Margaret – Māngere Bridge
“I’ve just shared breakfast with my sister. She’s down from Clarks Beach. Her and I actually used live here in Māngere Bridge for many, many years. We’ve only just moved out in the last five years, but we often patronise this place for old times sake.
Being brought up as Māori, we had one meal a week all together – parents, brothers, and sisters. Mum would say ‘we are going to the Marae on Sunday so you wear your Sunday best!’. The old siblings would prepare the food. When I say the old ones, it depends on where you are in the family, because they had very big families back in those days. Mum did all the preparation and being a child you just played around until you were called home to have a meal.
You’d be meeting some of your relatives, which was always a big buzz. It’s very important; you talk about things that you would never talk about to anyone else, outside of the family. If there were any issues to talk about, it was spoken to Dad first, and then he would sort of edit it, if he thinks it’s ok to speak about around the table, that’s how it would happen. It taught us to respect one another. Meal times taught us our values from right from wrong and everything came out on that table.
Meal times used to be important back in the day, but I think today there’s a lot fast food. The kids of today they just ring up and say, ‘I’ll just pick something up on my way wherever’. Once upon a time you had to be home a certain time to have that meal and then you can do whatever afterwards, doesn’t happen today – very far and few apart.”
