Lena Matewai Ruru. He Manaaki i te Hapori i te Wā Kāinga.

Me kore ake ngā wāhine pērā me Lena Ruru (1902-1977, nō Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki) hei tautoko i ō rātou kāinga i te wā pakanga.  He tini āna mahi puta noa tōna koiora, hei ringapuoro, hei kaiwhakahaere Girl Guides, hei kaipurei hōkī, hei kaipurei korowha, hei tino kaihautū mō tōna iwi hoki, ā, i ētahi wā, ka mahia ngātahitia ēnei mahi āna.

He ruarua ngā kupu mō āna mahi o te wā o te Pakanga Tuarua kei roto i te haurongo mōna kei Te Ara, engari, ka puta mai te pakanga, ka pukumahi kē te wahine nei.  I taua wā, ka tino hōriri a Lena, i a ia e whakarite ana i āna mahi puoro me āna tūranga i roto i ngā tini rōpū. 

E waia ana a Lena ki ngā mahi toimaha.  I te matenga o tōna whaea, o Maata Parāone, i te tau 1920, ka waiho māna hei tiaki i tōna pāpā rātou ko ōna tungāne tokorua, ahakoa tekau mā waru anake ōna tau.   He rangatira whakahirahira tōna pāpā, a Hēnare Ruru, nō Pāpati Pei. Ka kaha piri pono a Lena ki a ia, ā, ahakoa tōna taiohi, ka mahi ia hei hekeretari, hei kaiwhakapākehā hoki māna.  Nā tōna pāpā hoki, ka nui haere tōna mātauranga ki te whakapapa, ki te hītori, ki te taha tōrangapū hoki.  Ka hemo rawa a Hēnare i te tau 1943, ka whai tonu a Lena rāua ko tōna tungāne, ko Eru, i ngā mahi a tō rāua pāpā mō ngā kerēme whenua, me te tiaki i a Takipū, i tō rātou marae ki Te Karaka, kei te tuawhenua, he āhua 30 kirometa mai i Tūranga.[1]

I a ia e tiaki ana i tōna whānau, ka uru hoki a Lena ki roto i te Women’s Institute me ngā mahi pakanga hoki.  I tētahi Paraire o Hepetema 1939, i te marama i tīmata ai te whawhai, ko ia tētahi o ngā tini wāhine i hui mai ki Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa.  Ka whakaae taua minenga kia tū he peka ā-kāinga o te Maori Ladies’ Patriotic Committee ki te kohi moni mō ngā mahi pakanga.  He mema a Lena nō te Komiti Whakahaere ā-Takiwā, ā, ko ia hoki te tumuaki o te Peka o Te Karaka.  Ka nui ake hoki āna mahi i te tau 1941 i tōna pōtitanga ki te Rōpū Whakahaere o te Poverty Bay Federation of Women’s Institutes.[2]

Ahakoa ēnei mahi ā-hapori, ka mahi tonu hoki a Lena hei ringapuoro me tōna tira puoro tautito (swingtime). Puta noa ngā tau o te pakanga, ka whakatangitangi ia ki ngā kanikani me ngā huinga o te hapori, me ngā mahinga moni mō te pakanga i te nuinga o ngā marama, ahakoa ko ia anake rānei, ahakoa i te taha o tōna pēne rānei. I Ōketopa 1940, ka purei ia ki te tukunga o te Tatau Tatau Rose Bowl i Selvyn, ki tētahi kanikani hoki i Motu mō te “kuīni hākinakina”; i Nowema, i te Hōro o Puka ia, ā, i Tīhema, ka whakatangitangi ia ki te hui ngāhau ā-tau, te whakakitenga putiputi me te kanikani o te Whare Karakia o Matawhero, ā, ki tētahi pō whakangāhau i Patutahi.

I tae atu ia ki ngā hui hei poroporoaki i ngā hōia o tēnā kāinga, o tērā kāinga, ā, ka rite tonu ngā tono kia whakatangitangi ia ki ngā huinga huritau 21, me ngā mārenatanga.  Tua atu i ēnei, ka purei ia mō ngā tini rōpū, hei tauira, mō te Women’s War Service Auxiliary, mō ngā rōpū ā-hapori mō ngā mahi pakanga, mō tētahi karapu pāhiketepōro, mō ngā hōia rangatahi o te Tauaarangi, mō te Rōpū Tinei Ahi o Tūranga, mō ngā kanikani poroporoaki, mō ngā rā whakamutunga o te tau kura, mō te Young Farmers’ Club o Tūranga, mō te Surf Life Saving Club o Wainui, me te Peka o Mataraka o te Rōpū Reipa hoki.

