Ohinemutu 1943: Governor General gives speech

Sir Cyril Newall was an officer in the British Army and Royal Force and served as chief of air staff during the first years of World War II.  He was sent by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to New Zealand as Governor General (1941-46).  After his service in New Zealand he was made Baron Newall of Clifton-upon-Dunsmoore in the county of Warwick.  During his time as Governor General he attended many important engagements such as this opening of Tama te Kapua.

Here the Governor General addresses those present at the ceremony and Kingi Tahiwi provides a translation in Maori. 

The image is from the opening of the house Tawakeheimoa that was opened earlier the same day.

Transcript

Sir Cyril Newall: The representatives of the Maori tribes of New Zealand assembled at Ohinemutu, Rotorua.  I thank you for your welcome to her Excellency and myself.  As the representative of his Majesty, I acknowledge with deep appreciation your loyal message to the King which you have just handed to me.  I shall convey that message forthwith; I know that this testimony of love and loyalty from his Maori people will hearten his Majesty in these anxious days.  Their Majesty’s the King and Queen are indeed the guardians of their people.  They share with them their sorrows and their joys and among those peoples their Maori subjects have an honoured place.  The deeds of your warriors are written in letters of everlasting gold in the annals of the British Empire.  Their valour has made them feared by our enemies and has earned and won the admiration of all their comrades throughout the Empire.  Once more I thank you all for your welcome, I pray that God may be with you and that his blessing may rest upon this meeting house. 
Kingi Tahiwi: E karanga ana e te iwi Maori e tau nei i tenei marae, i Ohinemutu, Rotorua.  E mihi ana au kia koutou mo ta koutou pohiritia ara ko maua ko taku hoa. I te mea ko au te mangai o te Kingi e whakaae ana ahau, ae, e mihi ana hoki au ki ta koutou kupu piripono ki te Kingi kua homai nei ki au.  Maku e tuku ta koutou kupu, e mohio ana au, ka waiho tena, e mohio ana au, ko tenei tohu o to koutou aroha, me to koutou pono ara o te iwi Maori ka waiho tena hei whakakaha nga whakaaro o te Kingi i enei wa o te awangawangatanga.   Ae, ko te Kingi raua ko te Kuini, nga kaitiaki o nga iwi kei raro i to raua mana.  Nga pouritanga me nga mamaetanga o nga iwi kei raro i to raua mana, koina hoki nga pouritanga me nga mamaetanga o raua.  Ko nga koa, ko nga hari, ko era atu ahuatanga ko nga iwi kei raro ia raua koira ano hoki to raua na ahuatanga.  Na, ko te iwi whai honore ana i roto i te manawa o te Kingi raua ko te Kuini, apiti atu ki etahi o nga iwi, ko te iwi Maori.  Ko nga mahi a nga toa o te iwi Maori kua tuhia ki roto ki te manawa o te Pakeha ki te reta koura pumau tonu a ki roto hoki ki nga korero mo te Emepaea o Ingarangi.  To ratou toa e wahingia ana ratou e te hoariri engari o taua toa ra e whakamoemiti ana nga iwi kei raro i te mana o te Kingi o Ingarangi mo tera toa o te iwi Maori, puta noa, puta noa o te Emepaea.  A, ka mihi ana au kia koutou, e mihi ana au kia koutou mo ta koutou pohiri mai kia maua.  E inoi ana ahau kia tau te manaakitanga a te Atua ki runga kia koutou, a, kia tiakina koutou, a, kia tau hoki te manaakitanga me te ora me te pai me te rangimarie ki runga ki tenei whare kia Tama te Kapua. 

[crowd applause]

[Recording ceased for a time here while gifts from Maori were placed before the Governor-General and Lady Newall, and while chiefs and delegates were presented to Their Excellencies’]

Sir Cyril Newall: Mr Prime Minister, my Lord Bishop, Taiamai Amohau, Hemana Te Pokiha, Your Worship, Sir Apirana Ngata, Mr Tai Mitchell and all the assembled Maoris here on this marae.
Kingi Tahiwi: E te Pirimia, e te Pihopa, Taiamai Te Amohau, Hemana Te Pokiha, e te Mea o Rotorua, e Ta Apirana Ngata, e Tai Mitere me nga iwi katoa e pae nei i tenei marae.

