Ka horo Whakatere, ka tere pipi whakao te iwi ki runga o Waima. Koia ko te iho o Te Ati Mahurehure kua kahakina e Aitu e koro e Patu hoatu, hoatu ki nga ihoiho nga maunga whakahi kei te Tapoko o te Rangi. Koutou e nga mate tuatini o te wa, haere, haere, whakangaro atu ra. Tauaraitia te po, titokohia te ao marama. E nga whare korero o nga hapu hurinoa, nau mai, rarau. Ko Oriini Kaipara tenei. E mihi atu nei ki a koutou katoa. Welcome to The Hui, Maori current affairs for all New Zealanders. E whai ake nei ` rehabilitation over reoffending. Mark Lang spent his seven years in prison to reinvent himself. - I sort of decided, right, I'll do everything in my power, you know, to try and get my first parole. So, yeah, I got that mindset on that first night and just started working towards those goals. - He's now a changed man with a new future. Plus ` we meet the young Tuhoe artist who has been mentored by some of New Zealand's very best. - It's heaps of fun. Just makes me think I have the best job. They've all been very welcoming. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023. - Earlier this year, Mark Lang was serving a jail sentence for his role in one of Northland's biggest methamphetamine operations. Now he's the proud owner and curator of Tika Pono Toi art gallery in Takiwira ` Dargaville. The carver is aiming to prove that his dark past won't define his future. For some inmates, incarceration breeds resentment. Lang instead chose to focus on the kaupapa Maori programmes available to inmates and work towards his rehabilitation. Kei D'Angelo Martin tenei purongo. These days, Mark Lang is a changed man. - I could never see myself being in jail. I suppose I didn't think I was gonna get caught. The last 10 years are probably what built up to my incarceration. I was incarcerated for seven years. - In 2014, Mark was working in Whangarei as a qualified engineer. Life looked good, but behind the facade, it was falling apart. - My addiction started just through the workplace. You know, it was quite rampant, the old methamphetamine, back when I was working as an engineer. You know, just shoot up the road for lunchtime sessions, and stuff. It just sort of evolved from there. - Mark had had a decent upbringing and now a good job. He was living with his mum just out of town and regularly socialising with his mates next door. But next door was actually a clandestine lab, producing millions of dollars of meth for the Head Hunters. - That was my main driver ` you know, you got free gear. - The gang discovered Mark was an engineer and encouraged him to adapt equipment to produce high quantities of meth and instruct the cooks. - I wasn't really worried about the money; you know, I was just worried about getting another bag. - Little did he know he was taking part in the largest P-manufacturing operation in Aotearoa at the time. His life as he knew it was on the line. - It was pretty much over for me, before I even walked in the door. It wasn't a prolonged thing ` it was only months. I knew the consequences were massive. I knew that the maximum sentence was life imprisonment. - In 2014, police raided the Northland home, terminating the operation, but Mark managed to stay under the radar. - They hadn't picked me up at that stage; they had to do a bit more investigating to find out who I was and that, but I knew that it was gonna happen. Pretty much your heart falls to the bottom of your stomach, you know? Especially when you know it's all over. Reality hadn't really sunken in until I got arrested. - He pleaded guilty. The judge described Mark as an intelligent, educated and perceptive man, puzzled that he became embroiled in illegal activity. He acknowledged Mark's motivation was to obtain P for his own use, rather than profit. - Yeah, the addiction just outweighs anything. Yeah, got sentenced to 14.5 years, for manufacture of methamphetamine. After being sentenced and that cell door shut, you know, it sort of took my breath away. - Mark had hit rock bottom. - That's when I sort of decided, 'Right, 'I'll do everything in my power, you know, to try and get my first parole.' So, yeah, I got that mindset on that first night and just started working towards those goals. - But it wasn't easy. - Plenty of times while I was inside, I had bags of meth thrown on my counter. You know, but it's, 'Oh, nah, bro.' You know, 'I wanna get out of here.' The meth was a scourge on society and devastated communities, just ripped families apart ` I didn't wanna be a part of that any more. - In 2016, Mark served a few months in Ngawha Prison, before being transferred to Hawke's Bay. - That's when it all changed