Philanthropy New Zealand |

Philanthropic Funding 2006 - this report provides measurement of New Zealanders' philanthropic funding for the 2005/2006 year, and what these funds supported.

Rachel Afeaki is a New Zealand-born Tongan. She was a Director at Affirming Works – a Pacific Mentoring Youth Agency based in Manukau City for the past four years and now works from her own company FaceNorth Promotions, set up to promote and platform ‘excellent, and effective significance’ for young people and in particular Pasifika communities.

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Alison Broad is Chair of the Community Trust of Southland, and has been in this role since November 2004. She has been a Trustee of the Community Trust of Southland since November 2000.

Alison has a Masters degree in community education, with a focus on community-based learning for rural women. She has been working in the community sector, primarily in rural communities, for over 20 years. For the past 8 years she has been working on a freelance/consultancy basis, primarily in education and community-based projects. She has a particular interest in community-based and community-derived projects and initiatives, and in community strength and cohesion.

Alison is involved with a wide range of community organisations, including the Southland Community Education Programme, and the Women's Self Defence Network-Wahine Toa - of which she is the national chair. Alison is currently the education specialist on the NZ National Commission for
UNESCO.

This is the explanation Hohepa (Joe) MacDougall the Kaiwhakamäori / Translator from Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Maori / Maori Language Commission. It explains the process he went through while developing, oha atu, oha mai, the whakatauaki he gifted to Philanthropy New Zealand.

"I also thought about “Koha atu, Koha mai”.

In earlier writings it appears that they used the words Oha, Koha and Ōhāki interchangeably. Nō doubt that ‘Oha’ is the root/base word.

Pg 237, Dictionary of Maori Language, HW Williams, 7th Edition, gives the following meanings of “Oha”:

(i)   1 Greet
(ii) 1 Generous, 2. Abundant, 3. Relic, keepsake, 5. Dying speech -whakatau oha = Ōhāki = Oha a ki.

Pg 123 of the same dictionary gives the following meanings of “Koha”.

(i)    1. Parting or final instructions,
       2. Respect, regard,
       3. Present, Gift,
       6. Surplus
(ii)   2. Endeavour, effort.

Although “Koha” seems to be a more appropriate word in terms of the given definitions, I believe the word “Oha” conjures up an older concept that led on to “Ōhāki” that led on to “Koha”.

My understanding relates to those aspects of ‘OHA’ ie Greet, of Generosity, of abundance and of dying speech. To me the concept of the dying speech, (which was that generally given by rangatira of a whānau, hapū, iwi) relates more to his concern and love for his people - their future welfare/wellbeing.   Indeed, the example given in HW Williams Nō 5. is good example of this. It translates as “”Farewell! After I have gone, cherish the tribe”.

Often ‘Whakatauaki’ or proverbs make reference to the concept of “Oha” such as this one “Te oha o ngā tāngata mātua” “The bequest of the ancestors” which is often heard in formal speeches.

The idea of “Atu” and “Mai “gives it the element of ‘reciprocity’. Of mutual co-operation and exchange. Something that was an integral part of early Māori.

“Oha atu, oha mai” I believe encapsulates what I understand to be “Philanthropy”.

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