Sir Cyril Newall: Firstly, may I thank you on behalf of Her Excellency and myself, for this very delightful welcome which you’ve given us this afternoon and for I think I can say, one of the most enjoyable afternoons that we have ever experienced.
Kingi Tahiwi:  Tuatahi, e hiahia ana au ki te mihi kia koutou, mo tenei pohiri ataahua a koutou kia maua ko taku hoa.  I tenei ahiahi, i tenei awatea, ka kitea au i te ahuatanga o ta koutou pohiri ka tae mai te aroha kia au.  No reira ka mihi au kia koutou.

Sir Cyril Newall: I thank you, for the guard of honour from the Maori Battalion.  I thank you for the mounted escort from the Home Guard and I thank you for having drawn up so that I could meet them, that representative assembly of returned soldiers from last war and this present war.
Kingi Tahiwi: E mihi ana au mo nga iwi kaitieki i au i (?) o nga hoia.  E mihi ana au taku taenga mai a ka tutaki au ki nga tangata hoia o tera whawhai.  A, e mihi ana au ki nga hoia o te wa kainga, i taku taenga mai, i mua atu ki taku taenga mai ki te marae. 

Sir Cyril Newall: It has been my privilege to witness host dances and native dances in many countries of the world.  But may I say that what I have seen today is the best I have ever seen.  May I congratulate, particularly those who did the poi and action dances; whether they came from the Arawa, the Ngati Poneke or the Tuhoe.  May I also thank and congratulate those from the Maori Battalion who gave the haka.  It was my privilege to inspect the first Maori Battalion in England before they went to Egypt.  I have also had the privilege of inspecting the second Maori Battalion in the north Auckland province and I can see that those who haven’t joined the Battalion are keeping up the same standards and they are being given physical exercises which enable them to carry them out so thoroughly.
Kingi Tahiwi:  E mihi ana au ki nga mahi e mahi ki runga i te marae nei.  E mihi ana au no te mea he tangata au kua kitea ki nga mahi Maori o te ao nei, te huhua mai o tenei mea o te mahi Maori, a nga iwi kirimate(?).  Ko taku taenga mai ki konei i tenei rangi katahi au ka kite i nga mahi Maori a te iwi Maori taea mai ki te taumata o te pae nei. Ka nui te whakamoemiti, ki te poi a Te Arawa, ka nui taku mihi kia Ngati Poneke, ka nui taku miharo kia Tuhoe. 

Sir Cyril Newall: The opening of this meeting house is a very great and solemn occasion.  Our thoughts today are with those who have gone before us and whom this building commemorates.  With the great ones of your people, from Tama te Pakura (Tama te Kapua), very difficult for me, the great navigator, down through the generations of your fathers, sons and brothers who sailed across the sea to fight and die for King George and for our Empire.
Kingi Tahiwi:  Ko tenei wa, ko te whakatuwhera i tenei whare he wa nui, he wa tapu. O tatou mahara i tenei ra kei te huri whakamuri, ki nga tipuna, ki nga koroua kua heke atu ki te po.  Kia ratou ma, kia whakaturia ai i tenei whare hei whakamaharatanga mo ratou.  Hei whakamaharatanga kia Tama te Kapua, te tangata nana i whakawhiti mai te Moana nui a Kiwa, a, hei whakamaharatanga ki nga mahi a o koutou tipuna i tuku iho ki nga whakatipuranga, tuku iho, tuku iho, tuku iho.  Ki o koutou matua, ki o koutou tamariki, ki o koutou taina, ki o koutou tuakana kua tukuna ia ratou ki te pae o te pakanga kia mate mo te Kingi, mo Kingi Hori, me to tatou Emepaea.

Sir Cyril Newall: It is no mere formal honour which we pay them today.  We pledge ourselves here and now to do our utmost to be worthy of them.  That is no easy task, for they have set us an example which is hard indeed to follow.  But their spirits watch over us and their deeds inspire us to meet our difficulties and to overcome them.  They have handed down to us a great and noble inheritance, which it is our bound and duty to preserve and hand on to our children.
Kingi Tahiwi:  Ehara tenei te honore hanga noa.  I tenei ra ka oati tatou, kia kaha tatou, kia tae ki te mutunga mai o tatou kaha kia rite ai i o tatou mahi ki nga mahi a o tatou tipuna.  Ehara tena i te mahi mama.  No te mea ko te tauira i tuku iho ai ia ratou kia tatou he tauira uaua ki te whai.  Engari ra, ko to ratou mana rangatira, kei runga kei a tatou.  Ko a ratou mahi, kei te riringia iho ki te tumanakotanga o te whakaaro kia kaha ai tatou ki te turaki i nga uauatanga e tae mai ki mua i o tatou aroaro.  Na, ko tenei taonga, e tika ana, kia whawhangia e tatou kia tuku iho tatou kia tatou tamariki ki tena tupuranga ki tena tupuranga, i runga i te pai, i te tika, i te rangimaria. 

