Taa Toby’s fight for justice told
Memoir a ‘social history’ as educator and rangatira traces long campaign for Ma¯ ori
It was only a few weeks before his death that Te Arawa rangatira Taa Toby Curtis gave the nod of approval on the final draft of his memoir, Toby Curtis — Unfinished Business: Ki Hea A¯po¯po¯.
The memoir reflected on the past, but also looked to the future and what work needed to be done to achieve an equitable society in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Sir Dr Nopera Tamihana Curtis (Toby) died at home in Rotoiti, aged 82, in August this year. But he did not leave this Earth without telling longtime friend Lorraine Mcleod stories and thoughts from his life working to improve key issues facing Ma¯ori.
His son, Piripi Curtis, said the memoir covered highlights and challenges of his father’s mahi, particularly in the education department and unfair treatment of Ma¯ori and te reo speakers, even after it was introduced as an option in the curriculum.
He said there were good points made in the memoir, and enjoyed reading it.
“It’s good. It’s actually really good.” While he and his siblings did not see their father much growing up, he said they knew it was because of how busy he was, “all in the fight for justice for Ma¯ori”.
But he did not know whether others saw that work, and he hoped this book would help inform.
“It’s good to have that down in writing . . . to see the whole picture.”
His father was the most articulate person he knew, and for him, the most interesting part of the book was the pages that delved into his father’s rejection of the church in the 1970s.
Taa Toby had been raised as a Catholic, but in time came to understand religious colonisation and the impact it had.
“It was pretty interesting to read. It explains how the church has been so devastating to Ma¯ori.”
The book also covers how Taa Toby saw colonisation impacting on Ma¯ori to this day.
The book was blessed and launched at Piripi’s home in Rotorua on Saturday.
Mcleod, a fellow educator, began to ko¯ rero with Taa Toby in April last year. She was seeking a new challenge, and when her friend could not find any research projects to be part of, the idea of the memoir came.
She pored over speech notes and
documents for three months and compiled a spreadsheet of the main topics to be covered.
“His biggest passion was always the loss of te reo . . . It was in everything he thought about.”
Colonisation was also a big topic, under which fell racism and the education system. Broadcasting was also included — “all the things he did”.
“It was a wonderful oral history he told me. A real social history of Rotorua in his 82 years of life.”
The book also covers topics such as Te Tiriti o Waitangi — The Treaty of Waitangi, and the “terrible influence it has had on Ma¯ori hopes and
aspirations”.
Taa Toby was known for his role as a mediator, and Mcleod said within 15 minutes a room would be settled, listening to his suggestions.
But Mcleod noted he was a humble man. Having listened to tributes at his tangi, she believed people thought more of him than he knew. “Or that he wasn’t saying.”
“I think the book under focuses on the power and leadership he had. I know readers will judge that for that themselves.”
As his health declined, writing for and working with Taa Toby in the last six months became more difficult.
Piripi helped more as his memory began to fail on specifics, but three weeks before he died he was able to give the final note on the draft.
“He said there was something wrong, and it was all ready for the printer,” Mcleod said.
His son helped, a minor change was needed, a little detail was added.
“It was just one page. And Toby just relaxed back and said, ‘that’s it’.”
She believed the memoir meant a lot to the kauma¯tua.
“It also has future plans in there . . . he was still so actively thinking about what was happening and what to do.”