Ka kite ano¯, Mr President, come back soon
Barack Obama has left the country, following one final meeting with a group of influential Ma¯ ori women.
His brunch at Auckland’s fivestar Sofitel hotel came the night after he called for women leaders to run the world.
Fashion designer Kiri Nathan was one of 21 Wa¯ hine Toa members who met Obama at the hotel in Auckland’s CBD yesterday morning. She said earlier she was excited to meet the ‘‘historychanging’’ man.
Wa¯ hine Toa, established by Nancy Gilbert, wife of former United States ambassador Mark Gilbert in 2016, was set up to highlight and foster Ma¯ ori women leaders in Aotearoa.
‘‘What do I think of Obama? What do you think of someone who’s changed the history of the world forever?’’ Nathan said.
‘‘I have huge respect for him and Michelle Obama because they have led by example, they’ve created initiatives that no-one’s ever done,’’ said the mother of five.
The 45-year-old is a board member of I Have A Dream Foundation, which provides ‘‘whole child support’’ over 13 years to 1500 Far North decile one schoolchildren. She is also one of a group of iwi and community leaders, lawyers, chief executives, entrepreneurs and professors who make up Wa¯ hine Toa.
‘‘[The Obamas] have literally spent all their time and energy focusing on young girls and woman, which is aligned with the same ethos as Wa¯ hine Toa. We need a little bit more of that in the world.
‘‘What we want to do is create platforms where we can identify at-risk youth, young Ma¯ ori girls and women or rangatahi who need mentorship and provide that.’’
‘‘Everything about this [meeting with Obama] is beautiful and positive. So many great things can come from this meeting,’’ she said.
Like much of Obama’s whirlwind trip to New Zealand, the meeting was shrouded in secrecy. Attendees were told to ‘‘block out’’ certain dates months back but were left guessing up until last week, she said.
Rotorua Lakes Council general manager Gina Rangi told Ma¯ ori Television they would meet Obama for brunch.
After the meeting, Nathan said the group had actually eaten before they met with Obama. ‘‘Everyone was too nervous’’ to eat when he was in the room, she said.
Their meeting involved a onehour korero, or discussion, around a large, square table.
‘‘We had a brief welcome and then we went straight into sharing some stories around what the women are doing here. He’s a firm believer in ‘go local, go deep’, and [for] all the women sitting at that table that’s exactly what they do,’’ Nathan explained.
The women also shared some ideas they had for the Obama Foundation, which aims to empower people to make change in their communities.
It will be based in Chicago and have satellite sites around the world, with the Asia-Pacific satellite located in Hawaii.
The group presented Obama with a korowai woven by Nathan and a pounamu carved by her husband, Jason Nathan.
Nathan said she appreciated the respect Obama had for women and their ideas.
‘‘One of the things he said was, ‘If you go to a country, the first thing I look at is their women and young girls – what positions are they in? Are they leaders or are they oppressed? That will tell you what that country is like as a whole’.’’
Obama left the Sofitel about 11.30am yesterday following the brunch, and a crowd of about 40 people lined both sides of Halsey St to see him off.
On Thursday, the 44th American president spent his morning on the golf course with former prime minister John Key before receiving a po¯ whiri at Auckland’s Government House led iwi Nga¯ ti Wha¯ tua O¯ ra¯ kei.
Later, 900 invited guests dined on fare cooked by Kiwi celebrity chef Peter Gordon before actor Sam Neill led Obama’s moderated conversation at the Viaduct Events Centre.
Stuff chief executive Sinead Boucher was ‘‘inspired’’ by Obama’s views on the importance on having women in leadership positions. ‘‘Everyone was enthralled listening to the discussion and inspired by his experiences, and his thoughts and comments but also his optimism for the future.’’
Obama’s motorcade arrived at Auckland International Airport about midday, and he flew out on his private jet shortly afterward.
❚ Opinions, C5