THE JOURNEY continues for all involved after 33 Māori ancestral remains were repatriated from Europe last year. 

Karanga Aotearoa, Te Papa’s repatriation programme, is in the process of returning the remains to their iwi following the second-largest international repatriation of kōiwi tangata (skeletal remains) to New Zealand. 

Te Papa repatriation manager Te Herekiekie Herewini says it is important to Māori for ancestors to be returned to the appropriate final resting place. 

“It is believed that through the ancestors’ return to their homeland, the dead and their living descendants will retrieve their dignity, and also close the hurt and misdeeds of the past.”  

Professor Pou Temara is chair of the repatriation advisory panel to Te Papa, and says Māori place a great deal of significance on their ancestors, which is why “bringing them home” is so important. 

“Our tīpuna (tūpuna) take on a different spiritual dimension, which is so important to Māori because they believe they will inevitably be greeted by their tīpuna [after they die],” he says. 

The kōiwi tangata (skeletal remains) and toi moko (tattooed preserved heads) were returned to New Zealand at an emotional ceremony at Te Papa’s Rongomaraeroa marae in November last year. 

The National Museum of Wales, Hunterian Museum in Scotland, Trinity College of Ireland, Gothenburg Natural History Museum and the Museum of World Culture, both in Sweden, all agreed to return parts of their collection for the latest repatriation. 

Te Papa’s acting chief executive Michelle Hippolite says this is a time for sad reflection on the turbulent journeys these ancestors experienced. “At the same time, [it is] a cause for joy and hope as they are returned.

“This is the first step in the journey of these ancestors to their final resting place. The ultimate aim of the repatriation programme is to return all kōiwi tangata held at Te Papa to iwi.”

After the ceremony, the tūpuna were taken to Te Papa’s wāhi tapu (sacred area) where they are stored with waka tūpāpaku (vessels used for the burial of kōiwi tangata) until they are able to be passed over to the iwi.

Access to the wāhi tapu is restricted, and it is afforded the same degree of respect as an urupā or burial site.

At no time will the kōiwi tangata be displayed by Te Papa as part of its collection.

The team is now processing the kōiwi tangata reports, which are an overview of the places of provenance and supporting evidence.  

The report includes information about the collector, the trader, how the remains left New Zealand and what year they were acquired by the international institution. This helps to identify the iwi or number of iwi with an interest to the place of origin.  

Mr Herewini says they plan to have the reports completed by the end of June, when they will then be sent to iwi for their consideration. 

After this, a meeting will be organised between the repatriation team and the iwi. They will discuss the final resting place for their tūpuna, and when the transfer will be made. 

He says the domestic repatriation process can vary in length: “Sometimes the return of the Kōiwi tangata to their place of origin may take from six months to many years. 

“In some situations, iwi are no longer in possession of their traditional tribal lands, and therefore need to find alternative resting places for these tūpuna.”  

Te Papa and the Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme have returned a total of 81 kōiwi tangata to their papa kainga. 

Repatriations have been made in the North Island to Ngāti Kurī, Ngāi Tai, Te Tairāwhiti, Muaūpoko, Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Whanganui, Tauranga Moana iwi (i.e. Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāti Pukenga), and Ngāti Whakaue.   

In the South Island they have been returned to Ngāi Tahu and Rangitāne o Wairau.  

Where the Kōiwi Tangata came from 

The Hunterian Museum returned four Toi moko, three of which were donated by Thomas Steel from Glasgow in 1886. 

It is thought that he obtained the Toi moko while working for the Colonial Sugar Refining Company. 

Trinity College agreed to return three Toi moko and a complete female skeleton.  

The skeleton has been traced back to Catlins area in the South Island and was excavated by Dr Will around 1889.  

One of the skulls was donated by R Crocker Smith, the other by T W Warren, both dates unknown. The final skull has no donor information. 

The National Museum of Wales repatriated 20 Kōiwi tangata (representing at least 11 different individuals) in their collection.  

All can be traced back to Mercury Island which has a rich history of Māori settlement by several iwi over the past 800 years. 

The Gothenburg Natural History Museum returned the cranium of a young person, about 20-years-old and one nearly complete skeleton.  

These were sent to the Museum in 1876 by the former Director of the Canterbury Museum, Julius von Haast. 

The Museum of World Culture returned one hand, one radius bone and one ulna bone, thought to be from the left arm of a female. 

They were registered by the museum on 18 September 1843 as a gift from a sea captain named R Gavin.

THE Wellington City Council is inviting public comment about limits for pokies in the suburbs – but not in central Wellington where there is no limit to the number of machines allowed.

A recent review of the council’s gambling policy suggested pokie-machine numbers needed to be reduced in Tawa, Johnsonville, Miramar, Karori and Newtown.

The council is proposing the fixed cap number of pokies allowed in these areas should be replaced by a population-based ratio of one machine for every 300 people.

The Northern area will go from having 146 pokies to 136, Onslow will reduce from 62 to 53, Lambton area’s 107 will change to 95, Western suburbs has 73 which will change to 67, Southern area will lose 16 , making their amount 100 and Eastern suburbs has 125, soon to be 114.

