Whārangi 1: Biography
McKenzie, Mina Louise
1930–1997
Ngāti Hauiti, Ngāti Raukawa, Te Ati Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, Rangitāne o Manawatū; museum professional
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Margaret Tennant, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 2024. He mea whakamāori nā Basil Keane.
Ko Mina Louise McKenzie tētahi kaimahi matua i roto i te rāngai whare taonga o Aotearoa mai i ngā tau 1970 tae atu ki ngā tau 1990. He kairauhī ia i te tuatahi, he kaiwhakahaere i muri iho i Te Whare Taonga o Manawatū, ā, ka tīmata ia i te tauira mahi i te whare taonga i whakanui i te mātauranga Māori, kaua ko ngā mahi kohikohi a te Pākehā. Ka kawea e ia tēnei kaupapa ki te atamira whānui ake i roto i ana tūnga hautūtanga i roto i te whakaaturanga o Te Māori me te whakawhanaketanga o Te Papa Tongarewa. Ka tino tāmaua tana kōrero matawhaiaro ki te rohe o Manawatū-Rangitīkei whānui i roto i ōna tātai Māori, Pākehā hoki, ā, nā tana mahi whakatū i te Whare Taonga o Manawatū.
Te whakapapa me ana tau tōmua
I whānau mai a Mina Gillespie i Papaioea i te 2 o Pēpuere i te tau 1930, te tamaiti huatahi a Nukuteāio Selina Pōtaka rāua ko tana tāne, ko Arnold Gillespie. Nā ngā tātai o tōna pāpā a ia i hono atu ki te whāmere Seifert, e rongonui ana i roto i te ahumahi harakeke ā-rohe. I te wā i whānau mai a ia ko Arnold te kaiwhakahaere o te mira harakeke o Miranui. Nā ngā tātai o Nukuteāio a ia i hono atu ki Ngāti Hauiti, ki Ngāti Raukawa, ki Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, ki Rangitāne o Manawatū anō hoki. Ka tū te marae o te whānau ki Rātā, ā, i whai wāhi atu a Mina, i runga i te ngākau hihiko, ki tana whakarauoratanga i roto i ngā tau 1970 me ngā tau 1980.
Ko tētahi atu āhuatanga nui o te tuakiri o McKenzie i heke mai i tana kuia, i a Esther Lyons Caselberg, te tamāhine a te kaihoko toa tuatahi o Mangaweka, a Eli Caselberg rāua ko tana wahine, a Catherine. Nā rāua ana tātai Hūrae ki Ūropi ki te Rāwhiti, mā Piritānia. Nā te kuia o McKenzie me tana tipuna kuia i kaha tonu ai ana tūhononga Hūrae i tana tamarikitanga. Ka whakapau kaha a McKenzie hei mema o te peka o te Uniana o ngā Wāhine Hūrae ki Papaioea i te mutunga o ngā tau 1970, e tūhono ana me ētahi atu whāmere Hūrae me te whakanui i ngā taiopenga Hūrae.
Te mārena me te māmātanga
Ka noho a McKenzie ki Miranui i tana tamarikitanga, ā, kātahi ka noho ki te pāmu o te whāmere ki Ōpiki i mua i tana wehenga ki te uru ki te Kura Tuarua o Ngā Kōtiro o Whanganui. Ka ako ia i te mātai kīrehe ki te Kāreti o te Whare Wānanga o Ōtago mai i te tau 1948 tae atu ki te tau 1950, ā, i muri iho i uru ki ngā pepa toi ki te Whare Wānanga o Papaioea i te tau 1963. I a ia i Ōtākou, i tūtaki a McKenzie ki tētahi kaihopu whakaahua, ki a Barry James Woods, ā, ka mārena rāua ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara i te 18 o Tīhema i te tau 1952. Ka mahi ia ki te Tari Māori mō te wā poto, ā, i tana hokinga ki Papaioea i āwhina ia ki te whakatū i te peka ā-rohe o Ngā Wāhine Māori Toko i te Ora i te tau 1953. Tokorua ngā tamariki a Mina rāua ko Barry Woods, engari ka wehe rāua i te Māehe o 1963.
