He poutokomanawa o Ngāi Tahu ka whakaokiokitia ki tōna moengaroa i Koukourārata i tēnei rā, ko Charles Stuart Te Manemoeroa Crofts ONZM, e mōhiotia whānuitia ana e tōna iti, e tōna rahi, ko ’Uncle Charlie’.
I mate a Crofts (Ngāti Huikai, Ngāi Tūāhuriri, Ngāti Waewae) i Ōtautahi i te Mane, e 80 ōna tau ka ngaro nei.
I whānau mai ai a Crofts i te marae o Tuahiwi, i Kaiapoi i te tau 1943, ā, ko reira, ko Koukourārata hoki ōna kāinga.
Whai muri i tana haerenga ki Hato Pāora kuraina ai, i pau i a ia te rua tekau tau i Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, ā, i tana wehenga, i hoki rāua ko tōna hoa rangatira, ko Meri Te Aroha ki Koukourārata noho ai. Nāwai rā ka tohua ia hei heamana o Te Rūnanga o Koukourārata, ka kuhu atu ia ki ngā mahi a Te Poari Māori o Ngāi Tahu.
I te tau 1990, i tohua ko Crofts hei māngai o Te Rūnanga o Koukourārata ki Te Rūnanganui o Ngāi Tahu i mua i tana ekenga hei kaiwhakahaere.
I te whakatūnga o Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu i te tau 1996, i kōwhiria ko ia hei kaiwhakahaere tuatahi, ā, koia tētahi o ngā kaiwhiriwhiri i te kerēme raupatu a Ngāi Tahu i whakatauria i te tau 1997, ka mana hei ture i te tau 1998. $170 miriona tāra te wāriu o te paremata i whakahokia ki a Ngāi Tahu.
Arā noa atu āna mahi hei pouārahi, hei mema komiti, hei kaitohutohu, hei kaumātua hoki huri noa i Waitaha, atu i Koukourārata ki Whakaraupō, ki Ōtautahi tatū atu ki Tuahiwi. He pou hāpai hoki i te whakaoranga o te reo me ngā tikanga o Ngāi Tahu.
Ā, i te tau 2016, ka tohua ia hei Āpiha o Te Kāhui Hiranga Tangata o Aotearoa mō āna mahi nui mā te Māori.
He tokomaha kua tuku mihi, poroporoaki ki a Crofts i runga i ngā paepāhopori.
Ko te kaipāho ō mua o Whakaata Māori, ko Ward Kamo, tētahi kua whakahoki mahara atu ki a Crofts.
“Ko ia, me Pīhopa Richard Wallace, Paora Tau, tōku matua a Raynol Kamo, Monty Daniels, me Poututerangi John Stirling, i tīmata te Hui Tāne i Taumutu i te tau 1987.
“I whakaminea mātou ngā taiohi (Te Maire Tau, Gene Waaka, Awatea Edwin me ētahi atu) ki te ako i te whaikōrero, reo, waiata, me ngā tikanga,” te kōrero a Kamo.
Ko Mananui Ramsden, te heamana o nāianei o Te Rūnanga o Koukourārata, i whakaputa kōrero hoki mō Crofts ki a Tahu News.
“Ki ahau, tētahi o ngā tamaiti e noho ana ki ōna waewae i roto i kā tau, he mauka ia,” te kī ake a Ramsden.
“Koia te tihi o tō mātou mauka ki Te Ahu Pātiki.”
E ai anō ki a Ramsden, ko ‘Uncle Charlie’ he tangata i whai kaha ki te hono i ngā uri katoa o Koukourārata ki te kotahitanga.
“E maumahara ana au i te wā i kaha ia ki te noho kātahi ki ā mātou nei ka rakatahi, kā tamariki, ka kaha ki te whakawhiti kōrero hei whakapakari ai i te honoka.”
“E hīkaka ana mātou ki te noho kātahi ki tana taha. Ahakoa he takata pukumahi ia, i whai wā ia ki te noho kātahi.”
Ka whakapāho arorangi a Whakaata Māori me Tahu News, atu i Tūtehuarewa Marae i mua i te uhunga hei te 11 i te ata nei.
Ko te uhunga ka arorangi te whakapāhotia e Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.