The Central area zone of Wellington will keep it’s no maximum limit status.

Catherine Reweti, of the Problem Gambling Foundation, says the council should address the central zone of Wellington, and not just the suburbs.

“The Problem Gambling Foundation is pleased the council has looked at amending their policy to include a population cap, but we’re still advocating that they go the full 90 yards with their sinking lid policy,” she says.

Ngaire Best, social portfolio leader for the council, says studies suggest gaming machines cause community harm and increased problem-gambling.

In a draft policy, the council says one of its objectives is to “control the growth of gambling and prevent and minimise the harm caused by gambling, including problem gambling.”

The number of machines in Wellington dropped in 2008 from 834 to 769 but increased slightly again in 2009 from 769 to 797.

Council policy analyst Bryan O’Sullivan says targeting the suburbs will reduce the risk to local residents.

“It’s not so much the numbers in some respects, it’s the actual access,” he says.

“Certainly someone can jump on the bus or get in the car, come into the centre of town and go and find a pokie machine easily enough, but by restricting their access to them, it reduces the risk involved.”

The deadline for submissions is April 9, with the final draft being considered by the council in June.

SLIM PICKINGS: No let-out of Kiwisaver for the hard-up.

A RECENT report shows 92% of people who applied to Inland Revenue to have their Kiwisaver contributions refunded due to financial hardship were declined.

The report by government actuary David Benison shows out of 139 applications, only 10 were granted for the year ended June 2009.

It also shows only one of 15 applications made on the grounds of serious illness was approved for payment.

Inland Revenue spokesperson Graham McKerracher was unaware of the report, and unable explain why the number of approved applications was so low.

“Each application for withdrawal of funds under section 113 of the Kiwisaver Act is considered on its individual merits against the criteria established in clause 11 of the Kiwisaver rules,” he said.

The Kiwisaver Act outlines the criteria for financial hardship as being “unable to meet minimum living expenses”.

An inability to meet one’s minimum living expenses is defined as an inability to make mortgage repayments (resulting in mortgagee sale of that home), the inability to meet medical or funeral costs, or the cost of home modifications for a disabled member or their dependants.

Raewyn Fox, of the Federation of Family Budgeting Services, says there are several indicators of significant hardship aside from the loss of a family home.

“Severe financial hardship can result in things like not being able to feed the family, not being able to get medical attention or living without electricity,” she says.

The act does not acknowledge the cost of rented accommodation, food or essential services such as gas or electricity as minimum living expenses.

Ms Fox says there is a need for clearer guidelines around assessing hardship.

“The hardship criteria are at this stage untested and each provider is deciding for themselves what they mean in the absence of any real guidance.”

In the same period – the year ended June 2009 - more than 7000 bankruptcy applications were made to the Ministry of Economic Development and 29,000 families sought advice from family budgeting services.

Statistics New Zealand reported an additional 48,000 people became unemployed.

In the three months to June that year, the unemployment rate grew by 1 percentage point to 6%, the largest quarterly increase since September 1988.

A HIGH school dance group from Hawaii – Pūpūkahi I Ke Alo o Nā Pua – has paid its second visit to Wellington, performing at Te Papa.

Pūpūkahi, whose full name means “united as one in the presence of the flowers”, is a high school dance group established in 1988, dedicated to the art of hula, and led by Kumu Hula Michael Lanakila Casupang.

The group visited Rotorua and Huka falls, and later performed at Waitara High School in Taranaki, staying a night just north of the town at Urenui Marae.

Their final destination was Wellington, where they stayed at Tapu Te Ranga Marae in Island Bay.

This journey to Aotearoa is not their first. In 2004 Pūpūkahi came to Wellington to perform as part of the Culture Moves festival at Te Papa.

HATAITAI’S One Love music festival rocked all day long to the beat of its 13th anniversary on Saturday, despite there being 5000 fewer punters than last year.

And it’s no wonder the crowd was a bit light, with so many events crammed into one weekend for the capital.

Wellington was packed to the rafters with the second day of Sevens at the Cake Tin, Te Rā o te Raukura at Te Whiti park in Lower Hutt and Te Rā o Waitangi celebrations at Waitangi Park.

But One Love was still as colourful as ever, with music from Sola Rosa featuring Spikey Tee and Rachel Fraser, Don McGlashan, The Eastern, The Midnights, Mungo’s Hifi and Richard Nunns and the Etymologists.

Not to mention the mysterious trumpet player who spontaneously emerged from the foliage, tooting away to on-stage entertainment from the side of the hill.

The festival is held every year at the velodrome in Hataitai to celebrate “unity within diversity” on Waitangi day, coinciding with reggae legend Bob Marley’s birthday.

“Waitangi Day was a politically charged day in Aotearoa 13 years ago,” says event director Hadden Morrison. One Love was intended as a day to celebrate unity within the community.

And it’s been going strong ever since, he says.