Tokorua anō ngā tamariki i puta i tētahi atu tūhononga i mua i tana mārena ki a Bruce Alan McKenzie i Papaioea i te 17 o Hune i te tau 1965. Pērā i a ia, he kaha ngā hononga o tōna whāmere ki Manawatū, ā, i te wā i mārena ai rāua i te mahi ia mā tētahi pakihi kua roa e whakahaeretia ana i Papaioea, Bennett's Booksellers. Ahakoa ngā rerekētanga pāpaku, he mārena pai tēnei nā te mea kotahi tonu ō rāua awhero, whakapono, aronga hoki, ā, i tū tonu te mārena tae noa ki te matenga o Mina. Tokorua ngā tamāhine a Mina rāua ko Bruce.
Te Whare Taonga o Manawatū
Pērā i ngā wāhine maha i taua wā, ka āta whakawhiti a Mina McKenzie ki te umanga mahi me te rongonuitanga whānui ake, mā te mahi koreutu i te tuatahi, mā te mahi harangotengote i te tuarua. I mua tata atu i te kotahi rautau o te nōhanga a te Pākehā ki Papaioea i te tau 1967, he nui ngā kirirarau e āmaimai ana i te kore o ngā tukuora matua ahurea waiwai, pērā i te whare taonga. Ka tāpae te kaunihera ā-tāone ki te hohaieti whare taonga kaporeihana hou i tētahi whare tawhito hei whakaatu taupua atu i ngā whakaaturanga hītori ā-rohe. Ko Mina rāua ko Bruce McKenzie ētahi o ngā tūao i tuwhera ai tēnei whare i te tau 1971.
Nā te piki o te mōhiotia o Mina McKenzie i tēnei rōpū i tāpaetia ai ki a ia te tūnga o te kairauhī taupua me te utu iti i te tau 1974. I te nukuhanga o te whare taonga ki tētahi whare nui ake i te tau 1975 i huri ai tana tūnga hei mahi ukiuki; nāwai rā, i te kopounga o ētahi atu kaimahi, ka kopoua a McKenzie hei kaiwhakahaere tuatahi o te Whare Taonga i te Hepetema o te tau 1978. Ko ia te Māori tuatahi kia whakawhiwhia ki te tūnga pērā i Aotearoa. Mai i taua wā tae noa ki tana tāokitanga i te tau 1994, ko ia te kanohi o te Whare Taonga o Manawatū, tana tino kaitaunaki, ā, i piki haere tana mana i roto i te ao whare taonga.
I raro i te tirohanga a McKenzie, ka neke te Whare Taonga o Manawatū mai i tētahi whare iti i te Tiriti o Amesbury i Papaioea ki te whare nui ake i te Tiriti o Church i te tau 1975, ā, ki tētahi wāhi nui ake i wāhi kē atu i te Tiriti o Church i te tau 1994. Kāore ēnei whare i hangaia hei whare taonga, heoi, ahakoa ngā mate o ēnei whare, nā McKenzie i pai ai. Mai i te tīmatanga i tautokohia ia e tētahi poari kaha, manaaki hoki, ā, ko ētahi pērā i a ahorangi Keith Thomson o te Whare Wānanga o Papaioea i whakarato i ngā tūhononga ki ngā tari kāwanatanga me ētahi atu whare taonga o Aotearoa.
Nā te whānui o ngā mōhiotanga o McKenzie, tana ngao me tana matawhānui whaiaro, waihoki tana mana i roto i te hapori i tika ai ia i te wā tika kia uru ki te tūranga kaiwhakahaere. He pai rawa atu tana whakakakau, ka whakahihiko i te wairua o te hunga mātakitaki ki ngā mea rerekē pērā i ngā taputapu kāinga koroniara me ngā momo anga nō ngā wāhi rāpihi. Ka tino kitea tana kaha whakawhere i mua i te aroaro o te Kaunihera ā-Tāone o Papaioea hei tautoko i ngā tono pūtea. Ka hua ake i tōna āheinga tūhonohono ko ngā hononga ā-hapori kaha, ā, i whakatenatena ia i ana kaimahi kia tūhono, kia āta mahi tahi hoki ki ngā rōpū whakahaere tukunga ihotanga me ngā rōpū pērā. Ka puāwai te taha ako o te whare taonga, arā, ka mahi ā-ringa ngā tamariki nō ngā kura ā-rohe i roto i ngā mahi huhua nōna i te tūnga kaiwhakahaere.
