Tania M. Kaai - Ngoingoi Pēwhairangi

First published in 2008 by Huia Publishers

This edition published in 2019

39 Pipitea Street, PO Box 12280

Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand

www.huia.co.nz

ISBN 978-1-77550-388-0 (EPUB)

ISBN 978-1-77550-388-0 (Kindle)

ISBN 978-1-77550-348-4 (print)

Copyright Tania Kaai 2008, 2019

Front cover image courtesy of Pwhairangi Whnau Trust

Back cover image courtesy of Dalvanius Prime

This book is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without the prior permission of the publisher.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of New Zealand.

Published with the support of

The waiata referenced in this book can be viewed on the Tmata Toiere website www.waiata.maori.nz or by scanning the QR code above.

Ebook conversion 2019 by meBooks.

He Tohu Whakamaumaharatanga

T his book is dedicated to the memory of the great men in my life. Firstly, to my father, Mhealani Kaai, whose sudden death while I was completing my PhD thesis still affects me every day of my life. I know that you will be proud of this book. Me ke aloha Pp. Secondly, to John Hunia, who believed in me from a young age and supported me through my early education at Kawerau College. This was complemented by the support and mentoring I received from John Te Ranginiwaniwa Rangihau when I studied at the University of Waikato. E ng manu tiko o Mtaatua waka, moe mai r krua, ko taku aroha m krua e kore e mimiti. And, finally, to Rikirangi Ben Pwhairangi, who asked me to write this book in memory of his treasured wife. E te pp, te rau matua o t p harakeke e kore koe e warewaretia.

View of Te Toka-a-namu from Marotiri.

Te Poho o Te Tikanga, Waiparapara marae, Tokomaru Bay.

W Matahiki and Huka Pohaera, circa 1930, sitting outside a kuta at Waiparapara marae, Tokomaru Bay.

Ngoi and her sisters, Hrata, Nunu and Mere.

Iranui (Aunty Ada) Haig at Pkirikiri marae.

Wikitria Matahiki.

Ngoi at Hukarere Mori Girls College, Napier, with members of the 28th Mori Battalion.

Te Hokowhitu-a-T at Ptiki marae, Whanganui.

Tuni Ngwai, Ngoi Pwhairangi and the rest of the group performing at the investiture hui for the posthumous award of the Victoria Cross to Second Lieutenant Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu at Ruatria in 1943.

Sonny Kpua, Lou Prime, Tuni Ngwai and Ngoi.

Te Hokowhitu-a-T with Tuni.

Marriage to Rikirangi Ben Pwhairangi at Waiparapara, 1945.

Te Poho o Te Tikanga, Waiparapara marae, prior to the renovations.

Tokomaru Bay Freezing Works, 1910.

Ngoi and her sister-in-law Te Ngaroroa at Mangahauini.

Ngoi, Terewai and Ben.

Irene Constance Pwhairangi weaving a kete.

Ngoi and Ben with their mokopuna Gina at Ngois sixtieth birthday, Tokomaru Bay.

Ngois sixtieth birthday, Tokomaru Bay.

Ngoi and Ben with their mokopuna Gina.

Ngoi with Waiparapara marae whnau.

Ngoi and students from Gisborne Girls High School on the steps of Parliament, Wellington.

Gisborne Girls High School staff photo.

Ngoi and Gisborne Girls High School Mori Club.

Ngoi and students from Gisborne Girls High School at Parliament, Wellington, with Hon. Whetu Tiriktene-Sullivan.

Ben preparing a hngi for a hui, Pkirikiri marae.

Ngoi and her kapa haka group (Gisborne Girls High School and Gisborne Boys High School).

Letter to Ngoi from Governor General Sir Keith Holyoake, proposing her QSM award, 1977.

Governor General Sir Keith Holyoake presenting Ngoi with her QSM award, 1977.

Ngoi and Ben at Government House after Ngoi received her QSM, 1977.

Ngoi at a hui.

Ngoi and others from Tairwhiti leaving a performing arts hui at Trangawaewae.

Ngoi with Dr Michael King during the filming of the Tangata Whenua series, 1973.

Ngoi with Iritana Twhiwhirangi at a hui.

Students learning by Te Ataarangi method during the broadcasting hui held by Ngoi.

Ng kuia o Te Ataarangi, Iranui Haig and Ngoi Pwhairangi.

Ngoi at Te Ataarangi hui.

Ngoi had a great passion for the development of Mori arts.

Ngoi at the National Weavers Association inaugural hui, Labour weekend 1983.

Johnnie Frisbee, Ngoi and Sir Kngi Ihaka.

Ngoi addressing the first weavers hui she convened, at Labour weekend 1983.

Ngoi at the first weavers hui.

Ngoi teaching at a reo and tikanga wnanga, Pkirikiri marae.

Ngoi at a hui.

Ngoi with students at the Koha hui, Tokomaru Bay.

Ngoi and P Ariki of Rarotonga at Pkirikiri marae, Tokomaru Bay.

Ngoi with whnau performing at a hui at Pkirikiri marae.

Ngoi, friends and whnau performing for Te Hokowhitu-a-T.

Ngoi receiving a trophy as winners of a kapa haka festival.

Ngois junior kapa haka group from Tokomaru Bay.

Ngoi and Ben with Jean Wikiriwhi at the Rotorua Polynesian Festival in the 1970s.

The original composition of E Ipo that Ngoi wrote.

Ngoi with Dalvanius Prime.

Dalvanius Prime with Ngoi, his god-daughter (Ngois mokopuna).

Ngoi at the fiftieth jubilee celebration of Te Hokowhitu-a-T, Easter 1981.

Ben Pwhairangi and Noel Raihnia.

Ngoi with Selwyn Parata at Te Hui Kaitito, 1984.

Iranui Haig, Ngoi and Ben Pwhairangi at Pkirikiri marae.

The Ngwai family.

Kumeroa Ngoingoi Pwhairangi.

Ngoi preparing kai for another hui.

Ngoi shares kai in the kitchen at Pkirikiri.

Ngoi and Gina, Ngois mokopuna, with friends.

Ngois granddaughter, Ngoi Kumeroa Iranui Pwhairangi.

Ginas children to Ondre Te Hau.

Ginas children, Ruaumoko and Te Aomihia Pwhairangi-Te Hau.

Te Aomihia Pwhairangi-Te Hau joins with Te Whnau-a-Ruataupare at the Ngti Porou festival.

Ngois great-granddaughter, Iwiata Morgan Pwhairangi-Nukunuku.

Te Aomihia Pwhairangi, Iwiata Pwhairangi-Nukunuku, Ruaumoko Te Hau, Tere-i-te-wai Pwhairangi-Nukunuku, Enoka Pwhairangi-Nukunuku.

I first met Aunty Ngoi and Uncle Ben when I was very young and my grandfather Pneke had the shearing runs. However, it was only when I returned to Ngti Porou when I was much older that I really came to know Aunty Ngoi. The longest time I spent with Aunty Ngoi was a period of seven or eight years when we had high unemployment in the late seventies and eighties. During this time, she talked to me about a host of things to do with her travels. One of the things etched on my mind today is that she spent a lot of time with other Mori leaders, such as John Tpiata, Aunty Lena Manuel, Aunty Iritana Twhiwhirangi, John Rangihau and Hhua Ttangaehe, who would often enlist her support. She was, in her own way, one of the pioneering Mori bureaucrats. She travelled the country, supporting many Mori organisations, and she was tactical in the way she got what she believed in, in relation to being Mori for Mori, by Mori through government agencies, various education forums or social welfare forums. She also had a real knack of creating a following, of both Mori and Pkeh.