Wikitoria Te Huruhuru Whatu (Katene)
Wikitoria (Wiki) Te Huruhuru Whatu (Katene) was born on 3rd February in 1912 in Wellington. She was the eldest child of 14 children of Te Oti Kerei Katene (known as George) and Te Arohi Maraea Poaneke (known as Rose). She was born in the house that belonged to her Great Aunt, Amiria.
The first 4 years of her life were spent in their family home in Pukerua Bay after which they moved to Porirua to their home in Ngāti Toa Street.
When Wiki was 22, she embarked on a career that would guide the path for the rest of her life. It was uncommon for women to take up any type of career in those days but with the encouragement of Pakeha friend Wiki took up Nursing learning First Aid through the Red Cross.
As well as having her nursing background, Wiki had also been exposed to rongoa māori. As a youngster during the holidays, Wiki would be sent to her grandmother in Taupo where she learnt about māori medicines that were made from different leaves and roots. She carried on practicing Rongoa māori when she returned to Porirua, and it was common practice for children to be sent to the bush to collect certain leaves that were used for ailments. When Wiki was growing up there was no local Doctor, so they relied heavily on Rongoa māori.
Initially Wiki’s family was not supportive of her becoming a nurse, but later came to appreciate her training when she nursed her sick sister, Tilly.
Tilly had met with an accident while young and was later hospitalised for 4-5 years. She had compound fractures in both her legs and the treatment applied by doctors had not properly healed her injuries. When Wiki bought her sister home, she would bath her injuries in Mamaku fern, and use a poultice to draw out the poisons. Within a year she was well on her way to recovery. It was while she was nursing Tilly, that WWII broke out.
Along with her friend Hilda Hasse, Wiki was called to go to war by the Minister of Māori Affairs (war cabinet). Wiki was the only Māori nurse in her company and the first Māori nurse from Porirua.
In 1941, she sailed on the “Manganui” headed for Europe and celebrated her 30th birthday in Egypt. Although she spent a lot of time in the Middle East she also worked in Italy, France and Belgium. Her work overseas during the war was with the Voluntary Attached Division (VAD). Her experiences during war were very different to anything she had experienced elsewhere. Some years earlier she had also travelled to the Pacific Islands to nurse people affected by leprosy.
Wiki recalled that there was seldom spare time and no such thing as working from 9-5 or doing overtime. When there were people to care for and nurse you worked.
Very rarely she treated patients due to sickness, they just couldn’t afford the time to take them above injured soldiers. While working at a hospital in Italy, she also nursed one of our own, Eddie Thompson (Tamihana) from Dannevirke.
The experience of war is something Wiki will never forget and while she was never at the frontline, she was close enough to witness its effects.
During the War it was not all work without play. Every two months, Wiki was allowed a week to fortnight of leave. It was during this time that she visited places of interest including the Isle of Capri in Italy. She recalled this as a lovely and dainty place where the famous actress Grace Kelly holidayed.
As an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Wiki was also fortunate enough to travel to Jerusalem where she visited Bethlehem, Palestine and Nazareth when she accompanied injured soldiers to witness the return of the Jews to Palestine.
In 1943, Wiki was recognized for her nursing contribution with a military award mentioned in dispatches (M.I.D). Near the end of the war, she was travelling home through England and the United States when she heard that the war had ended.
On her return, Wiki decided to take a break from Nursing and took a job with the Welfare Office for Māori Affairs to help administer their post war welfare programme. She worked with returned soldiers to help rehabilitate them and assist them in finding employment. Her special ability to show compassion and maintain dignity of patients during the war was critical in helping soldiers who were affected by war re-establish themselves into the community. This job was based in Auckland, and it was there that she met Douglas Whatu whom she later married at Takapūwāhia in 1947.
Originally from Kawhia, Douglas served in the Army and was based in Auckland. Due to a knee injury sustained while playing football Douglas did not serve overseas but trained the boys that were sent overseas.
Although they had no surviving children of their own, they raised their nephew Tai who came to live with them at the age of eleven. Douglas and Wiki were married for 35 years.
Wiki never regretted her life as a single woman before she got married. She was able to visit all the places that she had only ever learnt about. Before she married, the Returned Services Association planned a reunion asking Wiki to accompany them to visit all the places she had been during the war. During the tour, the Servicemen “treated me like a baby” reciprocating her gentle and caring nature she applied to the many injured soldiers during the war. It was also during the reunion they were invited to visit Prince Rainer at his Palace. “What an experience that was!” she recalled.
Through her later years Wiki continued to be active in iwi and Church activities and could be seen spending much of her time in the garden. She also had a bit of a reputation for being the best organiser of parties and events. Her whanau always had an open-door policy and they would be host to many people over the years, again, reflecting the caring nature of this wahine toa.
In 1992, in her 80th year, Wikitoria Whatu was awarded the Queen Service Medal (Q.S.M), in recognition of her services to the community, in particular recognising the work while serving overseas in World War II.
Sadly, Wiki passed away peacefully on 20th August 2006.
Wiki was a Women’s Patron for the Māori Battalion and a patron for the Porirua Women’s Section of the R.S.A. In acknowledgement of her contribution to Nursing, a scholarship was established to second- or third-year nursing students who can demonstrate a Māori whakapapa and have successfully completed their first year of Nursing. A priority is given to students who can demonstrate Ngāti Toa or Ngāti Tama whakapapa, however, this is not definitive criteria. A proved academic record and commitment to working within the health sector in the Porirua/Wellington region is also recommended.
Wiki Katene will be remembered for her services overseas, her iwi and her church.