Nā ngā hinonga mahi kāwanantanga o ngā tau 1980 i āhei ai a McKenzie te tuku mahi ki ngā kaimahi hou, ko ētahi he Māori, me te whakaako i a rātou ki te tiaki tika i ngā taonga e ai ki te ahurea. Whai muri mai, i rongonui ētahi o te hunga i kopoua i roto i te rāngai whare taonga hei kaiwhakahaere, hei tangata matatau, hei kaimahi tūmataiti anō hoki. Ki a rātou, ahakoa he mārō ia, he tōkeke, he wahine manaaki, kauawhi hoki; nāna ko tētahi taiao whakahihiko i matapakihia ai e ngā kaimahi ngā pātai matatika whīwhiwhi i te wā paramanawa. I uru rātou ki ngā mahi pāpori, ā, ka haere ngātahi i tana taha ki ngā whakaaturanga a te kaunihera ā-tāone: ka 'nekeneke haere rātou hei rōpū Māori ake nei', koinei ngā maumaharatanga o Warren Warbrick, tētahi o ngā kaimahi a McKenzie nō Rangitāne.1
He waiwai ki te Whare Taonga o Manawatū te māramatanga o McKenzie ki te mātauranga Māori, me ana tātai whakapapa ki Rangitāne me Ngāti Raukawa. Nā te mea he hinonga hou, he iti hoki, i āhei te whakawhanake, i te korenga o ngā kaupapa ā-hītori o ana hoa kua roa e tū ana. Kāore i te tino herea e ngā mahinga kohikohi o taua wā, ā, ka taea te ahu whakamua i runga i te ara e tika ana mō te mahi whare taonga e panoni haere ana. I whakarewahia e McKenzie te hononga mau tonu i waenga i ngā hapori Māori me ngā taonga tuku iho i tāwharautia e te whare taonga, me te wāhi ki te iwi hei kaitiaki o ēnei taonga whakahirahira. Ki a ia, ko ngāi Māori 'ngā kaipupuri ā-wairua' o ō rātou ake taonga ā-ahurea, ā, ka whakanuihia e ia 'te waiwai o te haere kōtui me te tangata whenua ki te tino whakaata i tō tātou pāpori.'2
Nā reira, i tino whai wāhi a Rangitāne, te iwi nōna te whenua i tū ai te Whare Taonga o Manawatū, ki te hinonga whare taonga mai i te tīmatanga, ā, i tuku tohutohu tonu ngā kaumātua pērā i a Taitoko Rangiharuru Fitzgerald e pā ana ki te tikanga me ngā kaupapahere whakatapoko. I hui te Komiti Māori o Rangitāne ki te whare taonga, ā, ko Mina hei hekeretari. Nā tēnei hononga i puta mai te wawata o ngā tīpuna o Rangitāne mō te rongo, te takawaenga me te tikanga rua, he mea i kaha kōrerotia e McKenzie. I whakapono a Rangitāne ki te tuku i ā rātou taonga tuku iho ki taua whare nā te mea ko McKenzie hei kaiwhakahaere.
Mai i te tīmatanga o ngā tau 1980 tae noa ki te tīmatanga o ngā tau 1990 he tangata hirahira a McKenzie i roto i te nuinga o ngā hinonga matua i te rāngai whare taonga o Aotearoa. Ka tino whai wāhi hoki ia ki te Art Galleries and Museums Association of New Zealand (AGMANZ), ā, ko ia te perehitini mai i te tau 1988 tae noa ki te tau 1990. Ka āwhina a McKenzie ki te whakawhiti i a AGMANZ ki Museums Aotearoa, he rōpū whakahaere hou i whai turepapa tikanga rua.