Sir Cyril Newall:  The Maori people of New Zealand have earned an honoured place amongst the peoples of the world.  Their courage, their loyalty, are bi-words with both friend and foe and these qualities have been fostered in them down the ages.  Your traditions stretch back into the dim distances of history and are a most priceless heritage, for tradition is the firmest foundation on which to build progress.  Your language, folklore, songs and dances, handed down as they have been from generation to generation are the soul of your people.
Kingi Tahiwi:  Ko te iwi Maori o Niu Tireni kua whai honore ki nga iwi katoa o te ao.  Ko tana toa me tana piripono, hei kupu tena kei te ngutu o tena iwi, o tena iwi, o tena iwi.  Ko enei momo, enei momo rangatira, he mea ngaki mai i nga wa ki muri a tae mai ana ki tenei ra. Ko a koutou tikanga e hoki whakamuri ana, ki muri ra ano, kei roto kei a koutou wananga, kei a koutou whakahaere, kei roto i a koutou korero, enei ahuatanga o te iwi Maori.  He tino taonga nui te tikanga Maori.  He tino taonga nui. Koira ia te tino kaupapa o tenei mea o te toa ko te piki i te taumata o te ora.  Ko [ou] korero, ko ou tikanga, ko ou waiata, ko ou tuwaewae, he mea tukuiho ki nga whakatupuranga, tukuiho, tuku iho, tuku iho.  Ko ena mahi, ko tena te wairua mana Maori o te iwi Maori. 

Sir Cyrill Newall:  The art and teachings of your forefathers are in your hands and if you should fail to pass them onto your children, the loss to your people and to the world would be incalculable.  But I know you will not fail.  The care and skill with which you have fashioned this house are a testimony that you are mindful of your traditions and reverent of the past.
Kingi Tahiwi:  Mehemea ki te ngaro i a koutou nga mahi a o koutou tipuna, he tino ngaro, he tino mate nui whakaharahara tena. Engari e mohio ana au ka mau tonu ia koutou.  Ko te ahuatanga o te mahinga o te whare nei, te pai o te mahi a ia, te ataahua o tenei mahi.  He kawenata, he whakaatu katoa tenei i te mohio i te pai o nga tikanga a o koutou tipuna mai ano ki era ra ano tae mai ki naianei. 

Sir Cyrill Newall:  But it is not only your own Maori traditions which we are celebrating today.  We are celebrating too the first hundred years of Maori allegiance to the British throne.  Your chiefs at Waitangi signed a Treaty in which they pledged allegiance to the great white Queen.  Today, you have reaffirmed your loyalty to Queen Victoria’s great grandson King George the VI.
Kingi Tahiwi:  Ehara i te mea ko tenei he ta tatou he whakahaere nei i tenei rangi whakamahara ana.  Engari e whakamahara ana tatou i te rautau o te piriponotanga o te iwi Maori ki te iwi Pakeha.  Na o koutou tipuna, na o koutou tipuna rangatira i nga wa ki muri i haina te Tiriti o Waitangi, i haina te Tiriti o Waitangi kia whakatu tana piripono ki te Kuini, ara, kia Kuini Wikitoria.  A, i tenei ra, kei te whakapumau koutou ki taua piripono ki te mokopuna tuarua a Kuini Wikitoria kia Kingi Hori te tuaono. 