for me, pretty much. Just felt a big shift, and it all just started from there. My rehabilitation started. - Mark utilised a number of kaupapa Maori programmes that were available to inmates. - Cos if you do your programmes, you know, the doors will open, and you can move forward. Completed the Mauritupae; completed Tikanga Level 1, Level 2. Delving into those spiritual Maori programmes that I did, it made me see my worth; you know, made me realise, 'Hey, I can restore my mana and my mauri.' Cos when I went to prison, you know, my mana and my mauri was tarnished, through my offending. - Mark discovered his calling and took up mahi whakairo. - Took a while to get into it. You know, you're banging away there on the chisel, going, 'Oh, nah, this is too hard.' But, yeah, I just kept at it. - Who taught you? - I pretty much taught myself. Oh, and the bros, you know, watching the bros carving. Pretty much all the Maori Focus Units have carving rooms in them. It's a taonga that needs to be shared. You know, it's a taonga that needs to be preserved. That's one of the main things why I got into it, and I think it's the nurturing side of it. - He carved several significant taonga whilst in prison. - I felt a sense that I owed the community back and I had my dues to pay, so, yeah, anything needed to be done, you know, I put my hand up. Yeah, do a few projects for around the prison and, you know, the odd ones for the schools. You know, I felt guilt that I did have a part to play in that. And that's why throughout my whole sentence, you know, I was just giving, giving, giving, giving back. So, yeah, I had to do seven years before I could go up for a parole hearing. - It's only been five months since Mark was released from prison, and he's gone back up north to his ukaipo in Takiwira ` Dargaville. - I thought it was gonna be a lot more cruisy. I thought I'd just get out and, you know, slot back into my normal thing, but I think it was just the information overload. I had so much to do. I was in a bit of, like, a trance-like state for probably about three weeks. - Yeah, cos a lot's happened since you got out, eh? - Yeah. Yeah. - It's been all go. - You know, it's been pretty busy for the last five months. - Visits with his aunty have become a regular thing. - So, did you think you'd be in this position, five months ago, when you got out? - Not really. Yeah, it's just amazing how your plans can come together if you stay focussed. - Mm. - I had no idea how quick it was gonna come together, how much support from whanau and community. - Mm. - A large part of that support has come from local businessman Dion McCormack. - For me, that's what it's all about is that power by empowerment, you know, when we do that as communities, and that's the protective blanket that we can have, as a community, to support each other. - Dion has helped Mark get his own art studio. - So, over here on this wall, when you walk in, on your right-hand side, it's going to be all my mahi displayed ` taiaha, tewhatewha, hoe, patu. Then we walk further on into this corner up here, and we'll have more displays of resin art, probably having about 12 exhibitors filling this place up. I never would have dreamed of what it's developed into now. Yeah, it's exceeded my expectations. Yeah, I've put everything I've got into it. I concentrated on it, and I'm laser focussed on my mission; yeah, no distractions. - With nothing to tempt him back to his old life,... How long have you been sober for, bro? - I haven't touched anything since I was incarcerated. - ...Mark is carving his way to a second chance. - And I'm quite happy to keep on this journey. - Kia mau tonu mai ` stay with us. Nga Manu Korero, it's the most prestigious speech contest for rangatahi ` find out what it takes to succeed; we have a winner and a judge live after the break. (VIBRANT MUSIC) Waihape mai ki Te Hui. Now, Nga Manu Korero is the summit of oratory for rangatahi Maori to flex their prowess in both English and te reo Maori. The speech contest has been around for more than 50 years, challenging young people from across the motu to express their views with confidence and passion. This year's national competition was held in Otepoti ` Dunedin, but one of the winners came from the opposite end of the country, Elite Reti. He's from Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o te Rangi Aniwaniwa in Kaitaia. Well, he won the Pei Te Hurinui section, senior Maori overall, the Best Impromptu and, of course, the best male speaker this year. Here he is in action. - Tenei na taka he taniwha,... (CHANTS KARAKIA) - And now he is here in studio with us. Elite, tena koe. Nau