I have explained that there were two men who I very much admired, who I regarded as my personal kaumatua, during my time of working with Maatua Whaangai: Jim Henare and John Rangihau.
Neither of them was from Taranaki but my third mentor definitely was. Sonny Waru, who was later often on the media at the time of the Te Maori Exhibition in the US, was a descendant of another great warrior, Titokowaru.
We decided after a few months that we should do something to help the Maori young people of Maori descent who were at a loose end on the streets of Auckland and Wellington.
For a few weeks before the actual programme started, we were able to employ a co-ordinator: Albie Martin was a young man with plenty of mana and connections throughout Taranaki, and he helped us plan and begin the programme.
But the leader of the whole project was Sonny, ably assisted by Te Ru Wharehoka.
They recruited a group of youngsters from the streets of Auckland and Wellington and put them together on a series of maraes around Taranaki: beginning with Kairau and finishing with Parihaka, with two South Taranaki sites in between. The local folk hosted us all.
Sonny and his helpers gave them an introduction to Maori history, and their whakapapa, and especially the traditional standards of the community, which for many of them was new territory.
All three of these stalwarts have left us now, but their legacy is strong in the efforts of a host of Maori organisations and current leaders to continue their work.
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