Giving back

Kia ora tatou katoa.

Ma Mahi tahi ka ora ai te Iwi (by working together we can all move forward).

Firstly, above is my incantation or prayer before I start my response to the final words in the column (19 Sept) of our Worship the Mayor.

What does Tango atu, Tango mai really mean. When I was asked at the hui of whitebaiters I gave it out as a positive statement that when you take you also give back and it is a challenge for us all to move forward. It’s about education.

You would have to be brought up with little or nothing to really understand the true meaning.

This saying sits really deep within the depth of my heart “Whatumanawa”. It’s about love towards each other. It is not skin deep but deeper than deep “Mate mateaaone”, towards the mountains and rivers.

To give love is to receive love: “Tango atu, Tango mai, Eehara I te Aroha, noaiho, Eengari, he aroha nui ake, it e Aroha noaiho”.

That’s where we whitebaiters were heading, towards improving our education about the river and for us to move forward. That’s how I thought it would be perceived by his Worship the Mayor at our hui.

I gave it out as a spiritual positive and with goodwill because education is needed by all parties.

Tango atu Tango mai means when you take you will know in time when you have to give back to Tangaroa.

That was the norm to me and still is the right thing. We teach each other to respect the river, to share our catches with the wha¯ nau and particularly the elderly, and we educate our young people. I have seen Pa¯keha¯ whitebaiters taking bait to our people.

A positive at the hui was an incantation that I gave out to all 43 of us who attended, 35 Pa¯keha¯, eight Ma¯ori and one Asian. The message was that before you take you give thanks “Whakamoemiti”.

I gave it in good spirit, with good intention, and as an educational tool to move forward, but it has backfired and been used as a weapon against us. I am saddened, but let me say this, when I take I will always give back.

This message is not just about whitebaiting but how we act as a whole community and that is the true meaning of Tango atu, Tango mai.

Finally, “Me huri whakamuri, Ka tiitiro Whakamua”. Let us gather as one to converse, gather ideas, so we can all move forward. RAKAUOTEORA TE MAIPI

Waikanae Estuary Whitebaiters Network taking the easy way out by vilifying a comparative handful of whitebaiters, let’s find somebody with the guts and independent leadership to get all the interested parties to work constructively to bring the failing estuary back to good health.

That’s what tango atu tango mai means!

CHRIS TURVER Waikanae Estuary Whitebaiters Network