Kia toitū ko Toi Reo
Nō nā tata nei tonoa ai ahau kia tuhia he kōrero hei whakairi ki roto o He Muka, ānō nei he paku aha nei kei ahau hei whakaaweawe i te hunga rangatahi. Heoi anō, anei e whakatutuki nei i tērā tono. Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori – tēnā rā koutou.
Ko Te Ama-Rere-Tai Rangihuna ahau. He kaupoi taku pāpā nō Te Araroa, ko te pepeha o reira ‘Kia kō anō ngā kōpara a Rongomaitāpui’, ā, i te taha ki te waiū, ko Te Pakipakitanga a Hinetemoa tērā, ‘Ko te ihu, ko te rae, tiakina, houhia te rongo’. Anei ko ‘hau e pato atu nei. Tokorua aku waripī (whakahēmanawatanga rānei), ko Tīwana rāua ko Kahimoa ō rāua ingoa.
I whānau mai ahau ki Whangārei i te iwa tekau mā waru. I reira te whānau e noho ana i taua wā rā. Nā te āhua o ngā mahi a taku māmā hei rōia āwhina i ngā iwi ki te whakaea take-Tiriti, i rite tonu ai tā mātou hūnuku haere i te whenua, ki roto tonu o aua iwi i mahi tahi rā ia. Ko te tamariki ai ōku kāore i pai ki tērā nui o te peke taone. Manohi anō, e tino kite ana ahau, ā mohoa nei, i te nui o taku māri i te poipoia ōku e ngā iwi maha me te whāngaihia hoki ōku ki ō rātou reo me ā rātou tikanga.
He mokopuna ahau nā te kōhanga reo. Ko taku pāpā te kaiako tāne tuatahi i roto i ngā kōhanga reo, nā whai anō ka noho mai ko ia hei kaiako ki a mātou ko taku tuakana, ko taku teina mai i te kōhanga reo, ki te kura, ā puta noa. He kōrero Māori taku pāpā. Taku māmā, ko tōna arero he iti reo, heoi anō nāna tonu te whakatau kia tukuna mātou ki te kōhanga reo e tino tangata whenua ai te reo Māori ki roto i a mātou. E kīia ana e ‘hau ko mātou te rautaki whakarauora reo a taku māmā ktk.
E tekau pea ngā kura i kuraina ai ahau puta noa i Te Ika a Māui – kura kaupapa Māori mai, kura auraki mai, i raka ai te matau, i raka ai te mauī. Nā, kia kī ake ahau i konei ki a tātou, mātua mā, he mea nui te kōrero ki ā tātou tamariki mō ngā āhuatanga ka tūpono puta i ngā kura auraki. Ka mahara ahau ki te tau 2014, te tau i kuraina ai ahau ki tētahi kura auraki. Me kaua pea ahau e whakaingoa i taua kura rā. Heoi anō, 16 tau noa iho taku pakeke i taua wā. I tētahi rangi, i te karaehe mātai ahupūngao ahau e tuhi reo Māori ana ki taku pukatuhi. Nā, ka noho mai te kaiako ki ahau ka titiro ai ki āku mahi. Ko tāna ki ahau:
“Don’t quote me on this, because then I’ll get a bunch of politicians knocking on my door [laughs]. But te reo Māori isn’t going to get you anywhere, so you shouldn’t even bother with it.” (Kūare, 2014).
Koinei te patunga tuatahi ōku ki te kaikiri. Ko ōku roimata kāore i taea te tātāwhi. Heoi anō, i te mutunga iho nāku te kata whakamutunga, ina hoki, i panaia tērā kaiako i te kura e te tumuaki, ka tahi. Ka rua, ko te tauaro kē i puta.
He mea pōhiri ahau ki te kaupapa o Toi Reo Māori e Lee Smith. Ki konei rere atu ai aku mihi ki tērā kairangi ka ngaro nei, i te nui o tana whakapono mai. Ka whakapā mai ia ki a māua ko taku tuakana, ko tana whakahau kia rēhita atu māua. Nā, ka pērā. Ka kite ahau i te rārangi ingoa o te hunga i rēhita i taua tau, pā mai ana ko te whakaririka me te māharahara nui – ko ngā tino taniwha tonu ēnei o te reo Māori. Ka toko ake te huatau, he aha taku haramai?
Heoi anō, i ū tonu. Kite tonu atu he ao anō te ao whakawhiti reo i tuwhera ai ngā karu ki te rerekē o te whakawhitinga ōpaki tērā i te whakawhitinga ōkawa, ki ngā kārawarawa, ki te punakupu, ki ngā nuka reo me te huhua noa atu. Me kore ake pea i ētahi o koutou, koinei ētahi o ngā pātai i kaha te pātaitia – Me whakamāori i te kupu rānei? I te wairua rānei? I te ia rānei? Me whakamahi rānei i ngā kīwaha? Me reremahi rānei? Me rerehāngū rānei? Ko tēhea te whakawhitinga hāngai ake? Katoa ēnei ka whakautua e ngā kaiako atamai o te kaupapa i roto i ngā wānanga.
Tūwhitia te hopo. Kāore he utu o te whakauru atu ki Toi Reo Māori nā reira ki te puta wawe koe i te kaupapa, kei te pai te hoki atu anō. Waihoki, e taea ana te hono atu i te hāneaneatanga o tō hōpa mā te Huitopa, kotahi noa iho te mutunga wiki i te marama. I te wāhi ki ngā māharahara mō te hunga e ako tahi ana koe, he huarahi mutunga kore tēnei mea te ako. Ko tātou katoa kei te ako tonu, me te aha, ka tino āwhina nuitia koe e taua hunga, e ō hoa ako. Mēnā he āwangawanga ōu mō te taumata o tō reo, arā hoki te whakamātautau tohu taumata hei mahi tōmua pea māu. Nā reira kāore he takunga. E pao tōrea!
Kāti, i tonoa tēnei tuhinga me kore noa e paku āritarita ai koutou ki te whai i te raihana nei. E tūmanako ana i tutuki te whāinga.
Rangatahi mā, kaua e tōnanawe. He nui te wāhi ki te reo Māori i tēnei ao tūnekeneke nei, me te aha, he nui noa atu te kaute o ngā tono whakamāori, tērā i te kaute kaiwhakamāori. He mahi kei reira mā koutou. Waihoki, ki te nui ake te kaute kaiwhakamāori, ka nui kē atu ngā tuhinga reo Māori ka wātea ki ā tātou tamariki mokopuna i ngā wāhi tūmatanui, otirā i ngā wāhi katoa. Koira tā pohewa e whaiwhai ake ana i te wā nei. Heoi anō.
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.