mai. - Tena koe. - We also have one of the judges from the competition joining us all the way from Te Whanganui a Tara ` Wellington. E taku hoa e taku tita Ruth Smith, tena koe. E mihi ana ki a koe. Nau mai. - Tena koe. Tena korua. - Tena koe. Ahua rereke to kore te uiui i roto i te reo Pakeha. Heoi ano, we're gonna have to conduct this, uh... this interview in te reo Pakeha, for all our viewers. But let's talk about how you're feeling, and it's been a while, well, a couple of weeks since the competition ` kei te pehea nga piropiro ` how are you feeling? - I'm feeling really still humbled and just taking the time to really soak in what it means to have these accomplishments and, yeah, the effect that it has on me and my whanau. - Was it your intention to take it out, to win Pei Te Hurinui? Did you expect to come away with three top... three, uh, awards? - It's always been a dream of mine to go to Nga Manu Korero ` I've always seen it as the pinnacle of the competitive side of whaikorero, but we went in with, really, the idea of sharing my whakaaro with te ao Maori, and, like, my kaupapa said, to share my thoughts on these big take that affect my generation. And that was the main goal, but winning has certainly been the... cherry on top. - Yeah. I just wanna bring Ruth into the conversation, before we ruku into your kaupapa korero. Ruth, what was it about Elite that stood out for you, as a judge, um, this year? - Look, I mean, the competition was so amazing this year. We've got a lot of really stunning kids who are getting up and saying their piece. But I think that one of the things that really hit home for me, um, when Judging Elite this year was... just the relatability. You know, his kaupapa, his topic, was, um, one that affects many whanau, um, Maori and non-Maori alike, uh, but he was able to, sort of, um, you know, get the heartstrings ` get at the heartstrings this year. I mean, I was sitting next to my, um, companions, my judging companions, and I was really moved. In fact, I'm pretty sure that one of them went to go and give me a tissue, cos I didn't actually really see, um, the end of, uh... of Elite's speech turning out to be the way that it was going, the way that it was. So it was a really heartfelt, uh, really genuine display of, um... of feelings, first and foremost, but also of, um... of foresight, to be really honest, um, encouraging his generation to... you know, to take these take, these topics really, really seriously. Drink driving is not funny. It's something that affects many of us. And he just did it in such a beautiful way that made everyone feel like they were really connected to his kaupapa. - I watched you're prepared speech as well, Elite, and what caught me ` hi na wanawana te kiri ` you made, um... you made my skin crawl, really, and in a good way, in the most positive way. You know, when we talk about ihi, wehi wana, you had everything. I wasn't a judge, so I'm not judging you, but based on what I saw. And, Ruth, you might agree with me here, is your creativity, um, from a Maori worldview, in setting the scene in a courtroom, you know, but using purakau, atua Aitu as the key judge. Aitu, of course, is the god of mate. Can you talk us through, you know, the why did you pick that topic, which was, of course, young people must stop drinking and driving. - I picked the topic ultimately, um, as a result of a loss within our own whanau to this take. And I took a look at the kaupapa from Nga Manu Korero, and I thought, there's really big topics, and drink driving being the catalyst of why I spoke, but it's the overarching ideas and just things that affect my generation, and so the idea of structuring it like that and using those sort of take was a collation of ideas from me and my kaiako. But really it was a summary of all the korero and all of the things that came out of the tangihanga of my cousin, and that's why I was taking to the stage. - Mm. Real-life experience. Beautiful. Ruth, the quality of te reo and tikanga being heard within the speeches this year ` how would you rate that? You know, this competition hasn't just happened, uh, in the last few years ` it's been around for five decades-plus ` how would you, uh, comment on the quality of te reo Maori amongst today's generation of rangatahi? - Yeah, look, it's just actually unreal. And I've gotta say that these kids are so much cooler than I was, when I was at school. - (LAUGHS) You and me. - They're so much more knowledgeable. They just speak their minds, and they, um... do it so naturally and so beautifully. And, you know, mo te wahi ki te reo, uh, me te wahi nga tikanga, on the tikanga and