September 12, 2014
Room for change in wahine role
Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples says he can see the role of women in formal Maori ceremonies changing in future, but it's up to iwi to make the change.
Dr Sharples attended a meeting in west Auckland yesterday where Labour's Te Tai Tokerau candidate Kelvin Davis said it was hypocritical to stop wahine Maori sitting in the front row during powhiri when the violence they are most likely to face is in their own homes.
Dr Sharples says a lot of customs in New Zealand and Maori society have lost their original purpose and can do with change.
He says in his own Ngati Kahungunu area there are women who have been trained to do the wero or challenge with taiaha or patu.
"The cold reality was in the days of ahikaa everyone knew how to fight with weapons and to use them and so on. It was a part of everybody's daily life, they were experts. The family did it, the kids did it, the women did it and so they were able to show their skills. So it will change eventually, perhaps region by region, place by place," Dr Sharples says.
He says the races in both Te Tai Tokerau and Tamaki Makaurau seen extremely close, and he's impressed with the quality of all the candidates.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH PITA SHARPLES CLICK ON THE LINK
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