I te mutunga o Āperira 1943, i tōna pāpā e mate ana, ka tahuri ia ki te nēhi i a ia, e kī ana “she is unable to accept any town engagements for an indefinite period and takes this opportunity of thanking her friends for their past support.”[3]  Ka hemo tōnā pāpā i te marama o Mei.  I Hepetema, kua hoki ia ki te atamira, hei ringapuoro kotahi rānei, me tōna pēne tokowhā, tokowaru rānei.

Tua atu i ngā rōpū wāhine, me āna mahi kohi moni, ka tahuri a Lena ki te hāpai i te wairua o tōna iwi, nā te whakatū i te Karapu Hākinakina o Te Karaka.  Ko te pāhiketepaoro Marikena tētahi o ngā hākinakina, me te “corner ball”, te “skittles”, me te meke pōro.  I te raumati, he tino mahi ngā hikoi me te tēnehi.  Ko te tumuaki a Lena o te komiti hei whakahaere i ngā mahi o te karapu.  E ai ki te Gisborne Herald, “an energetic committee, under the guidance of Miss Lena Ruru, [was] appointed to control the affairs of the club.”[4][5]

I te mutunga o te pakanga, ka āwhina ia ki te pōwhiri mai i ngā hōia e hoki mai ana, i a ia e whakahaere tonu ana āna mahi puoro.  I te tau 1950, ka tahuri ia ki tiaki i ngā kāinga Māori, arā, ka whai ia i a Maora Tamihana hei āpiha wahine toko i te ora Māori mō Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa.  Kātahi te kauanuanu o ngā tāngata o tōna kāinga mōna; i tōna wehenga i te Takiwā o Waikohu i Māehe 1850, e 200 ngā tāngata i tae mai ki te poroporoaki i a ia.  I kīa, “[she] is probably the most widely-known person in the Te Karaka district, having spent all her life there and being connected with practically all public organisations, in addition to following her career as a professional musician.”[6]

I kaha whakapuakina e ngā kaikōrero tana “fine record of public-spirited work in all movements for the advancement of the district; her activities had been marked by a cheerful personality and unvarying goodwill.” 

He wahine hihiko a Lena ki te tautoko i te hapori; ā, he maha ngā momo mahi i meinga e ia. Nā tō Lena “fine record of public-spirited work”, ka tū tonu ngā mahi ā-hapori, ā-tōrangapū hoki, mō ngā whakatipuranga e heke mai nei.  I te wā pakanga, ka rite tonu tāna āwhina i tōna hapori me tōna whānau, me tōna kaha ki te tautoko i ngā mahi pakanga, mai i ngā poroporoaki me ngā pōwhiri mō ngā hōia, tae atu ki te kohi moni me te whakatangitangi o tōna pēne mō te iwi.  He tauira tino pai a Lena Ruru nō ngā tini Māori i tū ki te hāpai i ngā mahi pakanga i ā rātou taitama e whawhai ana ki tāwāhi.

Whakaahua: “Miss Lena Ruru, Palerston Road, who has retired as the Maori women’s welfare officer for the Gisborne & Wairoa districts after six years’ service.”  Gisborne Photo News, 20 Noema 1956.

[1] Gisborne Herald, 11 Mei 1943, wh.2. He mea whakatū te wharenui o Takipū (ko Te Poho o Pikihoro te ingoa) e te tipuna tāne o Lena, e Karaitiana Ruru hei wāhi mō Te Kooti me te karakia Ringatū. I waenga o te tekautau 1940, ka puta te hiahia kia hangaia houtia te whare, me tētahi whakamaumaharatanga mō Hēnare Ruru (GH, 4 Hepetema 1946).  I oti te wharenui te hanga i te tau 1958, hei whakamaumaharatanga hoki mō ngā hōia i haere ki tāwāhi i te wā o te Pakanga Tuarua. http://www.takipu.com/history/

[2] GH, 5 Āperira 1941

[3] GH, 29 April 1943.

[4] GH, 2 October 1944.

[5] GH, 2 October 1944.

[6] GH, 6 April 1950.