Junior
Lifeguards and Life Lessons: New Zealand Style
Judge Mike Town
Circuit Court Judge, State of Hawai`i; Leader and Coach, Outrigger
Canoe Club and Hawai`i Boys and Girls Club; Global Mentor, GO-FIRST
Over
the 2006 Christmas holidays my wife, Bonnie, and I traveled to Auckland,
New Zealand to participate as mentor/chaperones for a youth camp
consisting of NZ and American junior lifeguards. The purpose of
the trip was to learn about the NZ all volunteer surf lifesaving
models as compared to the paid professional lifeguard models in
the USA. We ended up learning much about key ingredients of NZ and
Maori culture as well.
The
trip was organized by the Washington D.C. based Go-First Foundation.
Go-First connects young people with a wide range of first responder
training programs so they can learn essential leadership skills.(www.go-first.org).This
was the first international camp and the 12th overall camp since
the group was founded by Noel Gould, Esq. (a former lifeguard himself)
shortly after the events of September 11, 2001. Hawai`i youth have
historically been part of this very successful effort. Our group
participated in a variety of innovative ocean lifesaving and search
and rescue exercises, helicopter extractions, ropes courses, a kayak
trip to a dormant volcano (Rangitoto) and more.
After
5 days at the Auckland Marine Rescue Center, we traveled some 10
hours by van to rural Hicks Bay on the East Cape of North Island.
We lived on Hinemaurea marae (ancestral land) from January 1 to
January 5, 2007 immersed in Maori culture. We approached the marae
and their ornately carved meeting house, named Tuwhakairiora, and
were greeted in traditional Maori fashion. First came the challenge
of the men as we walked up to the meeting house. Then came the call
of the women and the prayers. This was followed by a traditional
greeting and song from both hosts and visitors. We followed with
a token of our appreciation and our own chant written by a Hawai`i
friend, Kiha Pimental. We were officially greeted with their “hongi”
or sharing of breath by pressing foreheads and noses together. After
dinner we gathered in their meeting house where each of our hosts
gave their whakapapa or history from their first canoes coming to
Aotearoa (“land of the long white cloud”) to the present.
We introduced ourselves as well by reciting our backgrounds and
purpose for being there. We later joked our canoes were Air New
Zealand 747s. Our hosts listened intently and over the next five
days we became a blended and bonded community who communally slept,
prepared food, cleaned up, ate, surfed, paddled and gathered abalone,
freshwater eel and sea urchins together.
As
our youth quickly adjusted to the rhythm of Maori life, the Hicks
Bay community including Maori children and teenagers showed up in
increasing numbers at different events, particularly when the rescue
helicopter landed during a training exercise. They were like most
teens the world around with cell phones and computers. We became
comfortable with the kids’ names such as Te Rangi, Tumoana,
Mahui and Hinewata. Most of the youth are well spoken and bilingual
as they are educated in a Maori language immersion school. We exchanged
techniques and traditions related to life saving, paddling and being
first responders with people who date their arrival back over 1,000
years. We learned of their continued dedication to their history,
environment and culture including their sacred river (Waiapu), ocean
(Tangaroa), mountain (Hikurangi) and canoes.
At
the end of this stay Bonnie and I presented a ceremonial koa steering
paddle, carved by our own Sam Clemens, to our host, Peter Boyd.
Peter is head of the Onepoto Community Rescue Service and a leader
in Maori cultural renaissance. The paddle had been blessed at the
OCC beach earlier in December. We had a chance to surf in Peter’s
four man surfing canoe and paddle the six man canoe or “wakaama”.
We left the marae after 4 wonderful days with our hosts singing
to us of Paikea, the whale rider, with an exchange of gifts between
the visitors and hosts. There were few dry eyes as we drove away
(on the left side of the road of course).
New
Zealanders are some of most welcoming people we have met in our
travels. We have much to learn from them. For example, if you ask
directions, they will stop what they are doing and take you there
regardless of their plans. When talking to a Kiwi, they will often
wait several seconds before responding to formulate a respectful
answer. Tipping is considered quite unacceptable as Kiwis take pride
in a job they do well without more. Kiwis are exceedingly polite
in traffic allowing a car to turn in front of you rather than risk
being struck from behind. They take great pride in their All Black
rugby, cricket and sports teams and the innovative haka choreographed
for each team. Go First hopes to return to New Zealand next year
with more junior lifeguards, hopefully some from Hawai`i and OCC.
Let us know if you are interested! Kia ora.
(above)
Canoe surfing at Onepoto Beach in Hicks Bay.
(above) Peter Boyd and the
ceremonial carved koa steering paddle.
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