Sir Cyril Newall:  It is my honour to represent our greatest sovereign in this his most distant Dominion.  And I know that his Maori people are ever in his heart.  When her Excellency and I had the honour of being received at Buckingham Palace just before we came to New Zealand, the King and the Queen both spoke to us of their visit to these islands.  They remember particularly the welcome which you gave them here and I believe on this very spot.
Kingi Tahiwi:  Whai honore ahau kia whakaturia ko ahau hei mangai mo te Kingi, ara hei mangai mona ki tenei Tominiana, pāmaomao mai i tona ake nei whenua.  A, e mohio ana hoki au e tino kaha ana te aroha o to tatou Kingi ki te iwi Maori.  Te takiwa i tae ai maua ko taku hoa wahine ki te aroaro o te Kingi ki tana kainga ki Buckingham i mua o to maua taenga mai ki Niu Tireni nei ka korero mai te Kingi raua ko te Kuini ki to raua taenga mai ki konei, ki to raua pohiritanga, ko Te Arawa ano i tenei takiwa tonu a ki te marae nei.

Sir Cyril Newall:  The citizenship of the British Empire is a great privilege and like all privileges it carries with it great responsibility.
Kingi Tahiwi: Kua tau uru ki raro i te mana o te Kingi o Ingarangi, he tino honore nui tena mo te tangata.  Engari ko taua honore nui ra ka waha ano hoki i te mahi taumaha.

Sir Cyril Newall: The forces(?) of the Maori Battalion, the war effort of the Maori people in defence of this country and in defence of industries; the land which they have cultivated over and above their own requirements; these are all clear proof of your determination to carry your full share of our common burden.
Kingi Tahiwi: Ko te toa a o koutou tamariki e noho mai i te pae o te pakanga, ko te pai o te mahi, ara, ko te mahi a te roopu o nga iwi o te motu ko te whakahaere i nga tikanga, mahi ahuwhenua me era atu tikanga, kia whai tikanga ai hoki hei aroha ki nga mahi o te whawhai – he whakaatu katoa tenei i to koutou whakaaro tuturu kia riro i o koutou, te wahanga kia koutou o nga mahi e tika ai tatou.

Sir Cyril Newall: The King’s enemies threaten and conspire to overthrow our Empire and with it all that we hold most sacred.  They would enslave us and our children.  But we are free and none shall wrest from us this freedom.  Whatever the cost to ourselves, our children shall receive from us untarnished the heritage we hold in trust for them.
Kingi Tahiwi:  Ko nga hoariri o te Kingi kei te ngangara mai kia a ia, ko to ratou hiahia ka patu te Emepaea, a, me nga taonga katoa kei roto taua Emepaea.  Ko to ratou hiahia hei whakataurekareka ia tatou.  Ko tatou, he momo rangatira katoa tatou.  Ko tenei taku korero e kore rawa tatou e whakaae kia whakataurekareka kia tatou e to tatou hoariri.  He ahakoa te uaua o te mahi o te turaki i tenei hoariri, e mohio ana au ka taea ai tatou te whakahaere o nga tikanga e mate ia tatou.  Ko tenei taonga, o te momo toa, o te momo tupono, he taonga nui tenei hei tukuiho ma tatou, kia tatou tamariki.  Ahakoa pewhea, te ekeeke, te hohonu, o te uauatanga o te mahi kia pera te ahua. 

Sir Cyril Newall:  Long may this building stand as a reminder to us and to those who follow us of the glories of the past, long may it inspire the Maori people to guard their heritage at all times.  Let us vow that we shall not flinch from any sacrifice that maybe necessary to enable those who follow us to fear God, honour the King and love the Brotherhood.  Tatou, tatou, kia ora koutou katoa.
Kingi Tahiwi:  Kia tu roa kia ora ra tenei whare kua oti nei te mahi.  Kia ora ra kia tu roa hei kainga mo nga whakatipuranga tukuiho nei.  Nga ahuatanga o tatou tipuna kia monoa(?).  Ko te tumanako o te whakaaro o tenei whare e tu nei hei riringi ko te tumanakotanga o te whakaaro ki roto ki te manawa o te tangata kia piki ai te ahuatanga o nga mahi i nga wa katoa, ara te taonga o te iwi Maori, ana tikanga me era atu ahuatanga katoa.  No reira, me oati tatou inaianei.  E ahakoa pewhea te uaua o nga mahi, ka mau tonu tatou ki te mahi i o mahi, a, oti noa ia tatou.   Oti noa ia tatou, i runga i tenei ahuatanga tae ai e tatou te arahi i nga iwi ia tatou, ki te mahi ki te Atua, ki te whakahonore ki te Kingi, a, i te aroha o tetahi ki tetahi.  No reira, tatou tatou, kia ora koutou katoa.