Kei nga ihoiho o nga maunga whakahii, kei nga wai whakatere taniwha, nau mai, tahuti mai ki Te Hui. Ko Mihingarangi tenei e mihi atu nei ki a koutou katoa. Welcome to The Hui, Maori current affairs for all New Zealanders. E taro ake nei ` a close-knit community in crisis. Someone pulled a gun and shot a child. An unprovoked shooting of an 8-year-old boy and no one held responsible. It could have killed Khan if it had hit him in the right spot or seriously injured him. I wanna know why something's not done. Locals are frustrated that justice hasn't been served. We are high-population Maori here, and it's, like, low priority when we get shot. And he's credited with helping to revive a dying art form. His main korero was, 'It's not what you leave on; it's what you take off.' Now master carver Rangi Hetet's life work is set to be shared on screen. When I saw the people, how happy they were, it gave me pride to be part of their happiness, you know? Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2019 Karahuihui mai. In March this year, an 8-year-old boy was shot in the sleepy East Coast settlement of Patutahi. Five months on, charges have been laid but not against the shooter. Ruwani Perera has the story of the bizarre case that's unnerving a township. (PEACEFUL GUITAR MUSIC) Patutahi is a tiny settlement just out of Gisborne, nestled in a valley at the foot of the Raukumara Ranges. Set amongst the farms and orchards on Kaimoe Rd is the home of Kim Tupara. Real good community to grow up in. Everyone is close. Everyone cares about each other. Kim has lived in Patutahi all of her life. It's where she and her partner, Billy Koia, have chosen to raise their young family, including their eldest son, Khan. I sort of wanted my kids to grow up rural and how we did. Here. Chuck them a big piece. Surrounded by their animals, Kim and Billy enjoy the simplicity of life here. Johnny's, like, 'I haven't been fed in so long with bread.' But that feeling of security she and her young whanau have enjoyed was shattered one evening in March. Khan was on his quad bike going for a ride just down the road from his home. He was gone for around 10 minutes before running back home to his mum with a burning pain and blood running down his right arm. First I sort of grabbed a towel and wiped up his arm, and then I noticed that it was a perfect circle and it was raised and all the inside was minced, and I sort of looked at Billy and said ` we both knew ` like, it looks like he's been shot. Their worst fears were confirmed. This X-ray revealed a pellet from an air rifle, like a slug gun, was lodged deep in Khan's forearm. The 8-year-old was lucky to escape any permanent damage. It had minced two of his main muscles. Just missed his main nerve and artery. He would've lost all use of his arm. He's a lucky, lucky boy to still be here. When Kim sent me the X-ray, yeah, it's just shocking. It could have killed Khan if it hit him in the right spot, seriously injured him. The shooting happened on their road in front of this neighbour's property. This power pole, directly across from that house, is peppered with gunshots and is close to where Khan was injured. Billy and Kim allege that the gunman is a man that lives here, and it's not the first time he's shot at passers-by. In 2016, a whanau travelling in a car along the same stretch of road were also one of his targets. The bullets smashed a window and hit their baby's car seat. I think it's too much of a coincidence to not be the same person. It's the same corner, the same area. We never once heard from police. They didn't notify us about it, and then once Khan was shot, the locals that it happened to reached out to us and sent us through what happened, and I was shocked. The pellet was in their baby's car seat. With that in mind, while Kim and Khan were in hospital, Billy went to confront the man who lives at the property. Words were exchanged, and then, yeah, I assaulted him. What was going through your mind at the time, Billy? Is that you? I mean, do you have a police record for this kind of thing? No, I have got no violence charges to my name. Were you trying to protect your whanau? Definitely trying to protect my family, definitely trying to protect my son. Billy Koia has more reason than most to be protective of his family, especially when it comes to guns. 13 years ago, when Billy was 16, his father shot his mother in a murder-suicide. When the firearm was involved and what happened previously to my parents, it definitely brought up a bit of emotion and anger. It was like it was happening again, and it could have been fatal and killed Khan just over someone being reckless. Billy now faces a serious charge of assault after a complaint was made to police two months after the altercation. He's pleaded guilty to the charge, which comes with up to five years' imprisonment, but he and Kim can't understand why the person who shot their son still hasn't been held to account. I want to know why something's not done. A child has been shot. A gun's a gun. The police just keep telling us that we need to trust them. But their trust and patience is running out. Khan's whanau say it took days before the property was searched. Police came up empty-handed. Shooting happened on Tuesday, the search was Friday afternoon. That's plenty of time to get rid of a gun. The police handling of the case has raised many questions for this community. What's puzzling locals is that despite the serious nature of what happened, the immediate response from police was unorthodox. The area where the shooting