Omana Tiaki 1945 1970 Ngati Kaungunu Mahia Nz

edmondsallan - Hello - I can well remember " Tiaki ". He was a deep thinker . Their was always ' kia " on the table - He talked many times on the spiritalism of the Maori peoples, their future , and their need to get educated . This quite person in general knew how to oratate with the best when he needed to .In one of our " He talk / We listen - He remarked on the poor quality of Maori housing and health. He observed that independent Maori efforts to improve the standard of both were continually frustrated by the inability to raise loans or take advantage of tax concessions. Without access to investment capital or a sustainable economic base, Maori people could not be expected to break the cycle of subsistence living. Omana argued that rich timber assets owned by rural Maori which could have provided the raw materials for any number of new houses remained untouched simply because no finance was available to mill the resource.

Omana was also highly critical of what he considered to be the unequal and sub-standard service Maori soldiers experienced when seeking assistance from the Rehabilitation Department. Although Maori had made a significant contribution to the war effort and had themselves raised several thousand pounds for the rehabilitation of their own veterans, few Maori returned servicemen ever received any financial support. There were lengthy delays in assessing cases, and some applicants were referred to the wrong agency.

Lastly, Omana spoke about his regret that he was not able to address his own people in Maori while speaking in Parliament. He recommended, unsuccessfully, that all parliamentary reports and records of proceedings be published in Maori. However, a suggestion made by Omana and other Maori MPs was adopted when the word ‘native’ was replaced with the term ‘Maori’ in all government titles.

When Parliament was in session Omana travelled to Wellington by railcar. He dressed in a snappy well-fitting suit and wore old tennis shoes to alleviate the suffering caused by gout. He nearly always made the journey from Mahia back to the capital with a big box of kumara tucked under one arm as a present for his friend but political opponent, Keith Holyoake.

Omana served on the Board of Native Affairs and was involved in the Maori taxation commission of 1952. He retired from Parliament in 1963. In his last speech, he asked to express his thoughts in song. To a plaintive introduction played on harmonica, Tiaki Omana sang in Maori a verse of the lament 'E noho ra, e haere ana ahau’ (Goodbye, I am going).

Tiaki Omana married three times. His first wife was Nellie Airini Elizabeth Perry; they married in the Cathedral Church of St John the Evangelist, Napier, on 23 February 1921. They had twins, a girl and a boy. The couple were divorced on 29 November 1922. On 6 February 1926, at Wairoa, Omana married Polly Gemmell; they had one child, a daughter, who died in infancy. Polly died in 1949. Omana’s third wife was a widow, Rangiwhakio Rarere (née Kemara); they married at Wairoa on 15 March 1962. Rangiwhakio died in November that year.

Tiaki Omana was well known as a wise and kindly advocate who represented to the best of his ability the interests of his people. He died on 24 June 1970 at Napier and is buried at Mokotahi, Mahia Beach. He is missed by many , including myself . Till we meet again - Regards - edmondsallan