Te hautūtanga o te rāngai whare taonga
Kua whānui kē ake te kokenga o te umanga whare taonga o McKenzie i te wā i tū ia hei perehitini o te New Zealand committee of the International Council of Museums (nōna tēnei tūnga mai i te tau 1982 tae noa ki te tau 1987). Nā tēnei mahi ia i tuku ki tāwāhi, ā, i tētahi haerenga ka toro atu ia ki te Musée de L’Homme i Pārihi kia kite i ngā pou pātūtū nō Puketōtara Pā, he mea tuku e Rangitāne ki te whāmere Pascal i te rautau tekau mā iwa. I tino māharahara ia i te mahi aroha kore me te whakaaturanga karukaru o ngā taonga nei me ētahi atu taonga Māori i wehe wawe ai ia i te whare taonga, kahoki ai ki Aotearoa i te rā i muri iho. Nā tēnei wheako i tino ū ia ki te tuhi me te kōrero whānui mō te whakaatu tika i ngā taonga mai i ngā ahurea katoa.
Mai i te tau 1985 tae noa ki te tau 1988, ko McKenzie anake te wahine i runga i te komiti whakahaere o Te Māori, te whakaaturanga matua o ngā toi Māori i tāpoi i Amerika, i Aotearoa hoki i ngā tau waenga o 1980. He wero nui i roto i tēnei pērā i te rerekētanga o ngā whakamāramatanga a ngā kiringaio whare taonga, a ngāi Māori hoki ki ngā taonga tuku iho e whakaatuhia ana. I noho a McKenzie ki te komiti Māori iti o te whakaaturanga, ā, ki a ia ko ia te arawhiti i waenga i ngā rōpū e rua, ā, ko ia te kaikawe kōrero kino mēnā i riri tētahi rōpū i ngā mahi a tētahi rōpū.
He kaupapa panonitanga a Te Māori mō ngā whare taonga i Aotearoa. Waihoki, i āwhina ki te kōkiri i ngā whakaaro ā-ao ki te toi iwi taketake mai i te mātai i te toi 'ao kōhatu' ki te rapu i te māramatanga o te mahi e ai ki te whakaaro o te ahurea i waihanga ai i taua mahi. I āta whakaaweawe i te whanaketanga o te Whare Taonga hou o Aotearoa, o Te Papa Tongarewa. I whai wāhi a McKenzie ki te tīma whakawhanake o te whare taonga i te tau 1985, ā, i tāpae ia ki Ngā taonga o te motu, he mahere mō te hinonga hou me te tauākī hoki o ngā uara mō te mahi whare taonga i roto i te pāpori tikanga rua.
I haere tonu ngā mahi a McKenzie ki te whakakotahi i ngā iwi me ngā whare taonga i te mutunga o ngā tau 1980. I akiaki ia kia uru a ngāi Māori ki ngā whare taonga i roto i ngā tūnga ngaio, tohutohu hoki. I tana noho hei heamana o te Cultura Conservation Advisory Council i waenga i te tau 1987 me te tau 1991, nāna i whanake ai te whakangungutanga o ngā kairauhī Māori. I tū te hui Kaitiaki Māori tuatahi i te marae o McKenzie, i Te Hou Hou marae, i Rātā i te tau 1989.
Ko tētahi atu kaupapa nui i arahina e McKenzie ko te wānanga Taonga Māori i te tau 1990 i whai ki te whakakotahi i ngā tāngata nō ngā whare taonga e noho haepapa ana ki ngā kohikohinga Māori puta noa i te ao. I toro atu te hunga nō tāwāhi ki ngā marae puta noa i Aotearoa me te whakatū i ngā hononga ki ngā hapori Māori. Nāwai rā, nā ngā hononga i whakatūria i te wānanga i āhei ai te whakahoki i ētahi taonga ki Aotearoa. Hei whakanui i tēnei me ētahi atu o ana whakatutukitanga, i whakawhiwhia a McKenzie ki te mētara whakanui i te 150 tau o Aotearoa i te tau 1990.
