Coming into Paihia 1983, from the James Aotearoa Pasene photographic collection exhibition at Waitangi Treaty Grounds.
Coming into Paihia 1983, from the James Aotearoa Pasene photographic collection exhibition at Waitangi Treaty Grounds.
Human element of protests captured
Waitangi Treaty Grounds’ new exhibition, Hikoi: Get Up, Stand Up, showcases 28 previously unpublished photographs by activist and photographer James Aotearoa Pasene. They revisit protest actions that occurred in Waitangi from 1980 to 1985.
The exhibition features original film, captured by participants of the Whakahou(Renew) movement, which provides a unique perspective of the protest action.
From Whakahou headquarters in South Auckland, James Aotearoa Pasene and his late life partner, Zena Tamanui, engaged in some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most prominent protest actions.
These include the 1977 Bastion Point occupation, 1979 He Taua-Auckland University conflict, 1981 anti-apartheid Springbok tour, and of course, the Waitangi Day protests of the 1980s.
Armed with his camera, James took snapshots of what he saw from behind the front lines as well as more-intimate, behind the-scenes moments that give precedence to individuals over politics.
He said the rationale of the exhibition was to show the human side behind the protest movement rather than the protesting and confrontation.
“It’s not about banner waving or the placards, and as a fellow protester I could take photos of the things that maybe other photographers couldn’t because I was part of the inner circle and that’s what I am showing.
“This is my love letter to those times, places, and people”, he said.
The exhibition is open to the public until the March 31.
Kerikeri Red Cross activities
Kerikeri Red Cross has over 20 members involved in local projects. These include making up baby packs for new mothers, making blankets for refugees and holding craft stalls and selling the crafts created by the members.
Last winter they made 20 warmer packs, which were donated to the Bald Angel Trust, which delivered them to those in need. They also make tea for New Zealand Red Cross after donors have given blood.
As a result of these activities, Kerikeri Red Cross was able to raise money to help provide for local needs in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabriele. They raised more than $7000 for the New Zealand Disaster Fund and delivered 30 generators to Te Kaunihera o Te Hiku o te Ika-Far North District Council with support from the Disaster Fund.
NZ Red Cross volunteers with a donation of generators following Cyclone Gabrielle last year.
They meet on a Friday morning at 14 Butler Rd just past the Countdown supermarket. A wide selection of items is for sale in the craft shed. In the main building next door, Red Cross members make toys, sew, knit and upcycle materials.
It’s a hive of activity with the opportunity to socialise and have a cup of tea. They are always looking for ways to engage and support local activities and welcome new members and community groups.
New Zealand Red Cross was established in 1915. Over the past year in Aotearoa they have delivered more than 700,000 meals on wheels, responded to 15 emergencies, and helped more than 800 new Kiwis settle into a new country.
Volunteers with the Kerikeri branch of the NZ Red Cross gather in the craft room from which they sell items to raise funds for the community.
The organisation has also fundraised for disasters and emergencies including Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis, Turkey-Syria earthquakes, and monsoon flooding in Pakistan.
Suzie Barlow, communications officer for the Kerikeri branch, said anyone was welcome to join the group and “there are always new ideas flying around”.
Ancestor lost and found
The story of one woman’s search to find the final resting place of her great-great-grandfather is now in print.
A copy of Finding Thomas — a personal account of retired Wellington school teacher Trish Rossiter’s quest to learn more about her ancestor Thomas Skinner — was gifted to Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Northland office in recognition of support from staff who helped with research.
Thomas Skinner first appears in the historical records as a 19-year-old sailor who learned his craft as an apprentice in the British Merchant Navy. It was Thomas who was at the helm of the Hannah, a barely seaworthy ship described by missionary the Rev Samuel Ironside as “a death trap”, as it tried (and failed) to negotiate the sandbar at Kāwhia Harbour in September 1840.
Trish Rossiter, author of Finding Thomas, with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Northland manager Bill Edwards.
The author says in the book, “goodness only knows what extenuating circumstances had led him to joining the crew of a vessel that was so patently unseaworthy!”
Family history records that when Thomas feared for his life, he made a bargain with God that if he survived he would serve Him for the rest of his life. From this point he committed himself to the work of the Wesleyan mission and Thomas and his wife Hannah and their family eventually came to live in Waimā in the Far North.
Trish’s research revealed Thomas Skinner had been buried at the historic cemetery next to the Māngungu Mission at Hōreke, and not at the site of the Waimā Wesleyan mission as had been thought. Images of the Māngungu Mission cemetery showed dozens of burial plots scattered across the hillside rather than in orderly rows.
Further research by Heritage New Zealand Northland manager Bill Edwards revealed plot No 59 was assigned to Thomas Skinner. It was at that point that Thomas had been found.
“Trish’s story of discovering the final resting place of her great-great-grandfather is a wonderfully personal account of her family’s story,” says Edwards.
Intrepid kayaker Tui Allen, of Jack’s Bay (between Russell and Rāwhiti), was camping at Urupukapuka Island in mid-February. She was wading in the shallows of the bay.
“I got to pat a very friendly ray, probably an eagle ray, and she would come if you splashed your hands on the water to call her.
“Her skin felt velvety and smooth, but you could feel a great toughness in her wings when she flexed them,” she said.
“She visited the shallows all day and I could watch her from my tent on the grass near the sand.”
Hedorah, the friendly ray at Urupukapuka Island. Photo / Tui Allen
Two young girls who had been camping nearby waded in and the ray allowed the girls to pet her, to stroke her back and belly and touch her mouth.
The girls named the ray Hedorah, after the kaiju monster who first appeared in the 1971 Japanese animation film Godzilla vs. Hedorah.
The movie has since spawned other films (the latest in 2021), video games, books and comics, but naming the stingray Hedorah could be an unintentional slur. Hedorah is named for Hedoro, the Japanese word for sludge, slime, vomit or chemical ooze.
Allen says the ray was unafraid of the girls, but there were also three boys there who were throwing rocks at Hedorah and hitting her with sticks.
“I bellowed at them in my grumpiest school teacher voice to show some respect for the wildlife.”
She thought the boys could have come into the bay on a boat bristling with what she calls “fish torturing gear”. The phrase is influenced by the fact she’s a vegan.
When she paddled away the next morning, Hedorah came to say goodbye and to see her off. She has made a short video of Hedorah at Urupukapuka Island.
