He tuhinga tawhito nō He Muka, putanga 3 (2) Ngahuru 1990

Koinei te pakirehua i whiua ki ngā whakahaere katoa e whakaako ana, e whai wāhi mai ana rānei ki te reo Māori.

I runga anō i te reo whakahei o Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori i whakarauika mai ki te marae o Kirikiriroa ngā māngai mō te kōhanga reo, mō Te Atārangi, mō ngā kura kaupapa Māori, mō ngā kura tuarua, mō ngā kuratini, mō ngā whare takiura, mō ngā whare wānanga, mō ngā hāhi, mō ngā kaumātua me ētahi rōpū e kaingākau mai ana ki te kaupapa.

Neke atu i te 140 i te rā tuatahi e whiriwhiri ana, e tohetohe ana, e wānanga ana i te take nei. He mea whakarōpū te hunga haere mai i runga anō i ō rātou karangatanga kia āta mōhiotia ai ngā huatau o ia whakahaere. I pau katoa te ata me te wāhanga tuatahi o te ahiahi ki ngā whiriwhiri nei, ā, nō muri i te inumanga tī o te ahiahi ka whakatōpūtia te katoa o ngā rōpū, ā, ka tū ia kaikōrero ki te whakaputa i ngā whakaaro o tōna anō rōpū.

He nui te whakaaro i puta – kitea ana, rangona ana te tiketike, te hōhonu o te kupu, o te whakaaro ki te kaupapa nei. Ko te ia o te kōrero a tētahi i pēnei. I heke rā anō rātou ki a Hine-nui-i-te-pō ki te whakawāwā i ō tātou kuia, koroua, mō te āhua ki te reo. Ka kīia mai e ērā, “I te pai i te wā i a mātou i wehe mai ai. I ahatia e koutou? E hoki!“ Ka haere anō ngā kōrero a te kaikōrero, “I piki mātou ki Te Atua pātai atu ai mō te reo, ka kī mai ia – Nāku nei i hoatu te reo ki a koutou, kua ahatia e koutou? E hoki!“

Nā reira, nei ka noho, ka kohi i ngā mahara me te whakatau iho, kei tēnei reanga mōhio ki te kōrero Māori te ora, te mate rānei o te reo. Whakamataku ana tērā!

Ko te mutunga iho o ngā kōrero, me tahuri te katoa ki te kōrero Māori i ngā wā katoa, i ngā wāhi katoa, ā, me whakatū he whare wānanga reo Māori e Māori noa ana tōna reo whakaako, kia whai hua ai ngā whakaakoranga o roto i ngā kōhanga reo, o ngā kura kaupapa Māori, kura reorua, ā, kia waiho mai mā te whare wānanga reo Māori e whakaū, e whakapūmau.

Ko ngā kura tuarua e āhua uaua mai ana nā te āhua tonu o ā rātou nei whakahaere. Tērā pea ko ngā kura Māori pēnei i Tīpene me Wikitoria me reo Māori anake hei reo whakaakoranga, hei reo e rangona ai e kōrerotia ana. He maruāpō noa?

Wai ka hua!

Mō te kaupapa nui, te whare wānanga reo Māori, he maha ngā kōrero, engari nō te taunga o te puehu, whakatauhia ana e te katoa o te whakaminenga, me whakatū, ā, kia wawe tonu.

Ko te mahi i āianei, he tāpae pūrongo ki te Minita Māori hei whakamōhio atu i a ia he aha ngā whakaaro o te hunga e mate nui mai ana ki te reo, ā, māna e whakatau pēhea, pēhea. Ko te mahi i tua atu i tēnā, kia haere ētahi tāngata kia kite i a ia hei whakapā noa atu, ā, mē muri whakatakoto ai i te pūrongo, whakapā atu anō hoki ki te iwi, kia paku mōhiotia hoki e pēhea ana tā rātou nā aro mai, kore noa iho rānei.

Ki te tonoa atu i te pūtea a te Kāwanatanga, kua mate anō hoki ki te tono ki Te Hunga Whakamana Tohu Mātauranga (NEQA) kia whakaae mai ki ngā kaupapa me te āhua o te whakaakona o aua kaupapa, tae atu ki te whakawhiwhinga o te tohu ā tōna wā ki te hunga ka puta ngā ihu.

Kotahi tonu te wairua o te hui – me ū, Māori mā! Kōrero Māori i ngā wā katoa, i ngā wāhi katoa, ā, tutuki noa te hui, ko te reo Māori te reo i rangona i roto i ngā whiriwhiri. Heoi anō tāku nā pātai, mena ka taea i tēnei hui, he aha i kore ai e taea i ā tātou hui katoa? Kāti te waiho i te reo Pākehā hei reo matua mō tātou, kia ū tonu ki tō tātou ake reo.

Kāti rā, e te hunga i hui mai, āku mihi nui tonu mo koutou i takahi i te nuku o te whenua kia tae mai ai me ā koutou nā whakaaro ki te hui. Nā te kotahi o te waihoe me te whakairi matamata, ū pai ana te waka ki uta. Engari kia maumahara tātou ko te wā o te āiō tēnei, taihoa anō te tuarangaranga, te whenewhene o Hinemoana!

I ū pai ai te hui nā ngā tūmau e tū nei i muri. Ki a Te Kirikōwhai me ana kaimahi, tae atu ki a Ngāti Wairere me ōna karangatanga, tēnei rā ngā mihi atu āku ake nei, a Timoti, me te katoa o mātou o Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. Anei tā rātou hei whakatinana i tā mātou e kī nei, “He kai nā te rangatira whero i taka“.

Kirikiriroa marae, noho mai me ngā mihi nui a te motu i eke ki runga i a koe i te 14 o Poutūterangi 1990.

Tēnā anō tātou katoa.