Issue 70 - editorial

Leading the charge

Tena ano tatou

There seems to be a bit of a leadership theme running through Mana number 70.

Our cover story pays tribute to the late great Wi Kuki Kaa, one of our leaders in the world of acting whether on stage, the screen – big or small – and in fact in real life. I first met Kuki - a whanaunga of mine on both sides of our whakapapa - at university in Wellington. He was ending his university study as I was just starting, but we all got to learn fairly quickly that when Kuki pulled out his ‘home brew’ it was time to go home.

We also pay tribute, along with tens of thousands of others, to Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangi Kaahu as she begins her 40th year as head of the Kingitanga.

Another leader is Lt.Gen. Jerry Mateparae - the first Maori to become Chief of the Defence Forces. He might have picked up a few tips for his new job as he mingled with old veterans at the reunion of surviving members of the Maori Battalion over Easter. We’ve got their story and some memorable photographs.

A story which may come as a bit of surprise to most of you is about the first airman to ever win a Victoria Cross. Although this flying warrior of the First World War wasn’t born in New Zealand or ever lived here, he had Maori whakapapa.

The soldiers we’ve mentioned so far have faced threats to our way of life somewhere overseas. But we actually have a far greater enemy right here amongst us. It’s called tobacco.

Smoking tobacco is the biggest preventable killer of Maori, taking more of us every year than any war.

Although there are signs of hope with more people than ever calling the Quitline, the grim truth is that 47 percent of our people still smoke. That’s nearly one in two for every man, woman and Maori child.

And who really benefits from this? Well the tobacco companies clearly do, but you might be interested to know that the government does alright out of it too, taking over $260 million in tobacco taxes. It puts back $30 million into tobacco control, about $6 million of that aimed at us.

We talk with ‘tobacco warrior’ Shane Bradbrook about this scourge, and outline Maori MP Hone Harawira’s battle plan to ban tobacco. These two are leading the charge and they’ve lined up their sights on the real enemy – the tobacco companies that make huge profits out of our people’s lungs and lives.