Leading from the front issuu

”Pat had demonstrated many times, sometimes the best way to
encourage others that they are worthy to stand up and be counted,
is having the courage to stand up and be counted yourself.”
the Year in 2017, it was after one of these breakfasts;
when Minnie had recounted a life changing moment
for someone she was helping. Minnie would happily
have spent the rest of her life fighting wholeheartedly
for small victories in an overwhelming battle. There are
precious few moments in life when an advocate is offered
a bigger room, a louder microphone, a different
audience. In those moments, it is common that humility,
not a lack of courage, stops a good person taking up
that offer. I knew humility would prevent Minnie from
taking any credit for the incredible things she did and
the vast number of lives she had changed, so I didn’t tell
her until after I had done it. Sticking our heads above
the parapet did not appeal to either of us: while we were
comfortable up in front, our preference was always to
lead from the back. But as Pat had demonstrated many
times, sometimes the best way to encourage others
that they are worthy to stand up and be counted, is
having the courage to stand up and be counted yourself.
(Thanks for this difficult and beautiful lesson Pat.)
Accepting the nomination challenged Minnie tremendously:
she never once considered she might actually
win the Award.
Minnie often spoke about the book The Ant and the
Ferrari, which Helen Lloyd lent her. She talked about the
moment you realise you’re like an ant on a Ferrari, then,
that there are other ants on the Ferrari too. That’s when
her consciousness moved from Maraenui to global. She
began to notice the patterns that shape human behaviour
and the world we have built around us. It was with
fresh eyes and newfound courage and curiosity that she
boarded a plane to London with Pat in 2018 to speak at
ICOPA.
Minnie wowed the crowds at that conference. She
spoke brilliantly on child friendly cities and her own
experiences. She said she found herself feeling equal
when she was more used to being on the other side of
awe. She was astounded to be the only speaker to recite
a pepeha, moving the attendees that spoke to her
about it afterwards; and for once she allowed herself
to be admired for her skill, where she spoke from, her
unique perspective. Several Canadian academics asked
her to come and speak at their conference in Canada
the following year. Whenever attendees assumed she
was an academic and asked what university she represented
she answered proudly “The University of Maraenui.”
I used to tell Minnie often that she was one of the
smartest people I knew. Before ICOPA she didn’t believe
me but following that conference, she did. The conference,
its people and its kaupapa impacted Minnie deeply.
When giving instructions for how she wanted to be
dressed for her tangi, Minnie said, just wrap me in my
quilt with my pounamu that has been touched by people
all over the world.
Minnie told me she got a lot of her fearlessness from
Pat. Together no-one would say no to them! Very little
intimidated her now, as bureaucracy had once done. She
said understanding how the machine worked made her
feel empathy for the people stuck working in it; she reckoned
being less angry and frustrated with bureaucrats
allowed her to get more done for her people.
Soon after ICOPA and her experience overseas, her
heart and focus went back to Maraenui. She let the
global stuff take care of itself. For Minnie this time in history
is the time of Rūaumoko, son of sky father Ranginui
and earth mother Papatūānuku, the god responsible for
all violent stirrings beneath the earth. She was at peace
with the fracturing going on around her in the world; she
said broken systems had to fracture before they could
heal.
As her life drew to a close she took comfort in the
small and personal. She knew what she meant to people
and she had a chance to tell us what we meant to her.
She surrounded herself with her beloved whānau and
felt blessed and joyful that they had been drawn home to
her. Amongst tears were songs and laughter and many,
many stories. And her loving but firm reassurance that if
you reckon someone should do something about it, that
someone might just be you: “If you feel frustration, just
step up — don’t settle for being walked over.”
Opposite: Freedom by Helen Dynes.
Minnie Ratima - 1964 - 2020 215