Merepeka Raukawa-Tait: Those who shape our country

Kate Sheppard is one of many great New Zealanders young people can look up to.

The inclusion in last Wednesday's New Zealand Herald of a special supplement celebrating 150 years of great New Zealanders was a wonderful reminder to us all of the people who have helped shape our nation.

The Herald is celebrating its birthday. It began publishing in November 1863. It is remarkable that the newspaper is still in existence today, considering all the newspapers, not only in New Zealand but throughout the world, that have not been able to stay the distance.

Once listed, original owners of many famous and influential newspapers are no longer the main voices at the board table. In time new owners take over.

What an incredible line up of New Zealanders portrayed in the special supplement. Many of course long gone but contemporary Great New Zealanders are there too.

All made their contribution in making our country what it is today. I remember many of the names from history lessons at school. I used to wonder why we gave so little attention at school to our own New Zealand history, and those who made it, instead of concentrating on Britain, the United States and other parts of the world.

I didn't mind learning about other countries but still feel it is important that we know about ourselves first. I hope all schools in New Zealand got a copy of the special supplement. When students have a project to study a Great New Zealander they will have a whole raft to choose from. Some are well known. Our most recognisable New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary for example.

Then there's Kate Sheppard, Rewi Maniapoto and Ettie Rout. There were others I had forgotten and was pleased to be reminded of. And some unknown to me. Most I would say were just ordinary people who managed to do extraordinary things.

They probably never saw the challenges, only the necessity to find solutions. Each in their own way shaping New Zealand and influencing its people.

And ordinary people are still shaping our country today. I thought so when I attended the 30th birthday celebration of Te Ara ki te reo ki Kuirau. This kohanga reo was the dream of a few parents 30 years ago. They wanted their children to be exposed to their Maori language and culture from their earliest preschool years. They were dedicated, committed families who envisioned the desirable future for their children and grandchildren.

This future would be built on their knowledge and daily use of tikanga and kaupapa Maori. Like so much that is a first and new, they struggled in those early years. Even belonging to a national trust, they had little in the way of start-up funding.

They managed with borrowed or second-hand furniture. Resources were made by the teachers and families helped and gave tirelessly to keep the kohanga afloat. They never wavered in their commitment and resolve to see the kohanga succeed. And when they announced early in 2000 they would be leaving Te Kohanga Reo Trust to chart their own future they were told by the trust they would not survive. Did they do an about turn on hearing this dire prediction? Hell no. They gritted their teeth and kept going.

Yet it must have been a daunting experience. Lynn Vercoe, who was there right from the start, outlined the chronology of events over those 30 years. For every name she mentioned there was respectful acknowledgement of that person's contribution. Te Ara ki te reo ki Kuirau is today known as a centre of excellence in preschool circles.

The children, past and present, are loved and valued. Their teachers treasured and respected for the role they played and continue to play. And families still play an integral part in the kohanga's governance and management. Those first kohanga children are now excelling in their chosen careers. They walk with a foot in both worlds. They have great New Zealanders to thank for that. Their parents and families.