A remarkable 24 hours

On Tuesday last week (before poor Japan's terrible earthquake) I flew to Gisborne along with poet Bill Manhire, historian Lydia Wevers, and science event genius Glenda Lewis.

From Gisborne airport we drove to the tiny town of Uawa at Tolaga Bay, the place where Captain James Cook undertook the first constructive interaction of Europeans with Maori, in 1769. Prior to that, in 1642, Abel Tasman had a disastrous contact involving deaths on both sides, before he retreated from New Zealand, naming the place where he moored his ship, "Murderers Bay". Cook made first mooring in the Bay of modern day Gisborne, and, following a haka by locals, muskets were fired and locals killed. Realising his appalling error, Cook retreated up the coast to Tolaga Bay, where he used the only polynesian on board, the Tahitian chief Tupaia, to assist in contact. It went smoothly and today, residents of Tolaga Bay regard Cook with affection, while 40 minutes drive down the coast, in Gisborne, he is regarded as a villain. Such are the vicissitudes of history.

So why were we there? On June 6 2012 the second transit of Venus of this century will occur, the first having taken place on June 8 2004. Transits of Venus are both rare and predictable astronomical events, with pairs of transits eight years apart separated by long gaps of 121.5 years and 105.5 years, making a 243 year cycle, the periodicity being determined by the ratio of the Earth and Venus orbital periods. Before 2004, the last pair of transits were in 1874 and 1882, and before that in 1761 and 1769. It was the second, 1769, transit that brought James Cook to Tahiti, and subsequently to New Zealand.

This extraordinary event in 2012 will provide a focus for a major occasion, based on the East Coast so as to associate with James Cook, in which leading New Zealand thinkers outline their scenarios for New Zealand's future. Those scenarios will focus on opportunity, and they will be optimistic and bold. A key element of the occasion will be a partnership with local iwi and an expression of their view of the future of Maori New Zealand and the emerging Maori economy.

The local people are known as Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, a sub-tribe of Ngati Porou, the mainstay of the legendary 28th (Maori) battalion of World War II. They welcomed us with open arms. We visited the local area school, with tamariki from 5 to 18 years old. It is 97% Maori, with remarkable principal Nori Parata. We listened to the kids read their own poetry and Bill read some of his, to their obvious delight. Lydia spoke with them, I spoke with them, and the Gisborne Herald featured the attached picture.

In the afternoon we walked to Cook's Cove, the place where he moored his boat (the second picture).

That evening we were hosted at a wonderful meal in the home of one of the local Maori leaders, in which every speech had to be followed by a waiata (a song), in Te Reo (the Maori language). I could manage three, fortunately, since I spoke three times. The final picture shows one of those waita in progress, with Bill and Glenda in the background. The woman in the foreground to the left is Ngahuia Ngata, a descendant of one of the most famous Maori leaders of New Zealand history, Apirana Ngata. His face adorns our $50 banknote. Ngahuia bears the moko on her face, sign of dignity and pride in Maori women.

These remarkable tangata whenua, the people of 1000 years residency, are extraordinarily adept and erudite in both the Maori and European worlds. We pakeha struggle to make that same transition. But if ever there was a meeting of minds and hearts, this occasion represented it in abundance. We all see a future for our country based on respect and understanding.

PS: Apirana Ngata is responsible for one of New Zealand's best known proverbs:

Ui mai koe ki ahau he aha te mea nui o te ao, Maku e ki atu he tangata, he tangata, he tangata!

Ask me what is the greatest thing in the world, I will reply: It is people, it is people, it is people!