Leading from the front issuu

THE DAME AND
THE DUDE
Pat’s 2019 93rd birthday extravaganza, comprising four
events over one weekend, saw the last of those events
happening at Waiohiki Creative Arts Village. We were
lucky to again have Denis O’Reily, as our go-to-guy-tomake-good-stuff-happen,
as party sorcerer and MC.
Of course the mood was celebratory — Pat and Denis,
Irish and more to the core, both had a fun chip installed
at birth. That light buzzy mood did turn a tad emotional
though when Dame Turiana Turia presented, and draped,
Pat with a korowai — a huge honour. Dame Tariana had
driven all the way from Whanganui to get to the event,
spent some time at the party, bestowed the honour upon
her mate Pat, and then drove all the way back home to
Whanganui that day.
Pat says he’s not sentimental. The jury is still out on
that. He was undoubtedly, momentarily overcome by
Dame Tariana’s tribute. It was an amazing moment that
revealed the depth of their friendship and mutual respect
and there was ‘nary a dry eye amongst the crowd
of 100 friends and whānau.
lence. At its essence the Trust represents the distinctive
nature of your communities, and values that diversity as
the foundation for the concept of community. It is a diversity
which has encouraged creativity in letting all the
voices be heard.
The Pilot City Trust spear-headed the creation of a
large mural in the Napier Court House — designed and
painted by rangatahi Māori and promoting the concept of
Restorative Justice. The Napier Pilot City Trust also commissioned
a talented group of taggers to cover the wall
alongside the Napier Police Station. You never forgot
the enthusiasm of galvanising youth-based volunteerism
that you experienced when you set up Downtown Y in
Napier and in your various roles with the YMCA.
I really wanted to pay tribute to Pat for your ongoing
and persistent advocacy of difference. You have worked
so hard to create connections and initiate conversations
of meaning. You have gone out on a limb to look for the
unity that binds us together, both in small ways and significant.
You have championed the call, “Build communities,
not prisons!”
Your advocacy at local and regional council is impressive.
You told the Local Government Commission that
the city should be divided into wards to ensure fairer representation
for its different groups. You argued that there
was no social advantage in merging the Napier and Hastings
local bodies into one council. The genesis for the
Unity Walk was in itself to provide a forum for tentative
conversations that enlarge our horizons, build opportunities,
paving the way to bigger and greater possibilities.
You have been recognised and valued for your contributions
at international gatherings focusing on hardship
and social justice and penal reform. You have taken up
every opportunity to grow Napier into a Child-Friendly
City, coinciding with the United Nations Universal Children’s
Day. Closer to home you scuttled the campaign to
build a marina in the estuary; arguing again for solutions
which embrace all, not just the wealthy.
Your lifelong mission has been to focus on what it is
that unites us as peoples; to promote the universal truth
that the city can provide answers to its own social problems;
that our future lies in the connections that bind us
together, Putikitia te Aroha.
Heoi ano
Above: Dame Tariana Turia presents Pat with a korowai — a huge honour — on his 93rd birthday celebration held at the
Waiohiki Creative Arts Village.
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Restorative Justice – for an unjust justice system