“It still serves the same ideals, but now we have live bands celebrating our national day together without prejudice and association of religion, politics, sexuality, creed or colour.”

WELLINGTON multi-car families considering moving closer to town might have to think twice after a city council committee meeting this week.

Changes to the city’s residential and coupon parking policies will be decided by the Strategy and Policy Committee, which will consider a report recommending a reduction in the number of parking permits per household, changes to the areas eligible for permits and higher fees for residential and coupon parking.

Residential parking costs less than other forms, says council chief transport officer Steve Spence.

“It only costs residents 25 cents a day to park their car using a residents’ parking permit compared with commuters being charged $5 a day or about $7 a day to rent a garage in the same area,” he says.

The council is also considering restricting the number of new residents’ parking permits for multi-unit dwellings and properties with off-street parking:

“In terms of multi-unit dwellings such as apartments, we want to reduce the number of resident permits each unit is eligible for from two per unit to one,” says Mr Spence.

Southern Ward councillor Celia Wade-Brown says this should not have a negative effect on people living in inner-city apartments.

“The whole point of living in a convenient location is reducing car use,” she says.

If the proposal to restrict permit eligibility to residential areas goes ahead, more than 250 addresses currently zoned as being in the central area and suburban centre will be affected.

Potentially affected areas are Mt Cook, Clifton, Thorndon, Brooklyn, Newtown, Wadestown, Te Aro, Mt Victoria and Kilbirnie. Click here to see the permit eligibility map.

Changes to permit criteria will not affect current permit-holders.

Existing permits will be renewed indefinitely for the person who originally applied for it, so long as they reside at the address the permit is registered to.

During public consultation between September 14 and October 16, 449 submissions were received.

VOLUNTEERS will be shaking donation buckets for the Wellington Women’s Refuges annual appeal  tomorrow and Saturday in a bid to exceed last year’s $50,000 total.

The Wellington Women’s Refuge and Te Whare Rokiroki Maori Women’s Refuge have gained the support of around 90 volunteers for the collection this week, 30 fewer than last year.

In 2008 the refuge received $221,400 in donations but spent $231,700 in expenses.

Toni Ruawai, a women’s advocate at the refuge, says: “We need all the help we can get, especially around the annual collection.”

While the refuge receives about a third of its funding from the government, the rest is made up of donations from the public.

“I don’t think people realise how much we rely on the public for donations,” says Ms Ruawai.

“We are an essential service, but we are struggling to operate because of the lack of funding,”

In the 2008 financial year, the refuge supported 341 women and 270 children in family violence situations – more than double the demand of the previous year.

More than 100 vulnerable women and children have needed the emergency housing provided by the refuge as a last resort.

In a statement, national chief executive Heather Henare says: “This year we want to encourage New Zealanders to think about the hidden nature of domestic violence.

“So many people are still reluctant to accept that domestic violence is happening in their neighbourhood, family or within their group of friends, but believe me, it is happening.”

The volunteers will be covering 23 different spots around Wellington suburbs and the CBD on Friday and Saturday.

PICTURE: Kay Flude and Toni Ruawai have buckets of energy for the Wellington Women’s Refuges appeal starting tomorrow.

WIREMU Barriball was “rapt” to win the Established Designer category of the Miromoda Maori Fashion Design Awards in Wellington last month – but was not expecting a trip to Canada as the overall winner.

Busy co-ordinating the arrival of his clothing collection in time for the competiton, he didn’t notice the overall prize was an opportunity to show at the Planet IndigenUS expo in Toronto later this year, with flights and accommodation included.

Mr Barriball’s winning designs were a range of his latest streetwear collection produced by 100% Maori-owned sports apparel company Tu Ake.

The company was set up by Mr Barriball and three associates in 2007, aiming to use fresh designs inspired by moko (Maori tattoo) and whakairo (wood carving).

Originally from Otaki, 35-year-old Mr Barriball affiliates to Ngati Raukawa, Te Atiawa and Te Rarawa, but calls Titahi Bay home since making the move 15 years ago.

He plans to “have a good look around and see what other indigenous designers are up to” at the Planet IndigenUS expo in Toronto in August.

This will not be the first life-changing journey for him. He has lived in China making a living as a musician, and was in Las Vegas this time last year to display his wares at the World Shoe Association expo.

These days Mr Barriball works as a music tutor at Whitireia Community Polytechnic in Porirua, as well as designing and creating for Tu Ake and his design company D’Sign Nation.

The Miromoda Maori Fashion Design Awards are organised by the recently launched Indigenous Maori Fashion Apparel Board.

Twenty-one designers entered the board’s first competition held at Massey University’s Grand Hall on Saturday June 27th.

The awards were judged by Pieter Stewart, founder of New Zealand Fashion Week; Georgina Te Heuheu, Associate Minister of Maori Affairs; Liz Mellish, CEO Wellington Tenths Trusts; Dr Khyla Russell, kaitohutohu Otago Polytechnic; and Simon Wi Rutene, owner of publishing company Hana Ltd.