Ratana anniversary a time for evaluation

Some 90 years ago, Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana travelled throughout Aotearoa, sharing his gift of healing through prayer.

The people referred to him as the Mangai – the Mouthpiece of the Holy Spirit. Literally thousands of followers were attracted to his faithhealing. Before long a village was formed where he lived, in a small settlement near Marton and in 1928 the Ratana Church was established. A movement was born.

Every year at this time the followers, nga morehu, return to Ratana to celebrate the birth of the Mangai, culminating in the church service held in the temple at the heart of Ratana Pa on the morning of January 25.

For the morehu it is a vital period of spiritual replenishment; nurturing friendships, strengthening whanau. It is a time to admire the talents of our rangatahi on the stage or on the sportsfield and in due course it is also a good opportunity to talk politics. It’s a wonderful celebration of all that I love about whanau.

I am aware that there is frustration by some members at the undue emphasis accorded the political visitors over and above other groups. I share some of that concern. The event should not be interpreted as an opportunity for electioneering. It should be purely and simply time to look at the legacy of Ratana and any contribution made should be in that spirit.

The festivities provide us with an excellent opportunity to measure the progress we have made in honouring the political, spiritual and social impact of T W Ratana and the movement he founded. It is a time to pay homage to the founder and his vision. Ratana wanted equality for Maori; he wanted equal access to the rights of citizenship and he was passionate about the recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi.

In 1924 Ratana took a petition to London, signed by more than 30,000 Maori, calling for the ratification of Te Tiriti of Waitangi. It’s a pretty amazing period in our history, to think of the mass mobilisation that occurred during a period of depression.

I wonder how far we have come towards taking up that call in 2012. The constitutional review which the Maori Party negotiated provides us with an excellent vantage point to debate how we as a nation are implementing the Treaty. What are we doing to consolidate the Treaty as the foundation of our future, how can we ensure the relationship between kawanatanga and rangatiratanga is understood by every New Zealander?

These are the real questions that every roopu that visits Ratana Pa needs to consider if we really want to honour the dreams of the Mangai. His message was always about fairness and justice; he called for the return of confiscated lands and the implementation of the Treaty of Waitangi as the basis of his philosophy.

Throughout it all, Ratana was a staunch advocate of the Bible; he promoted unity and most of all he expressed the wish for Maori to enjoy the fruits of equality as he believed had been envisaged in 1840.

I’d love to hear your views on what should be our next steps in advancing the legacy of Ratana. Write to me at Tariana.turia@parliament.govt. nz or ring my office 0800 4TURIA