occurred wasn't cordoned off, there was nothing on police websites and neighbours in the vicinity weren't notified. We weren't told that day, we weren't told that night, we weren't even told the next day. We weren't told at all, actually. Fats Karauria is Kim and Billy's neighbour. Since the shooting, his tamariki are too scared to play down their road. They've always got that doubt of coming out the front now. We've never had to feel that way. As a father, he's frustrated that he can't guarantee his children's safety. Now Fats and the Patutahi community are demanding answers. They've braved the freezing cold, attending a town meeting with local police organised by Kim. Cos they're asking me stuff and I can't give them answers. I'm not getting answers myself. I'm doing this hui for them, to give them the opportunity to ask questions to the police themselves. Is there continued risk? Am I expecting other incidents to happen? No. You haven't found the gun, so if he's hidden it somewhere, he could easily get it back. Local constable Tim Winchester fronted up to locals who are furious no one has been charged. With this one, it does look like that ` a low priority ` but it was a shooting, and it was shooting of a mokopuna. That's what gets all of us. Patutahi resident Drina Hawea says the way police have treated this case is completely different to other recent events involving guns. We've seen a shooting not long after Khan's incident here in town, and, I'm telling you, within minutes, a whole block got closed down. And yet when I look at it, a 9-year-old boy shot and nothing happened. If it was Pakehas, I think it would've been managed differently, but because it's just two young Maori people and then Khan... I know people hate it when I say it, but it does look racist. The town is united in demanding justice for Khan and his whanau. They want to see the man they believe is behind the shooting removed from Patutahi. At least you can tell your kids he doesn't live here any more. It's safe to start walking our dog back up the road. It's safe to start taking them for bike rides back up to the corner and stuff, you know? Five months on, Khan's wounds have healed, but he still bears the scars of the shooting on the inside. Have you noticed a difference in your boy? I have seen a change in him. Yeah. He suffers from night terrors, yeah. It's not good to see. At home is the place he should be safe, and his backyard and his community. Yeah. Yeah, it's taken it's toll, eh? Yeah. Kim has a trespass order against her neighbour, but she says that's not enough. Unless the police act soon, she and her whanau are considering leaving their beloved home for good. I think if nothing is done, what option do we have? We're going to have to always look over our shoulders and be constantly worried, 'Are we going to get shot?' Why should we have to leave the place that our kids have been brought up in and they think is home because nothing's been done? Na Ruwani Perera tera purongo. In a police statement, they say... Kia mau tonu mai ra te titiro. Ka hoki mai te hui akuanei. ('THE HUI' THEME) ('THE HUI' THEME) Auraki mai ano. Jacoby Poulain was thrust into the media spotlight when she broke ranks with the Hawke's Bay District Health Board and called out its hospital after it locked the doors on Maori midwives and allowed Oranga Tamariki to attempt to uplift a newborn baby of a 19-year-old mum. She went public, saying the DHB had failed in its duty of care. She says the young mum was also denied her healthcare workers as she was detained by police at her hospital door. Earlier this week, Jacoby Poulain quit the DHB board by text message but has since reconsidered. She joins me now. Why have you reconsidered? I have reconsidered because my initial resignation was a decision made not solely by my free will but rather as a result of pressure from the health board. Effectively, um, for the last few months since the incident happened, and as a result of my public comments, um, the chairman, in particular, took grievance with my speaking out about the matter, and I've received a long series of letters, emails, meetings and discussions effectively requiring me to remain silent or resign if I wish to carry on speaking publicly. Or risk removal from the minister or face legal action. So that was the choice I had ` one of being able to speak freely about matters or resign, and if it came down to that, I chose to resign. However, then I got an email explaining that I did not do that in the right format and if I wish to resign, I need to write to the minister, seeking my removal. However, I will not be doing that because I never originally wished to resign. It was only a last resort I saw. So you're staying? I'm staying. Tell me, did the board try and shut you up? Yes. How did they do that? What did they say? Um, I have a long list of emails, letters. I believe they have lawyers' opinions. It was predominantly` Because the head of the board says that you haven't been shackled. The chairman? The chairman of the board. Yeah, I disagree with that. So you have. You felt like you weren't able to freely talk on behalf of this young woman? Most definitely so. When you watched that video from Newsroom, what did you think? Um, I think it was an atrocious violation of the rights of both mother, child, whanau, and, to be honest, a whole race of people. Did you know that was happening in the hospital? Personally, I had heard wind. You hear smoke and you suspect there's fire. But to see it like that, that confirmed it. So, as a board member, um, you