Gaille | Kelston
“Titewhai Harawira; she’s always been there, like her or not. Annette Sykes, Margaret Mutu, like those women; yeah they’re all up there in my view. They’re strong Māori women. They’ve got their eye on the ball. They know what we’re thinking, and if we don’t think it, that’s what we were thinking anyway. They’re educated, and they haven’t lost sight of their roots.
My mum’s from Tūwharetoa, she’s Waitahanui in Taupō, and my dad’s Kaikohe; Ngati Hine, up North. We just had the thing of the flagstaff the other day I think. The first time in 100-and-so-many years we’ve had the recognition of Hōne Heke’s act against colonisation of the time. So I think that’s absolutely marvellous. I think Māori in particular have always had very strong women role models and female role models. We’ve never ever lacked in that area. I think with Māori women, this is my view, is that we’ve been caught up in the colonial white woman’s arguments and that we’re having to find our own strength and our own mana as Māori women, not as adages to.
Well, we’ve got the new captain at the head of the ship, and she seems to be pretty cool. She seems to be more inclusive and real about it. Everybody seems to like her. She hasn’t put a foot wrong in terms of Māoridom. She wasn’t like Helen Clark, demanded that she come and save us Māori women, and speak, be the first woman to speak on the Marae up there. She wasn’t arrogant like that. She was humble, I like her approach and I think Māori can feel that sincerity in Jacinda, and I think it’s a global move going on, too. There just seems to be this feel of change going on. I don’t know, maybe I’m optimistic.”
