Ratana event gives chance to explore remote river area

ANNUAL Ratana celebrations last week marked the birthday of the prophet Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana, who forged strong links with the Labour Party.

That link led to 70 years of Labour dominance in the Maori electoral seats until the emergence of the New Zealand First Party and the Maori Party. So last Friday the parties showed up for the speeches and the "holding to account" that goes with political office.

Labour talked about the formation of the alliance between the church and the party, but had nothing to talk about when it came to results for Maori.

National always regrets that the work it has done socially for Maori, such as housing on marae, Whanau Ora, Maori health and education etc never transpires into support from the Maori constituency.

The phrase of the day belonged to Deputy Prime Minister Bill English who said we need to make moves now against Maori negative over-representation, so Maori should support the Government that is now rather than sit around waiting for the government they want in the future.

Funnily enough, on analysis of vote count, it has been revealed that Maori in general seats vote along similar lines in proportion to the way the general population votes.

Voters on the Maori roll heavily support Labour and there is but a sniff of a National presence in the Maori seats and always has been.

After Ratana I took the opportunity to show some National MPs around the remote Whanganui River, spending the night about an hour's jetboat ride from Pipiriki, visiting the Tieke Marae and walking in to the Bridge to Nowhere.

The weather, the river and the atmosphere were pristine, and while I had always been a bit jealous of the landscape of some of the South Island electorates where my visitors hailed from, they were blown away by what they experienced on the river.

The history, pre-colonial and since colonisation, is amazing and the landscape unique; the Whanganui River being the connection between back-country Taranaki and Whanganui and the rest of the world in the old days post World War I when steamers would come up the Tangarakau and other rivers to collect cream for butter making and on to export.

It was much easier to get down to Whanganui than it was to get to New Plymouth and, if the end destination was Auckland or Wellington, then many days could be shaved off the trip - though the product may not have been as flash as when it had been stored, for the steamer spent a couple of days getting to Whanganui unrefrigerated.

I remember a story from the Marangae Valley, east of Kohuratahi, when a farmer sent his cream off on the steamer.

The can was returned and written in chalk in the lid was "rat in!"; the can was sent back with the message "rat out."

That would have made some pretty tasty cheese, I am sure.

But the history of the back country has left us with remarkable scenery, history and future.

The year before the Mountain to Sea Cycle Trail was opened, two mountain bikers were picked up from the Mangapurua Landing.

The following year there were 1000 and the number has grown strongly since.

There is a suggestion that the Matemateonga will be opened up for another trail, and that will be good for the local economy and New Zealand as a tourist destination, cyclists being able to ride from Ruapehu to Stratford.

It all adds up to confirm the old slogan:

"Don't leave home till you've seen the country."