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James Clendon
Tau Henare, regarded at the time of his death in 1989 as the foremost
kaumatua in Taitokerau, was the son of Tau Henare, Member of Parliament
for Northern Maori from 1914 to 1938.
He was born
at Motatau, Bay of Islands, in 1911 and attended various schools in
Taitokerau, Auckland and Wellington. He was the first Maori to
graduate with a qualification in Agriculture from a New Zealand
university. In 1933 he married Rose Cherrington, a distant cousin,
to whom he had been betrothed at birth. They had six children.
At the outbreak
of the Second World War Sir James left his dairy farm at Motatau
to join the army as a private. He rose ultimately to become commander
of the 28 Maori Batallion and took part in all major actions in
North Africa and Italy. He was three times wounded and was awared
the DSO in 1945.
After leading the Maori Battalion home after the war, Sir James
returned to his farm at Motatau, at the same time
beginning a close involvement in numerous conmunity organisations,
Maori and Pakeha.
Maori education
and the rehabilitation of ex-servicemen were among his strongest
intetests. He served on a wide variety of national and local bodies,
such as the Board of Maori Affairs, the National Advisory Committee
on Maori Education and the Board of the Waitangi National Maori
Trust. He took a leading part in the Kohnaga Reo movement. He
was its co-patron, with Dame Te Atairangikaahu, until his death.
Sir James
was made a Knight of the British Empire in 1978, having earlier
received the honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
In 1986, Auckland University conferred an Honorary Doctorate of
Laws on Sir James, in recognition of his work for Maori culture,
the guidance he had given to the University in its continuing
development of Maori Studies, and not least for the part he had
played in the creation of the University Marae, Waipapa. To honour his achievements and to further his aspirations for Taitokerau, the University of Auckland accepted the recommendation members of the Maori community that the newly-established Maori research centre there should bear his name when it was opened in 1993.
Though a noted
orator in English and in Maori, Sir James will be remembered as
much for his unstinting service to others, for his deeds rather
than his eloquence, and for his honour among all his countrymen,
rather than his honours.
His honours, in fact, sat lightly on him. Above all, he was a man of integrity, and one who managed to move freely and graciously between Te Ao Maori and the worlds outside. He was a practical and successful farmer and a dedicated family man (supported always by his beloved and superbly capable wife, Rose Lady Henare), a politician who was always also a statesman, a diplomat, a scholar and a man of the people. Truly a "man for all seasons". Two things, among many others, underline this characteristic. His family insisted that the research centre named after him should bear his name devoid of any titles -- "he was always 'Jim' to everyone who knew him". After his death, a vast throng of people from every walk of life journeyed to Otiria and Motatau to participate in the tangi and funeral. He was laid to rest in the wähi tapu overlooking the school and marae, named Takapuna in memory of the place where his mother, Hera, died from influenza, caught while she was helping to look after the victims of the 1918 flu epidemic.
As the entry under his name in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography points out:
Henare was emphatic that New Zealanders had to become truly bicultural before they could become multicultural, and he was critical of certain Pakeha attitudes and condescension. He saw Maori values of personal relationships, relaxed lifestyles, hospitality and creative skills as beneficial to the country as a whole. Although not regarded as an activist, Henare had strong views, which he invariably explained in a reasoned manner. He was not greatly concerned about the heat generated by debates on the treaty as he believed there were reserves of goodwill on both sides. His personal mana was marked by a statesmanlike demeanour, a positive adherence to Maori values and an unfailing courtesy.
He believed passionately in education as a liberating force, and fought for an education system that would recognize local and Maori needs within the overarching framework of the Treaty of Waitangi. Like many of his ancestors, he regarded the Treaty as a covenant which Taitokerau in general and Ngati Hine in particular had a sacred duty to safeguard and to keep in the forefront of public consciousness. He was also acutely aware of the danger of simply throwing money at problems which could only be solved by personal effort and changes of attitude. He was, for example, concerned that over-dependence on state funding could subvert the köhanga reo movement of which he was a staunch champion -- like Thomas A'Beckett in TS Eliot's play, he saw the need to take care lest we end up "Doing the right thing for the wrong reason", and lose sight of the goal for which we should really be striving. At the same time, he was also mindful that lack of legitimate public good finance could be acutely damaging to community welfare. He and his cousin-in-law, the late Hori Waititi, fought a long battle to retain the District High School in Motatau, realizing its importance and potential as an educational centre for all of Ngati Hine. Although the system eventually defeated them, the rightness of their cause and steadfast example has inspired others since to engage in similar struggles, some of which have for the time being at least succeeded.
It is rumoured with some authority that towards the end of his life Sir James was being seriously considered as a future Governor General of New Zealand. He would undoubtedly have filled this role superbly. It seems a tragedy for Aotearoa New Zealand that this did not come to pass, and yet perhaps the strain of having to be silent for the sake of constitutional propriety may have been too frustrating for a man who believed passionately in saying what needed to be said, and doing what needed to be done, albeit with dignity, grace, kindness and good humour.
E te Tohunga
Whakairo i to korero, e te Tauihu o te waka o Te Kohanga Reo,
e te Tauawhi i te iti te rahi i te Maori i te Pakeha, moe mai
i roto i Te Ariki.
Biographic
details provided coutesy of Professors N Tarling, H Kawharu, R. Benton and the Henare
family.
(More information about Sir James can be found in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography database.)
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