He maha ngā pānga o Frederick Augustus Bennett ki ngā kōrero o te takiwā o Rotorua.
I whānau ia i Ōhinemutu, i te tau 1871. Ko tōna whaea, ko Raiha Ratete o Ngāti Whakaue. Nāna ia i whāngai ki tōna ahurea Māori me ōna tātai whakapapa, ā, nā tōna matua, nā Thomas Bennett nō Airana ia i rata ai ki te reo Pākehā me tana remurere ki te hāhi.
Nā tana whakatupuranga ia i rite ai kia kawea tāna mahi ki taumata kē atu. I a ia e tamariki ana, ka noho ki Maketū, otirā ki te wāhi i iriiria hoki ai ia e tētehi mihingare Amerikana e kīia nei tōna ingoa ko Minita Seymour Spencer.
Ka kuraina ia i Te Wairoa i te wā i tino hau ai te rongo o ngā mahi tūruhi. Koia pū te wā i tae atu ai te tini o Wikitōria i ngā tōpito o te ao kia kitea a Te Tarata me Ōtūkapuarangi o Rotomahana.
Tekau mā whā tau noa iho te pakeke o Frederick Augustus ka kitea tētehi raru nui i toko ake ai te whakaaro kia whāia e ia te rōpū whakakore waipiro nā te Pākehā tonu taua waipiro i hari ki te takiwā rā.
I tētehi punua whare karakia i Te Mū i te tau 1886 ka tūtaki a Frederick ki a Pīhopa Suter o Whakatū. Nā reira i rangona ai te reo waiata rōreka, i kitea hoki ai ētehi atu pūkenga o Frederick i tonoa ai ia kia haere i tō Pīhopa Suter taha ki Whakatū ki te whai tonu i te mātauranga.
Ka whakaae ngā mātua o Frederick kia haere ia ki Whakatū, ā, i muri tata tonu i tana wehenga, ka pahū a Tarawera.
Ka whakapirihihia a Frederick i te tau 1897, ā, ka mahia tāna mahi i Bell Block, i Taranaki. Ahakoa tonu te kaha whakahē a ētehi, i kaha tonu ia ki te aukati i te waipiro i te takiwā rā. I te tau 1905, ka whai tūranga a Frederick hei hupiritene o te mīhana Māori ka haere ai rāua ko tana wahine, ko Hana Unuhi Mere Paaka o Ngāti Awa ki Rotorua noho ai.
Nāna tētehi kapa haka i whakarite ki te whakangahau i a ngāi manene. He mea whakapau te pūtea i kohia ai kia tū mai ētehi hōro.
Nā Frederick te hāmenetanga o Manihera Tumatahi i kōrero i te tau 1907. I hāmenehia ia nōna e hī ika ana i tōna anō moana. He mea tuku ngā ika ki roto i te moana rā, heoi, kāore noa iho tērā i whakaaetia e ngā rangatira o te moana. I tae te take rā ki te Kōti Matua rā anō, ka mutu, i te tau 1922, tekau mā rima tau mai i tana kōkiritanga ka whai hua tā Frederick whawhai i whakaaetia ai kia utua a Te Arawa ki te ono mano tāra i ia tau whai muri tonu atu.
I tae a Frederick ki ngā taumata o te pōuri kenekene i te matenga o tana wahine, o Hana i te tau 1909 kia riro kē māna anake ā rāua tamariki tokotoru e tiaki i tana korenga. Na wai, nā wai, ka moe a Frederick i a Arihia Rangioue Pōkiha o Ngāti Pikiao, ā, ka noho piri tae noa atu ki te mutunga.
Hāunga tētehi o āna tamariki, tekau mā iwa rātau i pakeke, ka mutu, tokowhitu āna tama i uru ki a Ngāti Tūmatauenga i te wā o te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao.
Ahakoa ngā tohe mō te take nei, nā wai rā, nā wai rā, ka riro i a Frederick te tūranga whakahirahira o te Pīhopa o Aotearoa i te tau 1928. I te tau 1946 ka whakanuia tana tau rima tekau hei pirihi, ā, i te tau 1948 i tae ia ki te hui Lambeth i Rānana.
Ka mate a Frederick Augustus Bennett i te 16 o Hepetema, i te tau 1950. Hei tohu whakanui, ka tanua ia i raro i te whare karakia o St. Faiths i Ōhinemutu, i te wāhi i whānau ai ia. I waiatahia te waiata ‘Whakarongo ki te kupu’ i tana tangihanga.
Qualities: wellbeing, diligence
More to read:
https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/3b29/bennett-frederick-augustus
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/keyword/frederick-bennett
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/first-bishop-aotearoa-consecrated
From Rotorua Library:
About St Faith’s Church, Ōhinemutu:
St Faith’s Church, Ōhinemutu, Rotorua (Ngarangi T. Te Hau)
St Faith’s Anglican church: Te Hahi o te Whakapono + Ōhinemutu, Rotorua (Andrew Warner)
The Anglican Church in the hot lakes district: an historical survey (R. G. Webb)
More to listen to:
https://teara.govt.nz/en/speech/117/bennett-speaking-in-english-and-maori-at-a-hui
https://teara.govt.nz/en/speech/90/ehau-delivering-a-eulogy-for-bishop-frederick-augustus-bennett
https://28maoribattalion.org.nz/audio/ohinemutu-1943-bishop-frederick-bennett-sermon
This entry is related to these other entries:
28 Māori Battalion;
Sources:
Rotorua Museum Te Whare o Taonga Te Arawa
https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/3b29/bennett-frederick-augustus