A tribute to Anzac Wallace – ‘maimai aroha’

Kia ora koutou!

This post and podcast are based on Te Waihoroi Shortland’s tribute to the actor Anzac Wallace, who died of cancer recently. The broadcast is an excellent example of such a maimai aroha, or farewell tribute. Some are much more formal; this is less so, but maintains a respectful and somewhat elevated tone, while maintaining elements of a more formal farewell tribute.

Here is the original interview, broadcast on 9th April, 2019.

Here is my summary:

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Tēnā koutou. He mihi nui ki a koutou e whakarongo ana.

I tēnei pūrongo, ka tuku maimai aroha a Te Waihoroi Shortland mō Anzac Wallace, tētahi kaiwhakaari rongonui i ngā tau kua hipa, i ngā kiriata ko Utu, ko Mauri, ko Rapa Nui, me ētahi atu. E ai ki a Te Waihoroi, ahakoa i tae a Anzac “ki te hōhonutanga o te raru” (nā te mea i mauheretia ia i Pāremoremo mō ngā hara nui), i puta ake a ia ki ngā taumata o te mahi whakaari. I kōrero hoki a Te Waihoroi mō tētahi atu āhuatanga o Anzac; he kaimahi ia mō te uniana, ā, e ai ki a Te Waihoroi, “i tū ki te mura o te ahi mō ngā tika o te kaimahi.”

Ehara i te mea ko te mahi whakaari te tino whāinga a Anzac. E kāo – i tūpono noa iho, nā te mea, i kitea a Anzac e tētahi hanga kiriata; ki ōna whakaaro, he pai a Anzac mō tēnei momo mahi. Otirā, ki a Te Waihoroi, ko te mea nui, ko Anzac te tauira o te momo tangata ka piki ki runga i ngā whakamātautau, kia whai angitū ā tōna wā. Ahakoa te kino kē o tana tīmatatanga, he maha ngā mea i oti i a ia. Otirā, ki a Te Waihoroi, mehemea i tino whai wāhi a Zac i ngā mātauranga Māori, “he aha rā ngā mea e kore e oti i a ia?”

I te mutunga o te uiuinga, ka mihia a Te Waihoroi e Eruera i tana ‘reo mōteatea, reo poroporoaki, reo whakairo i te āhuatanga o te ao i nohoia e Zac.”

Vocabulary

kaiwhakaari                       actor

ngā tau kua hipa                past years

mauhere(tia)                       imprisoned

uniana                                  union (trade union)

ngā whakamātautau          testing, trials

whāinga                                aim, intention

te mura o te ahi                   the heat of battle (idiom)

whai angitū                          achieve success

te mura o te ahi                   the heat of battle

ngā tika o te kaimahi          the rights of the workers

tūpono                                    happen

ngā mea i oti i a ia                the things he achieved

whai wāhi                               take part in

reo mōteatea                          expression of grief

reo poroporoaki                    bidding (someone) farewell

reo whakairo i…                    poetic way to say ‘speaking in a way that enhances the topic’