He mihi tenei ki nga ropu, ki nga pakeke ki nga tamariki hoki i raro i te kaupapa a te Ropu Whakahaere i nga Whakataetae-a-tau o nga mahi a-ringa a te Maori. I nga ra o nehe ko nga korero hohonu a te iwi e akona ana i te Whare Wananga. Ko nga mahi a-ringa, nga takaro, nga haka e akona ana ki te Whare Karioi. Ko tona ritenga ko ia nei te Whare Karioi o nga ra o tenei ao. Kei te paepae ake nga taringa kei te hihiri nga hinengaro o tenei whakatipuranga ki nga taonga a nga tipuna. No reira me puta ano nga mihi ki nga tohunga o enei ra e ako nei i a tatau tamariki. As Patron of the Maori Competitions Society and Chairman of the Tairawhiti District Maori Council I pay my tribute to the Society's leaders, past and present, in this the 25th year of the competitions. Those of us privileged to encompass within our life span the first as well as the latest occasion of the competitions can but marvel at their continued success over this period of time. Changes have inevitably taken place, but the high standard of integrity in composition, interpretation and performance which the Tairawhiti has jealously guarded over several generations has been maintained in the twenty-five years of the Competitions. The Society is a custodian of an important part of our cultural heritage, and the transmission of that heritage to the rising generation is a function that it has discharged with credit. H. K. NGATA, O.B.E., J.P.

The Karaitiana Tamararo Shield was presented for competition in 1953 by Karaitiana's daughter, Meri, who was Moni Taumaunu's first wife. The beautiful Shield was carved by Moni and Bill Mou. Karaitiana belonged to Te Aitanga-A-Hauti tribe of Uawa (Tolaga Bay) and was a descendant of the great Rangiuia, a composer of many great waiata, whose work is widely known throughout the Maori world, some of which figure prominently in the " Nga Moteatea" book by the late Sir Apirana Ngata. Rangiuia was a product of the famous Ngati Porou whare wananga, Te Rawheoro. According to people who knew Karaitiana, he was a chief in his own right who believed in people and their creator. He took his rightful place on his marae at Hauiti, in accordance with people the traditional customary officiations. It is said that he was a stalwart of the Anglican faith. Karaitiana spent part of his life as manager of blocks connected with Whangara Incorporation. It is worth noting that the Tamararo Shield was originally competed for by various parishes between Anaura and Wairoa, to foster, retain and maintain all aspects of Maori arts and crafts but later the area shifted north to Waiapu to enable others to take part. We therefore pay a tribute to this " Tipuna" whose name and trophy have survived the buffeting of latter years, thus fulfilling the intent purpose of promoting Maoritanga. May we by the grace of God look forward to another fruitful 25 years. Meri, Moni and their family were living at Waihirere during the early 50's. where Moni was managing the Waihirere blocks. It was at Waihirere that Meri passed away. Because Meri was also a devout church-goer, the people of Waihirere erected a stone in her memory. This is housed within the confines of the church bell house. After her death in 1953, another sister, Mrs Ngaro King, took over the duties of hostess at all competitions. Since the passing away of Mrs King, a daughter, Mrs Ingrid Collins, now continues the family role. To my knowledge, there are few survivors of the originals who met and discussed the competitions back in November 1952. Some of the names which spring to mind are Moni Taumaunu, Rev. Brown Turei, Mick Huhu and Bill Kerekere. In recognising the living, let us pay a tribute to all those people who were responsible in providing and equipping us with the depth, understanding of a culture which only you and I can help to retain. May I say, what a terrific achievement it has been, to be able to celebrate 25 years of continuous activity in the field of fostering, maintaining and retaining the spirit of our ancestors in " song and dance." We have survived a quarter of a century and we now face the most difficult era — the next 25 years. We have seen our culture at its very best, in depth and authenticity. We have memories of our humble beginnings and have seen teams from our district go forward into other districts to compete with outstanding