saw that, you didn't feel good about it. Did you reach out to the community, um, you know, to Des and those guys who had been locked out? Actually, when it broke and when I first heard about it through channels, I went to the hospital to see if Mum and baby were OK, where are they? Couldn't find them, and then I googled to find the right person involved and rung Des and rung Jean Te Huia to find out the story. Yep, and then did you decide that you've gotta do something about it, you want to talk to the board? What was the next move for you and what was the response to your concerns? I did immediately ring the chairman and engaged in a series of phone calls with the chairman. One of the requests I made was an emergency meeting with the board. That never eventuated. What quickly took over is essentially attempts at sanctions of my voice by the chairman because by then I had started speaking out. And why I did was because I heard a comment that concerned me, and that was effectively that this issue might attempt to be, um, brushed under the carpet, and that is not a suitable solution. What needs to happen at DHBs, your DHB, in particular? Um,... You know, for women and children and new mums and Maori midwives? What do you think needs to happen? I think a lot needs to happen, but I don't think it's confirmed only to the Hawke's Bay DHB. I think it's through New Zealand. I think there's the atmosphere of suppression and locking up Maori. We saw it on Newsroom. I believe that's happening to my voice, so including Maori in the process and hearing their voice and not shutting them out at the very start. But the whole system needs transformation. What is your message to the minister? What should the minister be doing in this space? Well, I think, personally, it has got to a point where we're in crisis mode. I believe one of the midwives involved, Jean Te Huia, says that it's a humanitarian crisis. Human rights behind closed doors are being desecrated for women and children and whanau. There's some new laws, information-sharing laws that have been put in place that is contributing to this space, so the minister, I do believe, needs to be involved in at least understanding these issues are occurring and abuses towards whanau, and help. So, I guess, would you call it a bit of a protest? You're sitting there, waiting to see what happens to you next? That is effectively what's going to happen, but I can be more explicit, if that's OK. I do not intend to go to the board meetings because it is an unsafe environment. The allegations are against me that I have breached the code of conduct by speaking out and that a board member is not entitled to speak critically. I disagree with that and believe that the attempted imposition of that board code of conduct is unlawful because it supresses my freedom of expression and freedom of political opinion which is essential for me to express, especially as an elected representative. Do you think the situation is salvageable? I've been trying that for almost three months now, um, since the incident, so that would require the cooperation of all parties. And what is the response from your community, the community you feel like you represent? What are they saying to you? Outrage and aggrieved at what happened on the Newsroom. Maori women, in particular, are scared and terrified to go to hospitals. So it's a matter of confidence in our facilities, that these boards have a responsibility of stewardship ` kaitiakitanga ` for our people, and what is happening behind closed doors is not good stewardship. There was a report released this week. You'll be aware of it. I think it's the Health and Disabilities Commission. It says that` It focused solely on health equity for Maori. It lays down a challenge for the health sector to identify and remove institutional racism. Would you say that that's the core here? That's the core of the issue here? Personally, I believe there's many different issues. Um, one of them is that I do believe that, overall, we have a health system in New Zealand which is culturally incompetent. And what you do is you either train the competence in there, but I would go a step further and say we need total transformation and divesting resource from here and putting it over here into Maori kaupapa so Maori can self-determine and self-govern because they already have the capacity and the knowledge and the skills. So it's a matter of not locking them out any more but entrusting them with the resource to self-govern. Similar to what Ngahiwi Tomoana, the iwi chair, has been saying. Tena koe. Thank you very much. And we did invite the chair of the DHB to appear, but he declined. Kia mau tonu mai ra te titiro. Ka tahuri te aroaro ki te ao toi inangeto nei. ('THE HUI' THEME) ('THE HUI' THEME) Auraki mai ano. The Hetet whanau is synonymous with the traditional Maori arts of carving and weaving. Now a new documentary is being released to capture the life work of master carver Rangi Hetet. Rangi has helped to carve numerous marae, waka and carvings around the world. His whanau reflect on his journey, the path to revive the Maori arts and where the future of those traditional forms lie. Anei te purongo a John Boynton. Rangi Hetet helped to revive and keep the art of whakairo alive. I'm able to view my dad not as my dad but as an artist, and he really is pretty up there. His work adorns marae, waka and buildings across the world. His main korero was, 'It's not what you leave on; it's what you take off.' And his life's work is set to be shared on screen. I never call myself