Sir Āpirana Turupa Ngata, 1874-1950 - And those who remember him.
This is a 1985 cassette compilation of archival recordings by and about Sir Āpirana Ngata, compiled by RNZ's Replay Radio unit. The original recordings are all held elsewhere in the sound archives collection. Dates and details of the original recordings are in brackets.
1-2. (Excerpts from Opening of Tamatekapua Meeting House, Rotorua, 24 Mar 1943) Message to Professor James Shelley (Director of the Broadcasting Service) from Sir Āpirana Ngata in regards to the recording of waiata and haka in Rotorua in connection with the celebrations at the opening of the carved meeting house Tamatekapua. He says how he appreciates the opportunity to save these items as the generation that holds this particular knowledge is about to pass away. He commends the NZBS recording technicians. Sir Āpirana introduces the first waiata that is sung by Mrs Hāmana Mahuika and Mrs Pehikura Awatere] of Ngāti Porou tribe and himself. (00:01:18)
2. Mōteatea/lament led by Sir Āpirana Ngata. (00:00:48)
3-5. (Excerpts from Ringatu General Assembly, Ruatoki, 28 Jun 1938) Sir Āpirana Ngata, speaks in English about Te Kooti’s deportation and his revenge on hapu privy to this information. He talks about Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki, the establishment of his Ringatū movement which he explains was an attempt to “Māori-fy” the worship of God and the subsequent branches of the Ringatū movement that have broken away from that spirit of unity associated with Te Kooti. He refers to the troubles at Wainui (Te Kooti’s ‘Eye of New Zealand’) being due to troubles within the Ringatū church. Harmony must happen within the church before the Ringatū people can represent themselves to the crown. (00:06:30)
4. Mōteatea/chant led by Sir Āpirana Ngata. (00:03:13)
5. Sir Āpirana Ngata continues speech in English directed at a crown representative about the “Wainui troubles”. (00:01:20)
6-7. (Excerpts from Radio Digest 26 Aug 1956) Mr William T. Ngata of the Māori Affairs Department in Wellington, speaks about his father's involvement in recording traditional Māori waiata and chants. “My late father, Sir Āpirana Ngata always had the fear in the back of his mind that one day the old Māori chants would pass away… he was not satisfied merely collecting the words of these chants, he persuaded the elders to record their voices and with the equipment [1909/10]… he organised a team of himself, Sir Peter Buck… Mr Balneavis]…Mr Mitchell… on an Edison recorder… put away into the archives of the museum, in the Turnbull Library and in the Māori affairs Department… but years afterwards there was an attempt to reproduce these and put them onto tape and… permanent disc but there was nothing to be played on them and they’ve been put away for thirty years now and really written off by the Māori Purposes Fund Board… it is very, very important that some means could be found to reproduce these chants… the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Electronics Institute became interested in the reproduction… of the material on these discs and we hope before long something can be done…”. (00:03:54)
7. Mr William T. Ngata introduces a waiata sung by Ngati Porou recorded at the tangi of Sir Āpirana Ngata, ‘Kaati ra e Koro te katkoto i raro ra’. (00:01:51)
8-11. (Radio broadcasts on the death of Sir Āpirana Ngata, 14 Jul 1950) Eulogy by broadcaster Wiremu Parker in English and Māori: “We are met together today to bid a last long farewell to the mortal remains our illustrious elder Sir Āpirana Ngata… he was not of an age but of all time… in born sense of duty… men and women of Māori blood will owe a debt to the man who toiled so long and so arduously to record their ancient culture…”. (00:04:01)
9. Eulogy by Wiremu Parker in te reo Māori. (00:02:08)
10. Hiruharama School sing Psalm 23 in te reo Māori. Recorded in 1939. (00:01:56)
11. Eulogy by Te Puea Herangi's speech over the radio on the occasion of the death of Āpirana Ngata: “Te reo Irirangi e tangi e tunei ki a koutou e tenei po, ko te reo o tau koutou tu e hine whaea o Puea Herangi o Wahi pā, Waikato”. Te Puea Herangi speaks. (00:01:40)
12. (Excerpt from Radio Digest 03 Sept 1950-09-03. Bishop of Aotearoa Reverend Frederick Bennett speaking at the Centennial service at Te Aute College) “We have come together today to carry out the wishes of Sir Āpirana Ngata, it is he who arranged this meeting and to the very details of the gathering, these are all formed by him before he passed on… we as orphans who are left behind look to you our big white brother to search out your helping hand and do what you can to raise us onto higher levels of life.. blessings be with this gathering and I hope you will be with great good, not only the Māori people but the two races working together it will then be the good of the whole of New Zealand in the days to come. Kia ora koutou katoa”. (00:03:19)
13-16.(Tributes to Sir Āpirana Ngata by Jock McEwen, Eric Ramsden and T.E.Y. Seddon. Recorded 1961.) Jock McEwen of the Māori Affairs Department: “Later on as I got a little more senior in the department I used to travel around about New Zealand a great deal, going to Māori meetings on different marae and there I saw Sir Āpirana Ngata at his best… he was a man like all Māoris that had to live in two worlds… but he got to the top in both, that was the extraordinary thing about this man… the greatest authority in modern times on Māori lore, Māori traditions, Māori music, Māori arts and crafts… he restored the pride of the Māori people… and illustrated many of those things that you should be proud of.” (00:05:02)
14. Eric Ramsden. “Now I would just like to say something of a very vivid memory I have of Sir Āpirana at Ōtaki, the night before the Service of Rededication of Rangiātea Church…”. (00:01:14)
15. Eric Ramsden speaks about the conferring of a Doctorate of Literature on Sir Āpirana Ngata. “He received his Honour in the Wellington Town Hall… when his son Henry graduated… the first Māori to receive a Doctorate of Literature… ”. (00:02:08)
16. T.E.Y. Seddon, former M.P. “Sir Āpirana Ngata, or Āpi as we used to call him, had a tremendous sense of humour…”. (00:01:59)
17-21. (Recordings from the opening of Ngata Memorial College, Ruatoria, 1958. Presented by broadcaster Leo Fowler.) Pupils of Ngata Memorial College, Ruatoria singing a powhiri of welcome to the Minister of Education, the Hon. P.O. Skoglund. (00:01:11)
18. Speech by Mr Henare Ngata speaks on behalf of the Ngata family. He acknowledges other secondary schools in the area including Te Aute College, St Josephs, St Stephens and Victoria as well as the Ngāti Porou people. (00:02:14)
19. The Principal of Ngata Memorial College, Mr Hugh Jennings speaks of the motto Ngata had chosen for the college, ‘E tipu, e rea, mo ngā ra o tou ao’ or ‘Grow up o tender youth and fulfil the needs of your generation’. (00:01:05)
20. Introduction to Mr Skoglund’s speech. The Ngata Memorial College opening speech honours the name of Sir Āpirana Ngata. “… the man who has been described as the voice and shield of his people... few New Zealanders, Māori or pākehā have made such an impact on our national life… eminent scholar, politician and elder statesman... ”. The new college was dedicated with the words of the school’s motto by the Bishop of Aotearoa, the Right Rev. Bishop Panapa [in te reo Māori and English]. (00:08:26)
21. The school ceremony concludes with a hymn, ‘Lord Behold Us With Thy Blessing’. (00:01:08)