success, a tribute no doubt to the foresight of those elders (the majority of them deceased) who gathered at Te Poho-O-Rawiri Meeting House during the month of November 1952. The outcome of that gathering was the positive beginning of the Maori Competitions on the 4th September 1953, at the grand old building - the Opera House. We have witnessed changes in our lives, mainly the exodus of our people from the rural areas to the urban situation, where once A.M.P. (Anaura, Mangatuna, Puketawai) marched down from Tolaga Bay. The people of Whangara are no longer there. Nuhaka, Te Reinga, Mahaki, Poho-O-Rawiri, all who stood for Maoritanga, are no longer with us, due no doubt, to the changes mentioned earlier. What a pity. The people who once donned their particular uniform with pride, the people who wore the feather with distinction, those who almost cried to be given a chance to wear the piupiu, and those who experienced the knot in their gut prior to gracing the stage have left the scene through passing on, or the change to the urban way of life. AH I Those were the days when the competition hit you like a fever. Groups practised in secret, afraid that someone would spy out what their bracket was. Oh, the tension was unbearable. For those groups who returned home unsuccessful, the silence was shattering, but only until the next year, then all was forgotten. You could almost sense the feeling " we're back again." This time keyed up to the hilt and as tight as a golf ball. I can still see them ... WHANGARA in their korirangi piupiu; A.M.P. with Peta Komaru, doing the stomach roll; L.D.S. with their solid, polished performance; WAIROA, who won the poi way back in 1954; MANUTUKE, who won the action song back in 1961; HOROUTA, who won the Haka back in 1963; TE REINGA in their piupiu made from fresh green flax; WHANGARA PARIHA who entered at a time when it looked as though the interest was going to come back. TATAU TAUTAU had the basis of being the answer for city folk. POHO-O-RAWIRl, who made a valiant bid to stay in by combining with Whangara. And now! The three most consistent teams who have held the fort and are still holding the fort, for as long as one cares to remember. MANGATU — won the Tamararo Shield in 1959. MANGATU - who had " man" mountains in their Haka group. MANGATU — the most consistent runner-up for years. WAIHIRERE - who owe their successes to such teams as Whangara of old, L.D.S., Mangatu, Whangara/Poho-O-Rawiri, for constantly keeping them on their toes. And last but not least:— TE HOKO-WHITU-A-TU — Tokomaru Bay, who possess the art of being able to enthuse, entertain and fulfill people's tastes with their well known style of ease. Although they do not figure as a winner of the Tamararo Shield, to see them win would be a most welcome and a popular winner. I remember quite vividly, some of the people who laid the foundation that we enjoy. Such people as Tuini Ngawai, Tutawa Pewhairangi, Geo. and Arnold Reedy, Pine Taiapa, Hamana Mahuika, Ngaropi White, Pahau Milner, Hira Paenga, Kahu Kerekere, Jim Bartlett, Peta Komaru, Tom Smiler, Te Kani Teua, Peepi Tuhoe, Ani Taihuka, Jim Leach, Ben Brown, Ngoi Ngoi Matenga, Matu Rangi, Leo Fowler, Heta Te Kani and many more. All are gone. " Moe mai ra koutou, nga kai hautu o nga ra o mua." Some of the survivors of that era, Moni Taumaunu, Mick and Mihi Huhu, Mita Matenga, Bill Kerekere, Barbara Kerekere, Geo. Brown, Geo. Tupara. Tena hoki koutou nga whatu ora, kua noho nei hei kaumatua mo te rangatahi. And so, tears begin to well up within. One may well ask, " For what are these tears?" but I cannot answer immediately because one is torn between the feeling for all those elders who were the young and fit of the 1950's who were responsible for the success of these competitions. Or, are these tears really for the future of our culture? I certainly hope not. With the lack of time and the possibility of never having a record of the past 25 years, I have opted to produce this booklet, fully aware of the danger of publishing names and groups, and I have no doubt that some names and groups do not appear. Please accept my humblest apologies. Ma te Atua koutou katoa, e tiaki, e manaki, mo nga ra kei mua ia koutou. Me te whakamoemiti hoki ki a ia, nana nei i arahi mai enei mahi, mai rano i te timatatanga. Na ta koutou pononga NGAPO "BUB" WEHI