Thousands of Māori people throughout the country, political leaders and MPs are gearing up for the annual Rātana commemorations to celebrate the birth of the church’s founder. And a graduate hospital nurse will be among those who feed them.
Kua whā ngā marama a Parekura Mako-Kairimu, 29, e mahi ana i te mātūtū whakaora i te hōhipera o Whanganui, engari i whai wāhi ia ki te Hāhi Rātana mō te katoa o tōna oranga, i whakatipua i tō te hāhi kāinga (Rātana Pā) i waenga i a Bulls me Whanganui.
Parekura Mako-Kairimu, 29, is in her fourth month of working the medical ward at Whanganui Hospital, but she has been part of the Rātana Church and movement since she was born, raised at its home (Rātana Pā) which is located between Bulls and Whanganui.
Ka mutu, mēnā i whāia e ia ngā hiahia o tōna māmā ka tū hei ‘awhina’ ia i tēnei wā.
In fact, if her mother had it her way she would be an awhina right now.
“Kua whakatenatena tōku māma i a māua ko tōku tuahine mahanga kia whāi wāhi ki ngā awhina — ko tō mātou hāhi hāngaitanga ki te tapuhi, engari me pono, kāhore i te pai aua kākahu ōrite ki ahau,” ka katakata mai a Mako-Kairimu.
“Mum tried to get my twin sister and I to be awhina – our church’s equivalent of a nurse, but to be honest that uniform just wasn’t me,” Mako-Kairimu giggled.
“You the nurses, I now say that the name ‘nurse’ should be deleted from among you, and instead place the name ‘awhina’ as your title.”
I whakatūria e te rangatira a te hāhi a Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana i te tūranga awhina — he tapuhi ā-wairua — i te 1926 kia whakatō te manawa ora, te whakapono me te whakamātūtūtanga i roto i ngā hapori Māori puta noa i te whenua i parekuratia e te mate urutā rewharewha. I mate te nuinga o ō Rātana kaihana nā te rewharewha.
Church founder Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana created the role of awhina or spiritual nurses in 1926 to help instill hope, faith and healing back into Māori communities throughout the country who had been ravaged, and lost thousands of family members, to the influenza pandemic. Rātana himself lost the majority of cousins to the disease.
I a Rātana e takaāmiomio ana i Te Tai Rāwhiti, ka tauākīa e ia ki ngā tapuhi e mātakitaki mai ana ka taea e rātou te whaiwāhi i tētahi tūranga i roto i āna mahi: “Ki a koutou ngā tapuhi, ka kīia e au ka murua tō koutou ingoa, ā, ka whakakapia hei awhina.”
While touring Wairoa in the East Coast, Rātana declared to Māori nurses present, that he would make a place for them in his work: “You the nurses, I now say that the name ‘nurse’ should be deleted from among you, and instead place the name awhina as your title.”
Ka tū tonu taua tūranga tae noa ki tēnei wā, hei tā Mako-Kairimu.
Mako-Kairimu said awhina still exist in the church today.
“He awhina tōku kōkā. He tino hira tō rātou tūranga i ēnei rā tonu, kia peka atu ki ngā tūroro mōrehu i ō rātou whare hei whakapiki i te wairua, hei whakamoemiti anō hoki.”
“My aunty is an awhina. They play an important role, even today, visiting our sick and ill mōrehu [church followers] at home to uplift them using whakapiki [increasing their wellbeing] and whakamoemiti [prayer].
“E kore ngā awhina e whakahōu i ngā tākaikai, e tui i te tangata rānei. Kāhore rātou i mahi pēnei ki tāku i mahi ai i te hōhipera. Ka whakamātūtū rātou i te mamae ā-wairua kua huna engari i noho nei i te tangata.”
“Awhina don’t change bandages or stitch people. They don’t do what I do in the hospital. They work on the mamae or hurt that can’t be physically seen but is definitely there.”
E whakapae ana he 40,000 ki te 45,000 o ngā mōrehu puta noa i te ao.
There are estimated to be 40,000 to 45,000 mōrehu worldwide.
Ka tū ngā whakanuitanga mai i te Tāite tae atu ki te Rātapu i Rātana Pā. Ka tae mai ngā kaiarahi tōrangapū, ngā Māngai Pāremata me Te Arikinuni Nga wai hono i te po, i te Paraire
The Rātana celebrations kick off on Thursday and run through until Sunday at Rātana Pā. On Friday, political leaders, MPs as well as the Māori Queen Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po.
