Tuku whakarere ngā roimata i aku kamo,
rite tonu ki te rere o te awa o Ngaruroro.
Tānenuiarangi te whare tupuna,
anei rā ō mokopuna, aroharoha nui.

Aupiki rā i Kahuranaki, tūpikia rā a Titiōkura.

Mātai whakararo ki te paringa o ngā wai kaukau o ōku mātua tīpuna, o Ngaruroro, o Mōhaka, ki te ākau o aroha i whakaterea ai ko ōku waka, ko Tākitimu, ko Mātaatua.

E rongo rā i te pūāhurutanga o ōku marae, o Kohupātiki, o Te Hāroto i pūāhuru ai i tōna rahi, i a Ngāti Toa Harapaki, i a Ngāti Hineuru.

E kīia nei te kōrero ‘Kia Eke!’ Ē ko Ngāti Kahungunu, ko Ngati Hineuru e mihi ake nei i runga i te ngākau whakaiti, e maioha atu nei i runga i te ngākau whitawhita, tēnā rā koutou katoa.

Ko Harlem-Cruz Atarangi Ihaia tōku ingoa, 24 ngā āmiotanga i a Tamanuiterā.

Tokotoru āku tamariki, tokorua o ērā he tamariki whāngai. He mokopuna tēnei o te Kōhanga Reo, o te Kura Kaupapa Māori – koinei te ao i pakeke mai ai ahau, i takoto ai ko ēnei wheako hei tūāpapa mō tōku anamata. He wahine mau moko kauae ahau.

I toko ake te hiahia kia tāngia ahau ki te moko kauae i te hiku o te tau 2021. I ahu mai te hiahia i roto tonu i au, ehara i te mea i noho ahau ki te āta whakaaro ake, te āta wānanga ake rānei i te tānga ōku ki te moko kauae, i poka noa te toko ake o tērā hiahia. Mai i taua hīnātore, i tīmata te āta whakaaro me pēhea te whakatutuki i tēnei wawata ōku, me te whakatutuki i runga anō i te whakaaetanga mai a tōku whanau. Koinei tētahi o aku whakapono nui.  Me mātua whakaae rawa ōku kuia, mātua, tuākana. Nā reira, ka haere au ki tērā hunga me te whakamōhio atu i a rātou. He mīharo noa mai tā rātou ki ahau me tāku i whakatakoto atu ai ki a rātou.

Ko tētahi wāhanga matua o te moko kanohi ko te kōwhiri i te tangata māna tō kiri e tā. Mōku, kāore he tangata i tua atu i a Cody Hollis, ko ia tētahi o ōku tino hoa.  Mōhio rawa atu au ki a Cody me ōna whakapono e pā ana ki te ao Māori,  me tōna whakatinana hoki i aua whakapono.  Ko taku hiahia he whai kaitā he hononga pūmau ki au, waihoki he ōrite ō māua pononga ki te reo me ngā tīkanga Māori.  I tuku karere au ki a Cody, i whakaae mai ia, ā, ka whakatau ia i te rā e wātea ana ia, nāwai nāwai, ka tinana mai te wawata o roto ki te ao kikokiko.

Nā, ka tīmata i reira taku whakamahere i tōku rā, te rā e tāngia ai ahau ki te moko kauae.  I waea atu au ki tōku marae kia tāpuia ai te whare tīpuna kia tāngia tōku moko kauae i tōna poho, i roto i a Tānenuiarangi ki Kohupātiki Marae.  Ko taku hiahia kia moea tahitia e mātou ko taku whānau te pō ki te marae, e noho tahi ai mātou i runga i te whakaaro tahi.  Ko te tikanga o taku wawata kia noho i te pō o mua mai i te tānga kia taea ai e taku wairua, whatumanawa, tinana, hinengaro hoki, te noho tahi ki ōku tīpuna, kia whai i te ora, i te kaha, i te māramatanga mō tēnei haerenga ōku.

Ka tae atu ki te pō o mua mai o te tānga, ka uru mai tōku whānau mai i tawhiti, mai i tata anō hoki ki te marae hei whakarite mō te rā matua.  He whakareri kai mō te hākari ā muri ake i tōku tānga, he whakapaipai i te marae, he whakareri moenga te mahi.

Ka hoki ōku mahara ki te pō o mua i te rā matua, kua taka te whānau ki te moe, i hīkoi atu ki waho me te noho i raro i ngā maihi o tōku whare tīpuna me te tiro whakarunga ki ngā whetū, ka rongo au i te āio me te maungārongo, mai i reira mōhio pū au ko tēnei haerenga ōku, ehara i te mea he haerenga mōku anake, engari he haerenga mō ngā whakatipuranga o mua, o ā muri anō hoki.

Ka tau atu ki te ata o te rā matua.  I whakarite au i tētahi pure ki te wairere o Tangoio mōku, ā, mō taku whānau ki te taha o tētahi o aku whaea, he tohunga whakataki pure.  I reira, ka taki karakia hei whakawātea i au me te whakahaumaru i ngā mahi o te rā.  I tīmata mātou ki te hīkoi i muri i te wairere. Ko au i te whakaaro ake ki ngā taumahatanga hei kaupare ake māku ki tua, kia puta ana ahau i te wairere, ka takatū ahau ki tōku anamata. Kia rite.

Ka hoki atu au ki te marae, ka parakuihi tahi ki te whānau, ka whakareri ki te pōhiri i a Cody me taku whānau waewae tapu. Ka ea te pōhiri, ka noho tahi māua ko Cody me te āta wānanga e pā ana ki tōku ao. Ko ngā korero i whai pānga ki tōku whānau, āku mahi, ōku whakapono, ōku pononga, ā, ka āta whakaaro ake a Cody ka pēhea tana whakatinana i aku kōrero me te tuitui anō i ngā kōrero ki te moko.

Ka takoto au, ka mau i te korowai o tōku whānau ki taku tinana, ka mau i te mere o tōku whānau ki tōku ringa. Ka kite atu au i ngā pikitia maha o tōku whānau kua riro i te tirohanga kanohi, ka rere ngā karakia.

Ka hoki a mahara ki te wā e takoto ana ahau me te rangimārie rawa o taku noho, me taku wairua.  Ko te pātai e nui ana te pātaitia mai “He mamae rānei te mahi kauae? Te mahi ngutu purua rānei?  Ko tāku, āe he mamae, engari te momo o te mamae, he rangimārie rawa atu.

Kua ea ngā mahi, ka maranga ake au.......

Kāti, ko tā He Muka he whakaputa kōrero ki te reo Māori. Ko ngā tirohanga, whakaaro rānei kei roto i te tuhinga nei he mea whaiaro nō te tangata nāna te kōrero i tuhi. Ka mutu, kāore i te whakaatu i ngā whakaaro o, i ngā kōrero a, rānei, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, āna kaimahi, tana pae whakahaere, tana poari rānei, tae atu rā ki ngā tari, ngā pakihi rānei e whai pānga ana ki Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, ahakoa te hononga, hāunga i ngā mea kua āta whakahuatia ake ai.  Ehara ēnei tirohanga, whakaaro, kōrero rānei i te mea whakaiti, whakahē rānei, i te iwi, i te hapori, i te rōpū, i te tari, i te pakihi, i te tangata rānei.