairer ways of doing things in which we have a role to play and a lot to share...
Domo..arigato..gusaimas...
