Following the stars: A journey deeper into Te Ao Māori recognised with honour
Sunday, 6 June 2021
Standing atop Kopukairoa maunga in Tauranga, surrounded by curious tamariki from the nearby kura, all Jack Thatcher could do was look up at the sky above and point out Matariki.
He had been asked by the school to take part in its annual Matariki celebration, to talk to the students about this special cluster of stars and what it means to Māori.
But all Thatcher could do that day, arm outstretched, was show them where it was.
“I realised, 'Man, you're a dud, you should know more about it.’”
It was a moment of clarity for him, and it lit a fuse that has been burning bright ever since.
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At that point in Thatcher’s life, close to 30 years ago, he was just setting off on his journey to become a traditional navigator. He wanted to learn the ancient art of celestial navigation, to sail across the open ocean using only the stars as his map. Just like his ancestors did.
It was a turning point on his journey back into Te Ao Māori – the Māori world, the Māori world view. A life guided by tikanga.
Thatcher, 60, is now a Master Navigator, a Pwo Navigator.
Over the years, he has been involved in and led voyages to Hawaii, Rarotonga, Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and other islands all over the Pacific, including the islands of Micronesia.
Following the stars, looking for signs and patterns, he has sailed tens of thousands of kilometres across the open ocean using traditional methods.
Thatcher has also absorbed a diverse range of old knowledge and traditional Māori practices and activities over the past three decades, learning from tūpuna and kaumātua, and passing it all on to new generations.
Waka kaupapa, mau rākau (Maori martial arts), kapa haka, as well as other Māori sports and performing arts.
He has run events and classes and been involved in significant historical commemorations, projects and festivals.
It is that sustained commitment to Te Ao Māori, his culture and his community that saw Thatcher recognised as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) on Monday, for services to Māori and education.
Tiaki Wepiha Te Kapene Thatcher was born in Whakatāne and was brought up in Tauranga, in the suburbs of Maungatapu and Hairini. His name was changed early on to John Webster Te Kapene Thatcher, but most people have always known him as “Jack”.
Thatcher is of Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Pūkenga, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti and Ngāti Awa descent.
He has spent many years of his life “trying to fit in both worlds” – Māori and Pākehā.
His mother was a teacher and was fluent in te reo Māori but never taught her children the language.
“She was a teacher during those times when they suppressed the language in our young people, so we never learnt from her,” Thatcher says.
“It was all about 'learn English, and you'll get on better in the wide world.’”
That sentiment started to change when Thatcher went to Hato Pētera College, a Māori boarding school in Auckland. He has his mum to thank for that.
“I think she realised that we were missing out, and so she sent us to a Māori boarding school, and we began our journey back into our Māori world.”
Thatcher took a big leap forward in that journey in the early 1990s, leaving his day job to join the crew of Te Aurere waka on a traditional voyage to Rarotonga. It was his first taste of seeing the world through the eyes of his ancestors.
When he got back, he committed himself to celestial navigation training.
“I was reeled in and that was it, totally focused on wanting to learn more about the stars.”
It was also around this time that he was invited up Kopukairoa by the local kura, and found himself struggling to explain Matariki.
He was determined to do something about that. He realised it wasn’t just about locating the stars in the sky, it was about sharing the stories linked to them.
Thatcher began researching and spent time “talking to our old people”.
“I made an effort to go out and learn more so that when we went up there the next year … I could show them where Matariki was, and I could give them a more informed kōrero about Matariki.”
From then on, Thatcher’s knowledge about Matariki has grown and grown, to a point where he is now considered a national expert. He has guided people on morning educational walks during Matariki every year for more than 20 years.
He is also one of seven members of the Matariki Advisory Group, providing the Government with advice on future dates of Aotearoa’s newest public holiday, how it should be celebrated, and what resources could be developed to educate the public.
That progression, from teaching a group of tamariki to teaching the masses, is just one example of Thatcher’s hunger for traditional knowledge, and his eagerness to spread that knowledge around.
A trust he co-founded has taught hundreds of children and young people about waka and other traditional Māori knowledge through programmes in schools, polytechnics and wānanga.
He has also established a traditional navigation school where he develops and leads ocean voyages for the students.
All of these achievements, Thatcher says, would not have been possible without the support and sacrifices of his wife of 36 years, Awhina, and his two daughters, Tarere and Aurere.
He says he has also had a supportive community around him, and the memory of his mum driving him forward.
She died of breast cancer when he was 25.
“And I never had a real opportunity to make her proud of me,” Thatcher says.
“She was a very community-minded woman. I see my mum every day in my mind. I'm seeing her now.”
What is Matariki?
Matariki is a cluster of stars (Pleiades) that rises in mid-winter, marking the start of the Māori New Year. It will be celebrated on June 24 next year with a public holiday. It is the first public holiday that recognises Te Ao Māori.