He tangata mau tūpara whai kariri ā, he whānau kei te pari o te mate, Ōtaki, 27 o Mei 1951
Pouwhakataki William Shore Hughes
Te Mētara Kōura Tohu Māia o te Whakaihuwaka
Pouwhakataki William Shore Hughes No. 2699
I whakawhiwhia i te huringa ā-tau e 70 o tōna matenga, 2021
Ahakoa kīhai a Pouwhakataki William Hughes i whakawhiwhia ki te Tohu Māia Roera kua whakatautia e mātou me whakawhiwhi ka tika. Arā pea ētahi taupā i kore ai ia i whakawhiwhia ki Te Rīpeka o Hōri. Kīhai hoki i tukua e Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa ētahi tohu māia i ngā tau 1951,1952 rānei. Me te aha, i mate rā te Whakaihuwaka nōna e mahi tonu ana, ka mutu, i tāmia hoki Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa e te taikaha o te Porotū a ngā Kaimahi Tahamoana.
Tokorua anake ngā pirihimana o te teihana Pirihimana o Ōtaki i 1951, ā, e noho ana te whānau Hughes i te whare tū tata ki te Teihana i te tiriti o Iti. I te Rātapu, te 27 o Mei, i te mahi takitahi a Pouwhakataki Hughes. He mea tono a Pirihimana Mick Hobbs ki Te Whanganui ā-Tara ki reira mahi ai i te Porotū.
I te mau pū te kaihara, he nui hoki ngā kariri i a ia, 12 te rahi. I te whakatuma ki tētahi whānau, ā, he maha hoki ana pupuhitanga ki a rātou. Ko te māmā, ko Mary Wehipeihana Te Hiwi (41) te hoa wahine o te kaihara. Heoi anō ko tā te kaihara he whakaipo kē i tana tamāhine, i a Victoria, 16 tōna pakeke. I uia e Mary tana tamāhine pakeke a Pearl France (22) kia haria a Victoria ki Te Whanganui ā-Tara ki reira haumaru ai. Nā konā hoki a Pearl i tae atu ai ki te pēnā. Tokorua ngā hoa taiohi e toro ana i te kāinga, ko Leonie Raika (15) rāua ko Kare Gilbert (11). Nā te kaha mataku mō rātou ka haere a Mary rāua ko Pearl ki tētahi kiritata ka waeahia te pirihimana. I tae atu a Pouwhakataki Hughes i te 14:00 o ngā haora, engari kore rawa i kitea te kaihara.
I hoki rātou katoa ki te whare, ā, ka whakarite tonu a Victoria i a ia mō te haerenga. I kuhu atu a Pouwhakataki Hughes kia mōhio rā ia i ahatia me te tuhi anō i ā rātou kōrero. Mea rawa ake ka pahū te pātū nā te panganga a te pū. Ka turapa tonu atu a Pouwhakataki, ā, te tūnga i te ara o te kuaha, ka anga tana pū ki te kaihara ka pupuhi. Ka pupuhi anō te kaihara ka pā ki te kikopuku o Pouwhakataki Hughes, ehara, ka rere ki tua o tētahi tūru. Ka tere tonu te ārainga o te kuaha e Mary rāua ko Pearl. Ko Victoria rātou ko Leonie ko Kare ka rere tūpou ki raro i tētahi moenga. Kāore a Pouwhakataki Hughes i āhei te pupuhi i tana pū, ā, ka panaia atu ki a Pearl i te wā e tōia ana te moenga ki te kuaha e ngā tamariki hei aukati i ngā puhipuhitanga e pūhia ana ki reira. Ka haere te kaihaere ki te matapihi, ka wāhia te karaehe ki te māngai o tana pū. Ka tū ake a Pouwhakataki Hughes ka naomia te māngai me te tākirikiri kia maunu mai te pū i te kaihara. Ka pūhia anō te pū, ā, ka hinga ki raro a Pouwhakataki Hughes. Ka tarapeke a Mary i te matapihi me te pū ka ngana ki te whakapōrearea i te kaihara. Ka pūhia ia ki te tuarā mate tonu atu. Kātahi ia ka kapo i te pū a Pouwhakataki Hughes. Kua pau kē ngā kariri. Ka kite a Leonie he pito ora ka oma atu i te whare.
Ka tūraki te kaihara i tētahi pātū, tata ana ki Pouwhakataki Hughes, ā, ka tahuri ki te patu i tōna māhunga ki tētahi tīkera rino. Kua taotū kē a Pouwhakataki Hughes, kua pūhia tōna kikopuku, tōna uma me tōna pokowhiwhi. Ka mutu kapi katoa tōna tinana i te hōta pū. Hui katoa ōna tūnga tērā e mate pū i tētahi. Ka naomia tētahi hama e Pearl ka ngana ki te aukati i te patunga tonutanga o Pouwhakataki Hughes e te kaihara. Ka pūhia ia ki tōna kanohi ka mate ia. Ka kuhu te kaihara i te rūma ka whakahautia a Victoria kia puta ki waho ki te nehu i tōna māmā. Ka taki haere rāua tahi, ā, ka whakatau a Kare me puta ia mā te kōhao i te pātū. Ka kitea ia e te kaihara ka anga i tana pū ki a ia. Ka pana atu a Victoria i te māngai o te pū. Kātahi te kaihara ka anga i tana pū ki a Victoria ka pūhia iho ia ki tōna kakī me tōna pokowhiwhi, ka mate ia.
Ka hurihia te pū ka pupuhi i a ia anō ki te uma. Kua oti kē a Pouwhakataki Hughes rātou ko Mary, ko Pearl ko Victoria te patu e ia. He māia katoa ōna patunga i taua rā wetiweti. I puta ki te ora a Leonie rāua ko Kare, ā, nā rāua i taki mai ngā kōrero whakarihariha.
I te tūnga ki te mura o te ahi, ka puea ake te tuakiri tūturu o te tangata, ka kitea e te ao.
I eke panuku te māia o William ki tā ngā ritenga tiketike o Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa. Ahakoa kua aua atu te wā, me whakatairanga tonu i ēnei māiatanga, kia kaua hoki e warewaretia.