quality of reo side, actually, I think that the revitalisation is doing its job; it's starting to get really, really hard to judge these competitions. I think I've been a judge since about 2017, and even back then, it was really the reo marks that would sort of push, um, you know, the competitors up or below, uh, you know, the standard. But this year, people's reo, you know, our kids' reo is so good, that it's really coming down to all of these X-factor-y, uh, type things to consider in the judging. And I mean, it's a win ` it's a win for the reo. Our kids are making us so, so proud. - Absolutely. And it's exciting ` it's exciting to see where our future is. If this is the present, then we've got a beautiful future ahead of us. Elite, I wanna ask you, firstly, what advice do you have for rangatahi who are following in your footsteps, like you, want to, you know, stand on stage at a Manu Korero, one; two, are you coming back next year? - I'll use the whakatoki of our kura Whaia Te Tino Rangatiratanga, and it's just the encouragement to my generation to do things like my Manu Korero. It's pushing yourself out of your comfort zone that improves who you are as a person and practising these... arts of our tupuna and these taonga tuku iho; as we're doing it next year, I've tried to get out of it, but my kaiako have insisted that I need to do it. - That's right. No way, Jose. Don't get out of it. - (ALL LAUGH) - You're too amazing to stop right now. I look forward to seeing you next year. Tena koe i to haere mai ki te korero te noho tahi ki a tatou i tenei ra. Korua tahi ko Ruth, e te tuakana, e taku hoa, tena koe i hono mai ki te korero mo te kaupapa hirahira nei. Tena korua. - Nga mihi. - Stay with us, everyone. E haere ake nei ` a young artist based in Tamaki Makaurau who's already headlining an exhibition with some of the finest Maori artists across Aotearoa. (DYNAMIC MUSIC) (DEVICE CLICKS AND BEEPS) (SIREN WAILS) Heya. Oh, no, the goose is getting me! MAN OVER RADIO: Car 51. Yeah, CMH One Alpha receiving. Hey, look, reason I pulled you over is you've been speeding. MAN: I was only a few k's over. WOMAN: Same speed as everyone else. Come on, bro! I wasn't going that fast. How about you catch some real criminals? A few k's over. I'm not hurting anyone. (HORN BLARES) Hey, look, reason I pulled you over is you've been speeding. (GENTLE MUSIC) (DYNAMIC MUSIC) Ercan Cairns is a young Tamaki Makaurau artist with an aim to disrupt and challenge. He held his first solo exhibition when he was just 16. His works go for up to $6000, and he already has seven sold-out solo shows to his credit. His latest exhibition, Friends and Family, showcases his work alongside those of established Maori and Pasifika artists who have been his supporters and mentors. Julian Wilcox caught up with him just a day before it opened. Family + Friends ` what's this exhibition all about? - It's coming together with mentors to learn and grow as a creative. - Ercan Cairns is only in his early 20s, but already, his mentors and exhibition collaborators include renowned Tamaki expressionist painter Emily Kanaka and Tuhoe sculptor and painter Donn Ratana. What's it like, being young and working with nationally, internationally recognised Maori and Pasifika artists? - It's heaps of fun. It makes me think I have the best job. They've all been very welcoming. And it's not working ` you know, we're just hanging out and making art, and they just` you know, they've given me a space to be myself in. - Is there any pressure in leading an exhibition like this, given the likes of Whaea Emily and Matua Donn? - Nah, cos they're standing next to me. - Ercan has Tuhoe, Tongan and German whakapapa. His mentors are principally Maori and Pasifika, but his art is distinctly his own. It's often described as free and expressive. - Well, this area of the world, our approach in art isn't necessarily encouraging to making work that looks like this. - Ercan is self-taught, having resisted early attempts by adults to restrict his practice. - You know, in school, they don't allow you to work on a canvas this size. I chose not to listen to the teachers in school, so I can keep a pretty open mind when I'm painting. - How did teachers respond to that? - They usually talked to the principal and my parents. - Ercan's mother is Tongan German artist Dagmar Dyck, part of his collective of Pasifika artist mentors. - Having an artist as a mother, she had my back when teachers had anything to say. - So, is this exhibition about challenging the way in which art is taught? - It is a focus point. - But part of his focus is not focusing at all and just freeing his