Pauline Tangiora is a Maori elder from the Rongomaiwahine Tribe on the East Coast of the North Island of Aotearoa (New Zealand). She is the former president and currently vice president of Womens International League for Peace & Freedom WILPF Aotearoa, (their Homepage), former representative for the World Council for Indigenous Peoples, a member of the Earth Council and an Earth Charter commissioner. (She is also) life member of the Maori Women’s Welfare League, and a committee member of Rigoberta Menchu Tum Nobel Laureate Indigenous Initiative for Peace. Pauline Tangiora has represented Aotearoa (see also on wikipedia) at many international meetings for peace, the environment, spiritual well-being and indigenous rights. In 2005 she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as part of the 1000 Women for Peace project. Pauline Tangiora is one of the 50 Council Members of the World Future Council (see also on wikipedia), an international organization created by Right Livelihood Award founder, Jakob von Uexkull, which works for a sustainable future in the fields of environment, governance, human development and human rights and peace. (see on betterworld heroes)
Listen her video on brightcove, 5.13 min, added Jul 27, 2007.
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Pauline Tangiora – New Zealand
She works also for the World Forum for Fisher Peoples WFFP, (see also on nyeleni), for the Indigenous Initiative for Peace, as an ‘outreach workers’ for the Peace Foundation, for the Mahia Office of the peace.net. She has represented Aotearoa at many international peace, indigenous and human rights conferences, and was a Consultant to the International Steering Committee of the World Court Project (see them on the Disarmament & Security Centre, and on the world court project). She has written papers on health, the environment, indigenous issues, spiritual well-being and peace.
Find her publications on Disarmament & Security Centre;
She says: « People who recognise that others have something to share must make themselves available too. I’m humbled to be able to offer our basket of the spirit for others to draw from, as well as to learn from other participants to increase my own awareness of what is happening in the world”. (dropping knowledge.org).
Charity (is) not the answer, says fisher-folk.
She says also: “My idea of government is that you run a country not with a party stick but with what you really have to offer. People come together with all their skills from whatever background and work for the benefit of the whole community. »
Pauline Tangiora Q.S.O. Q.S.M. is a Maori elder from the Rongomaiwahine Tribe on the East Coast of the North Island of Aotearoa/New Zealand. She also has affiliations to many other tribes. She is a Justice of the Peace, a former President and currently Vice President of WILPF Aotearoa, the former Regional Women’s Representative for the World Council for Indigenous Peoples, Earth Charter Commissioner and a member of the Earth Council. She is a life member of the Maori Women’s Welfare League and a Patron of the Peace Foundation. She has represented Aotearoa at many international fora and was a Consultant to the International Steering Committee of the World Court Project. (Disarmament & Security Centre).
Maori elder from the Rongomaiwahine Tribe, New Zealand.
Pauline Tangiora is an activist and campaigner whose work embraces both the local and the global. A Maori elder from Aotearoa (New Zealand), she has worked for four decades to strengthen community-ties among the Maori, while participating in international peace initiatives and schemes to raise the profile of indigenous peoples. Before the war in Iraq, she traveled to the country to spend time with Iraqi women and children as the conflict loomed. “With 40 odd wars going on as we are talking,” she says, “we have to believe in peace. Otherwise I don’t want to live”. “Pauline Tangiora is an extraordinary and diverse personality, involved with human rights, spiritual leadership, conflict resolution and peace,” says dropping knowledge Manager of Nominee Relations Barbara Lutz. “I am personally overjoyed that she has agreed to bring her ‘basket’ to the Table” … (full text).
Find her also on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search; on Google Group-search; on Google Blog-search.
She says further: … “People who recognise that others have something to share must make themselves available too … and: « With 40 odd wars going on as we are talking, we have to believe in peace. Otherwise I don’t want to live » … and: « we have to sit down, have a meal together, pray together and then actually talk together. Then we realize that, yes, although we have some differences they are not impassable differences ». (betterworld heroes).
And she says:
- Ma muaka kite a muri,
- Ma muri ka ora a mua,
- (Those who lead give sight to those who follow,
- Those who follow give life to those who lead).
- In our innermost Spirit – we nourish the gentleness and understanding of Peace,
- Those around us feel a gentle breeze whispering as if rustling leaves,
- Peace comes not from contemplation – but action!
I guess you could say that we indigenous peoples are on the verge of turning it all upside down.
(All on betterworld heroes)
links:
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Aotearoa (on converge.org);
Women Say NO to War on 8 March in Aotearoa New Zealand;
List of Endorsements for the Declaration to End All War;
WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY RESOURCES, BOUGAINVILLE;