Keeping a loving eye on the locals
The colourful procession along Trafalgar St to welcome Nelson’s new Anglican bishop was hard to miss. Amongst the colour, music and song, a group of dedicated volunteers were quietly keeping an eye on things, just as they have for the last 150 years.
Whakatu co-ordinator Harvey Ruru says Ma¯ori Wardens are guided by the principle of ‘‘Aroha ki te ta¯ ngata – love for the people’’, and actively participate in ‘‘keeping communities safe and being capable guardians at all public events and on occasions in which we have been invited to participate’’.
During the 1950s and ’60s, the role of Ma¯ ori Wardens was to manage the behav- iour of Ma¯ori under the influence of alcohol.
Ruru said aspects of the Ma¯ ori Community Development Act 1962 were no longer applicable, especially where wardens were authorised to take a drunk person’s car keys and ask them to leave the premises.
Wardens do not carry out ‘‘walk throughs’’ in hotels or premises with liquor licences. However, they will take people home if police, Street Ambassadors, Community Patrols or even members of the public ask them to.
Today, wardens are warranted and badged by the Minister of Ma¯ ori Development and renewed every three years.
Ma¯ori Wardens in Whakatu¯ take turns being active, especially on Saturday nights during winter and weekend nights during summer, alongside Street Ambassadors and NZ Community Patrols.
With the support of police, they assist in the Te Pae Oranga Restorative Justice Programmes and undergo police basic training, particularly in traffic control and confrontational de-escalation. Some are trained in traffic safety management.
Ruru’s own involvement as a warden began in 1973 with a shoulder tap from the Puketeraki Marae Committee in Karitane, near Dunedin. Forty-six years later, he still has his original badge number – 1619 – and enjoys his roles immensely.
A number of Whakatu¯’s 24 Ma¯ori Wardens were on duty at the cathedral for the installation of the new Nelson bishop, Steve Maina-Mwangi. They included Trish Moir and Gloria Wright-Buckham.
Both women said that whether it was a parade, or a Civil Defence emergency such as February’s Pigeon Valley wildfire, they were more than happy to help out in the background.
‘‘Sometimes we get a koha, but most of the time it’s just for love,’’ WrightBuckham said.
‘‘People come up and say, ‘Oh, thank you so much’ . . . Some people get stroppy, like when we have to stop traffic. It’s all about how you deal with it.’’
Originally from Waikato, WrightBuckham had been involved with community work before moving to Nelson, but longed for a new role in Te Tau Ihu.
‘‘I wanted to do something Ma¯ ori – none of my family have been wardens, so I feel quite privileged,’’ she said.
Moir has been a warden for two years and is widely recognisable as a wellregarded member of the community.
Despite Moir being of Pa¯ keha¯ descent, Ruru said Moir was anything but an anomaly in the warden ranks, having worked alongside Robyn McLaren, Dean of Ma¯ ori Studies, as the ‘‘Taniwha’’ at Nelson College for Girls.
Moir has also supported the former Victory Community police base, and has worked extensively in supporting whanau in the Victory community.
Ruru said the act did not define what ethnicity people need to be as a Ma¯ori Warden. Some operating in larger metropolitan areas, especially in Auckland, have come under the act to embrace Pacific Island and Asian Community Patrols to serve their communities.
Whakatu Ma¯ ori Wardens also want to embrace Nelson’s multicultural community by encouraging all ethnicities to join their ranks.