opinion
Rob Campbell is a professional director and investor. He is Chancellor of AUT, Chairman of Ara Ake, Chairman of NZ Rural Land and past Chairman of Te Whatu Ora.
These days we tend to prioritise profits and politicians over prophets, and while I would prefer to prioritise people and the planet, there is no doubt that we lose something when we forget prophets.
What we lose is vision and inspiration, and often with them hope and purpose. Even when we look back at the past, we tell our stories in terms that prioritize material, military and political events and ignore the role of belief, emotion and philosophy. That is not how we have always and everywhere experienced life.
Last week, by chance (or was it a coincidence?), I picked up and read Geoffrey Sissons' The Forgotten Prophet. This fascinating story about Tamati Te Ito and the Kāingarara movement has made me think more deeply about which stories motivate us. This story is little known outside the Māori world, and probably almost entirely unknown in Taranaki.
Te Ito was a matakite of the tohunga with recognised prophetic abilities and advisor to Te Atiahua Rangatira Rangitake in the 1850s and 1860s, but his influence was felt throughout the region. He led a campaign that began an intense process of physically and philosophically eliminating tapu objects and associated (often reptilian) atua that stood in the way of Christian order. This was complicated to say the least, as it was linked to strong principles of uniting Taranaki iwi against land sales and expropriation.
He was, for obvious reasons, not widely popular among settlers, military personnel and Pakeha politicians and was seen as a dangerous fanatic. He was a key player in the Taranaki resistance movement of the time, a role not fully captured in modern historiography.
Part of the reason, I think, is that we like to simplify events and important influences more than they really are. Complex characters and themes are seen as distractions to understanding change and historical processes. When we look at it that way, we miss a lot. The devil is not just in the details.
Professional director Rob Campbell. Photo / Michael Craig
We see a lot of this in Aotearoa right now. There is certainly a great deal of confusion in te ao Pākehā about the intensification of Māori expressions of mana motuhake and rangitiratanga. Of course, there are many among us who recognise and welcome this. There is a risk of arrogance and overconfidence about our understanding. We find it easier to react to a simplistic, even sanitised, view of te ao Māori.
This tendency is compounded when fear and racism prevail – for example, it is often said that “not all Māori are in favor of…”[eg Te Pāti Māori]” Of course, this should come as no shock to anyone, especially Te Pati Māori. But it is not a response to either of the views being criticised. Complexity, diversity and even conflict are part of humanity, but they are no excuse for oppression or dispossession.
You might recall the Simon and Garfunkel lyric, “On the walls of the subway and in the halls of our apartment buildings the words of the prophets are written,” and today, and here we are, it’s written on the placards, songs, speeches and postcard that surround us.
Some of Tamati Te Ito's claims may seem strange to modern Pākehā, but the important thing is that they resonated with people in their own context. We should not be so quick to dismiss them from history or currency because we find their ideas strange or simply too difficult.
– New Zealand Herald