Kia eke mai he ope o ngā tautapa NZNO o Te Poari i te pā i te Paraire hoki.
Delegates from NZNO’s Māori council Te Poari will also gather at the pā on Friday.
“Ko tāku mahi kia whakahaere i ngā bain-maries i te kīhini, nō reira ka whai wā ahau ki taua tūranga a muri atu i tāku wā mahi i te hōhipera.”
“My role is to manage the bain-maries in the kitchen, so I will be finding time to do that once my morning shift at the hospital is done.”
Ka kī a Mako-Kairimu ka whakaohoohotia ia kia whai i te mahi tapuhi nā runga i te hiahia kia whakatakoto i ngā whanonga pono Māori, Rātana hoki nō roto i tōna whakatiputanga. Ā, nā runga hoki i te kitenga e tino hiahiatia ana ngā tapuhi mātanga ahurea.
Mako-Kairimu said she was inspired to become a nurse because she could apply the Rātana and Māori values she was raised in. And because she could see the need for more culturally competent nurses.
“Ko tōku wheako tuatahi i roto i te punaha hauora ko tō tōku pāpā urunga ki te hōhipera. He tino uaua mō mātou kia mārama ki ngā kaimahi i reira i mua i tā mātou kite i tētahi tapuhi Māori i taea te kōrero ki tōku pāpā i tōna reo tuatahi, arā, ko te reo Māori.
“I got my first experience with the health system when my pāpā had to go to hospital. It was hard for him and us to understand most of the staff there, until we came across a Māori nurse who was able to talk with him in his first language – te reo Māori.
“Ka tere whakatau ahau i taua wā kia tū hei tapuhi. He pai hoki ki ahau te mahi tapuhi nā te mea ka taea e au te whai i ōku uara o te whakapono, whaimaramatanga me te manaakitanga.”
“That’s when I decided, I am going to be a nurse. Nursing also attracted me because it allows me to practice my values of whakapono, whaimāramatanga and manaakitanga.”
E ai ki te tautapa NZNO i te hōhipera o Whanganui a Michelle Fairburn, e hikaka ana ia ki tāna whaiwāhi tuarua ki Rātana, i tēnei tau.
NZNO delegate at Whanganui Hospital, Michelle Fairburn, said she was looking forward to attending her second Rātana commemoration this year.
“Mēnā e hiahiatia ana tā mātou tutuki i Te Whare Tapa Whā me te kōkirikiri a te NZNO i ō mātou wawata Tiriti o Waitangi, he tino hira ā mātou whakarongo, titiro noki ki ngā hapori Māori, ā me te tuhonohono hoki me ngā nēhi nō ngā pito e whā o te whenua, ā, mā tēnei taiopenga e tukua taua āheinga.
“If we are to achieve Te Whare Tapa Whā and advance NZNO’s Te Tiriti o Waitangi aspirations, then it’s important that we observe and listen to the health aspirations of Māori communities, and network with other nurses from around the country, and events like this give us that opportunity.
“He hītori nui tō Rātana, hei tauira ki te katoa. Koia rā tētahi kaipāmu, nā tētahi matenga kāhore i te mōhio, ōna tino tāngata i whakamate, ā, ka atawhai ia i a rātou hei ara ake anō.
“Rātana has such a rich history we can learn from. He was a farmer who lost the people he loved to a disease his people knew nothing about, and helped them rise above it.”
He tino hira kia tae atu ā-tinana ki ngā taiopenga nui i te ao Māori, ka kīia e te kaiwhakahaere o te NZNO a Kerri Nuku.
Showing up at key events in te ao Māori was important, NZNO kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku said.
“I tae atu ngā ope o Te Poari ki ngā taiopenga katoa o te ao Māori i tērā tau, e tae rā anō ana ki Rātana me Waitangi. He tino hira te tuhonohonotanga, kāhore mō ngā tūroro anake, engari mō ō rātou whānau me ō rātou iwi.”
“Delegations of Te Poari attended every event in the Māori calendar last year including Rātana and Waitangi. It’s important we stay connected, and that we are visible to not just our patients but the whānau and iwi they come from.
“Mā te tae atu ki ngā hui e rangona ō rātou wheako, ō rātou māharahara e pā ana ki te pūnaha hauora, hei aha? Hei whai mātou i te ara tika,” ka kī a Nuku.
“Being present at these events allows us to hear their realities, their concerns with the health system and that helps to inform what direction we need to be taking,” Nuku said.
- Nā Joel Maxwell tēnei pūrongo i whakamāori/Translated by Joel Maxwell.