creativity. - When you go at a painting or at a canvas, I'm already fixed on something to be represented there. - Yeah. - You could try not to think. That's what I was taught by my first mentor, Tavita. Part of painting is just letting go, you know, You can spend three months filling in blocks, or you could just stand in front of it and whatever comes out... - ...comes out. Whatever comes out comes out. - Yeah. From within, yeah. - But how do you do that? See, for those of us who aren't, um, as naturally gifted. (LAUGHS) - There's a part of the practice that's not trying. When you paint, you just paint for yourself. I can't paint thinking about what other people are going to think ` it's just all down to what's inside. - He's been a full-time artist for more than six years. Can you see the final piece, already in your mind, as you're starting on a piece of work? - It's a lot quicker when it's like that. - (LAUGHS) - Yeah. - Does it happen all the time? - Not all the time. But now that I've started to do tikis, it's easy to envision the end product. - Why tikis? - I was drawing faces to begin with, and then, uh, I kind of got bored of them, and then went abstract, and then came back to faces and with tikis. And that was largely from hanging out with Whaea and Donn. - One day out from his exhibition, the paint is still drying on some works, and others still need to be completed. The whole exhibition at Parr Homestead has yet to be hung. Ercan is sleep-deprived, having painted through the night, and he's starving. So, what do you do next, then? - I haven't eaten yet. - (LAUGHS) - So probably have some breakfast. - (LAUGHS) - And finish off some paintings. - Breakfast? Bae, it's 2 o'clock! (LAUGHS) - I haven't been looking at the clock recently. I went to sleep about 4 this morning, but, yeah, it'll be another one of those nights tonight. - Yeah. There's a real rich history of... Tuhoe artists. You know, I think of people like Arnold Wilson, even Tame Iti and what he does and a representation of te mana motuhake. - And Donn Ratana. - And, of course, Matua Donn as well. And you follow in those footsteps ` do you feel a responsibility, given you are following in the footsteps of some of those really well-known Maori and Tuhoe artists? - I don't really feel responsible to follow them; I feel like I'm walking just behind them, and I think I'm keeping up with them, and they're telling me stories and sharing knowledge and passing it down. And I'm sure if I stick around, one day, I'll be able to pass it down to someone else. - Nga mihi nui kia koe. All the very best for this exhibition. - Thank you. - All the very best for I think what's gonna be an awesome future. Nga mihi nui. - Thank you. - Miharo. The exhibition will run at Pah Homestead until the end of November. Here's a look at Ruwani Perera's story coming up on The Hui next week. An update on our story from May. - We want an apology for all the suffering, the abuse, the racial discrimination, the hell we went through. - We reveal the progress finally being made to acknowledge hundreds of unmarked graves in Pukekohe. - Well, at least someone's listening to us. - Listening and learning, as two complete strangers, divided by race-based injustices, meet. - If any of your family were affected by any of mine, I would be truly sorry for that. It's very emotional. More than I thought. - She said, 'I thank you for telling your story,' and that makes me so happy. I take my hat off to her ` very brave. - A kati ake, hei whakakopani ake ` we finish the show this week with a waiata reorua ` a bilingual song by the collective IA, called Me. Reti Hedley from Ngati Tuwharetoa created the waiata as a tribute to the empowerment springing from his language-reclamation journey. A tera wiki auraki mai to tangata a Julian ` Julian will be back next week. Our thoughts are with him, and every whanau, grieving the loss of loved ones at this time. Kia haumaru te noho, e te iwi, kia toa ki nga mahi. O whiwhia, o rawea, turou parea. - (PLAYS MELODY) (GENTLE MUSIC PLAYS) - # Me te tomairangi. # Kua tau # ki te tupu. # Ke he rau ka kapakapa. # E te hau # kohengi. # E # toku reo # mahuta mai. # Mahuta mai. # E # toku reo # mahuta mai. # Mahuta mai. - (PLAYS MELODY) - # Mahuta mai. # Mahuta mai. # Mahuta mai. # Mahuta mai. # Mahuta mai. Yeah. # Me he wai # ka whero ki # i te marama # taiaho. # Me ko moe # roro # kare uru # ki tahaku ra. # E # toku reo # mahuta mai. # Mahuta mai. # E # toku reo # mahuta mai. # Mahuta mai. # Like a tree that settles on a blossom... # Captions by Faith Hamblyn. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023. `Ko te reo te take.