Nā Mahina Perenara rāua ko Piripi Taylor nō Pūkāea.
Veteran Māori broadcaster and educator Dr Reuben Tūwhakahekeao Collier has been honoured this week by the Governor-General for his many achievements.
At Government House in Wellington on Tuesday, the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) insignia was placed around his neck by Dame Cindy Kiro, recognising more than thirty years of work ensuring Māori stories and voices are heard. He was named in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours for his services to Māori and education.
“Ko te hirahiratanga nunui ko te manako o runga i te ao māori, ngā taonga māori, ngā taonga tuku iho, te mātauranga māori, te whakaaro māori,” he said.
“Ko te Kīngi o Ingarangi kei te kī ake: tēnā koe Māori, tēnā koutou.”
Dr Collier, who has affiliations to Mataatua, Horouta, Te Arawa and Tainui, began his journey into Māori broadcasting in 1996 with TVNZ’s Waka Huia. There, he interviewed some of Māoridom’s leading figures.
“Ko ngā taonga a ō tātau tīpuna, a kui mā, a koro mā, inā te wāriu, te ataahua, te hōhonu, te tiketike. Kaua tātau e pōhēhē he moumou tāima noa, engari ka heke i ngā tātai ki ngā uri whakaheke, kei konā anō ētahi wāriu.”
As a young reporter, he was nurtured by pioneering Māori broadcasters who helped shape the industry as it stands today.
“Ko ngā tohu nui i homai i te momo nei i a Whai Ngata, i a [Derek] Tini Fox, kia māmā, kia mārama, kia tika. Kia māmā ki te hunga whakarongo, mātaki.”
In 1999, Collier’s Waka Huia report He Rau Aroha followed 18 veterans of the 28th Māori Battalion’s C Company on their return pilgrimage to Italy. That experience stirred a desire to bring the battalion’s stories to life.
“Ko ngā mamae nunui, ko ngā taumahatanga i runga i ngā pakihiwi o ngā mōrehu hōia, ki runga i ngā pouaru, ki runga i ngā whānau e noho pani nei. Tērā momo wairua o Tūmatauenga i runga i te aroha, kei te tangi, kei te tangi.”
Dr Collier has also helped preserve Māori military history through his work with the Ngārimu VC and 28th Māori Battalion Memorial Fund Board, and as deputy chair of the 28th Māori Battalion B Company History Trust.
Eventually, the lessons he learned in broadcasting became a foundation for his work in education. From his work as a lecturer at the University of Waikato, his career has taken him to Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, where he guides creative research by supporting and supervising doctoral students.
“Ko roto i ngā whare wānanga nei, i a Waikato, i a Awanuiārangi, ko te pāpāho ko taua rite, puta whānui tonu ki te ao,” Dr Collier said.
“Ko te mea nui ko ngā kawenga o roto i ngā kupu kōrero e tau atu ai ki runga i ngā whatumanawa o tēnā, o tēnā, kia rata mai, kia katakata mai, kia tangi mai rānei.”
Many of his documentaries, educational works and recordings are preserved in archives in Aotearoa and overseas as treasures for future generations. Dr Collier says he will never forget the elders who shared their knowledge with him.
“Ko taku waimarie, te hīkoi ngātahi ki ngā rekereke o ngā koroua mōrehu, kuia mōrehu o ngā tau. Ko te piri tahi, e rongo nei i ētahi momo wairua kīhai i waenga i a tātau o tēnei reanga nei, ā, nā wai ka riro ki te pō, engari ko ngā rau mahara kei runga rīpene [ataata] e mau ana, ake, ake ki runga i ngā uri whakaheke.”
This significant honour recognises his dedication and adds to his appointment as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in 2017. Last year, he also received the Pou Aronui Award from Royal Society Te Apārangi for his distinguished service to the humanities.
