Strong advocate for Māori heritage

Otago Daily Times

3 days ago

Paul Tamati at Affinity Funerals, where he works as a funeral director. PHOTO: RAWAN SAADI
Preserving the Māori identity in Wānaka has become a source of immense pride for longtime local Paul Tamati.
He was 10 when his father got a job working in Cromwell on the Clyde Dam project and they moved south from Huntly.
More than 110 other Māori families had made their way to the region during the 1980s from all over New Zealand for the same reason — work.
Cromwell had a mainly Pakeha population and experienced something of a culture shock during this wave of migration.
"It was a surprise for the Cromwellians that a strong Māori population had come in there, because they weren't familiar with Māori people," Mr Tamati said.
The early days of the move were not easy. The shift in the population cast a harsh spotlight on the state of the cultural and political climate in the South.
Arguments about colour quickly spread and racism was felt among Māori families.
It didn't last too long, as the local community started to adjust and realised the value the new families brought to the area.
"It settled down because it strengthened their sports teams. It strengthened all their other things by having Māori involved."
Mr Tamati described a time when coping with racial differences was not as it is now.
There were no protests or big movements. It was a quiet, more subtle fight for equality, where the new Māori families proved their strength through their work and the value they added to the community.
"We coped with it as best as we could, but not as Māori people back then. You coped as people that were working," he said.
"When we came down, we didn't actually look at ourselves as being Māori and that there's going to be people that will be wondering, 'what are you?'."
After meeting his wife during a New Year's Eve party in Wānaka, Mr Tamati decided to settle in the town and became even more involved with the community.
Most significant were joining local school boards, the A&P show and starting Aspiring Young Musicians, but he wasn't as invested in advocating for Māori heritage as he is now.
The past five years for Mr Tamati have been eye-opening, with a shift in the political climate, including the introduction of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi Principles Bill.
"I didn't know why we are doing this ... [I've been ] told countless times, this is who you're doing it for — you're doing it to save your own identity as a Māori," he said, recalling the words of Ngai Tahu elders he had spoken to.
Originally from Rotorua, Mr Tamati's iwi is Te Arawa and his hapu is Ngati Pikiao.
Aside from helping with events like the annual Kahu Youth Matariki celebration, he is also encouraging other Māori individuals and families in the region to learn more about their heritage.
Although he feels that Māori migration to the region hasn't been huge over the past few decades, he has noted more diversity in the region and a greater openness to learn about Māori history.
"The biggest appreciators of Māori culture are the tourists, or the people that have migrated here."
One thing was clear from Mr Tamati's message — Māori heritage is not only for Māori to know, but for everyone.
He said Maoridom and its customs were a crucial and special part of the New Zealand identity and should be carried with pride.