Te mahi hapori me ngā mahi i muri iho
Ka tae ki te tau 1992 kua tīmata a McKenzie ki te heke mai i ngā tūnga hautūtanga ā-motu, ahakoa he kaikōrero, he kaiwhakaruruhau, he kaitautoko tonu hoki ki ētahi atu kaimahi whare taonga. He tangata hira hoki a ia i te whakatūnga o te akoranga mātai whare taonga ki Te Whare Wānanga o Papaioea, he kaiako tūhono ia i reira mai i te tau 1990 tae noa ki tana matenga. I muri i tana matenga i whakawhiwhia ia ki te mētara Massey e te whare wānanga hei whakamihi i tana āki i te wāhi ki ngā akoranga mātai whare taonga hei kaupapa mātauranga.
He kaha hoki ngā hononga o McKenzie i tana rohe. Ka kopoua ia ki te Poari Hauora ā-Takiwā o Manawatū-Wanganui, e mahi ana mai i te tau 1989 ki te tau 1991. He roa tana noho ki te komiti ā-rohe o Manawatū i raro i te Historic Places Trust. Mō te hia nei tau, ko ōna tātai Ngāti Hauiti te tūāpapa o āna mahi ki Te Wehi o Te Rangi (waka) Trust i Whanganui. Kia aro atu ki ana mahi papai rawa i Papaioea, i whakawhiwhia ia ki te Palmerston North Civic Honour Award i te tau 1993.
I roa a McKenzie e akiaki ana i te hanganga o tētahi whare taonga hou i Te Papaioea, engari auare ake. I te tau 1994, i tētahi whakahoutanga anō, i whakakotahitia te Whare Taonga o Manawatū me te pokapū pūtaiao hou kia hua ake ko ‘The Science Centre and Manawatu Museum’, i noho i roto i ētahi anga i panonihia. Nā tana mōhio kāore e tau tana taera hautūtanga i roto i te hinonga hou, kāore a McKenzie i tono mō te tūnga o te kaiwhakahaere matua, engari ka whakapau kaha kē kia neke i te kohikohinga o te whare taonga ki te wāhi hou. I te mutunga i tāoki ia i te tau 1995, ā, ka mahi tonu hei kaumātua, e whakamāmā ana i ngā hononga i waenga i te whare taonga me te tangata whenua.
I tua atu i ngā mahi ngaio a McKenzie he nui ngā mahi me ngā mahi manaaki ki te kāinga, ā, i āwhinatia ia e tana tāne, e Bruce. Ka tāpiri atu ki ngā tamariki a ngā McKenzie ko te whānau whānui me ngā rangatahi i āwhinatia e taua tokorua i ētahi wā. Nā te ringa kaha o aituā i tango tētahi o ana tama i te tukinga waka i te tau 1988. I waenga o ngā tau 1990, i whakatau a Bruce McKenzie ki te whai i te tūmanako mauroa kia whakatuwhera i tōna ake toa pukapuka. Kua tāoki a Mina i te mahi ukiuki, ā, i whakaae ia, nā reira ka tuwhera a Bruce McKenzie Booksellers i te Tīhema o te tau 1996. E rua noa ngā marama i pau i muri iho i te whakatuwheratanga, ā, ka mate a Mina McKenzie i te kāinga i te mate manawa i te 11 o Māehe 1997, e 67 ōna tau. Ka mahue ki muri i a ia ko tana tāne me ā rāua tamariki tokorima.
I tū te tangihanga o McKenzie ki te marae o Rātā, kāore i ārikarika ngā whakamānawatanga. I whakanuia ana whakatutukitanga ngaio, ana āhuatanga matawhaiaro o te ngākau whiwhita, te hūmārie me te kaha taunaki i ngā mea e whakaponohia ana e ia. I mihia ana mahi hei arawhiti i waenga i te Māori me te Pākehā, te Hūrae me te Tauiwi, te iwi me ngā kiringaio whare taonga. Waihoki, te taumahatanga ki runga i a ia nā enei āhuatanga. Hei tā ētahi hoamahi, he upoko mārō ia i ētahi wā, ko te kōrero a tētahi ka koa ia i tana mahi wero i te hunga kāore i te whakaaetia e ia. Engari kāore i taupatupatuhia te mana me te tuku ihotanga o McKenzie kia ahu whakamua ai te whakamahinga tika o ngā taonga i raro i te tikanga ahakoa ā-rohe, ā-motu, ā-ao rānei. I tanumia ia ki te Urupā o te Whānau Pourewa ki Rātā.