a master carver. It was the people that called me a master carver. Waiwhetu Marae in Lower Hutt is one of the many marae Rangi Hetet has left his mark on. Marae around the country have been a focal point for his carving career and where his journey first began. When I was going to college, my tribal elders asked me to go carve our meeting house in Waihi, Tapeka, which surprised me because I wasn't interested in carving. But when they say 'jump,' you jump. When he saw how much the carved meeting house meant to people, his perception of carving changed forever. When I saw the people, how happy they were, it gave me pride to be part of their happiness. You know, it made me proud for what I had done. Missionaries had destroyed and discouraged whakairo. But under the guidance of master carvers Tuhaka Kapua and later John Taipa, Rangi helped to lead the renaissance of carving. They were trying to revive the art because it was sort of, I suppose, like the language, disappearing. Wasn't so strong. Should I say not so strong in those days. But it was through Apirana Ngata that sort of brought it back, and he had a group of carvers going round New Zealand, building marae. Over the years, he taught at a number of institutes and marae and held wananga for his carving classes, teaching Maori all around the motu. It was good to see them take an interest in it and feel proud of what they were doing. Now, that's what made me feel good is to see good work coming out of their hands, you know? Made me feel that it was worthwhile teaching them. One of his long-time students is Sam Hauwaho. He's been under Rangi's wing for the last 30 years. The process of chiselling, I suppose you could say, it's a bit of a release. (CHUCKLES) But once you get into that zone, you know, you know what you want to do. You can sort of see the end result in your head. And Rangi is still keeping a close eye on his student. Haven't you got an adze? Nah. He initially started off being I wouldn't say hard but a strict-ish teacher. I guess that's the way that he was taught, really. Since then, he's sort of mellowed out a lot. Maybe he's a bit harder on me because I was his son-in-law. Don't know. Maybe. Probably. (CHUCKLES) Sam followed in Rangi's footsteps and is now teaching a new generation of carvers the traditional carving values passed on to him. He's old school. And I guess I just try to keep those teachings in respect for him. There's no compromise, really. So, I think it's going to be about that wide. Veranoa Hetet is Rangi's daughter and is married to Sam. For her, the Maori arts have been a way of life. When I was growing up, being totally immersed in the creative arts, I didn't realise what I was growing up in because I thought that that's how everybody lived. Veranoa says keeping the traditional values of Maori art alive is a fine balance. Behind me on the wall are a series of kite that I've woven from the very traditional through to the very contemporary. I call myself a traditional weaver but a contemporary artist. And as artists, we get excited about new materials. We get excited about new techniques, and to mix those with the traditional is really exciting, but they must always must always maintain a sense of integrity about the traditional. A carver, essentially, is a storyteller, an historian. The whanau decided to document their father's life's work in the documentary Mo Te Iwi ` Carving for the People ` which is part of this year's New Zealand Film Festival. The film comes 20 years after Rangi's late wife Erenora Puketapu Hetet's film Tu Tangata ` Weaving For The People. There have been times over the past 13 years that we've watched that documentary of our mum together. There's been lots of times I've watched that on my own. The day will come when I will be watching a video of my dad and remembering. For Veranoa, her passion for the Maori arts is deep in her whakapapa. It's this wonderful mixture of both nature and nurture. It's in my blood. I'm a sixth, seventh-generation weaver of the Hetet family. I spent every day absolutely immersed in carving and weaving and designing and painting. It's become like breathing. So I weave, I breathe; I breathe, I weave. Rangi Hetet believes carving's taught him many important life lessons. His mahi is a true labour of love. It's taught me how to be humble, I suppose. Most of all, it's given me satisfaction to see people happy. All the sweat and tears to get their houses done, their canoes done, or whatever, and finally having it opened. It's their work, not mine. It's their work. Na John Boynton tera purongo. Hei tera wiki ` he kaupapa hauora. He's the chemist on the move. Whether it's diabetes or dementia, he's got you covered. Kia ora. Try and drink at least eight glasses of water a day. He's really good, because he just reminds all of us how important it is to eat healthy, be healthy. We engage with him on a personal level. If it might say, a marae level. Brendon McIntosh is bringing his expertise to marae to help kaumautua and kuia take charge of their hauora. I think that's a big part that's missing in the health system is building that initial relationship, the whanaungatanga. The mobile Maori chemist making a difference one hui at a time. So he's one of the boys of tuahere. (LAUGHS) And that's how we like it. That's how we roll. Kua hikina Te Hui mo tenei ra. Newshub Nation's next. Pai marire ki a tatou katoa. Captions by Virginia Philp. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2019 He mea tautoko o nga Te Mangai Paho. The Hui is made with support from NZ On Air.