A Simple Warning for Our Survival

There’s a prophecy from the prophet T.W. Ratana that has been weighing heavily on my heart lately. On the surface, it sounds like a simple talk about groceries, but when you look closer, it’s a serious warning about the survival of our people.

Ratana warned his followers never to barter away their long-term future for cheap things that don’t last. He spoke of a time when our land, our actual life force, would be traded away for everyday items like "flour, sugar, potatoes," or "flour, sugar, tea, and tobacco." This wasn't just a lesson about what to keep in the kitchen pantry; it was a warning about how our local wealth slips right through our fingers. He saw a future where we would give up our ability to grow our own food and look after ourselves, trading it for cheap, imported goods that leave us empty in the end.

Making vs. Consuming

The way we look at things here in the North, the things we grow ourselves, like the potato or the kūmara, represent Indigenous Production. This is about what we plant, what we create, and the energy we keep within our own community borders. Growing our own food builds life and order. When we make things for ourselves, we are fixing the soil and ensuring that our well-being is in our own hands.

A Vision of Hope

In the misty, rugged heart of the Urewera forest, there is a powerful story of hope and heartache that every single one of us should hold close to our hearts. It is the story of Rua Kēnana Hepetipa and the beautiful, safe community he built for his people at Maungapōhatu. Following a deep spiritual guidance and the older prophecies of Te Kooti, Rua led his followers, known as the Iharaira, away from the distractions and pressures of the outside world. Together, they cleared the bush to build a dedicated city of God right on the steep slopes of their sacred mountain.

Escaping the Machine Mindset

For Rua, this massive hill community was not just about religion or hiding away, it was a practical way to protect the true standing and well-being of his people. He saw clearly how the colonial system was set up to turn local people into cheap workers on their own ancestral land. Rua decided to make a clean break from that broken path. He imagined a safe home where daily work and deep faith lived together as one, where families looked after each other, and where the future was decided by the community around the table, not by a cold bureaucracy in a distant city.