“Nā te māia o Shaneki te hautū i mārama ai tōna pakari ki te arataki haere i a Whakaata Māori i roto i ngā arotakenga a te rāngai pāpāho Māori, ngā whakararu mai a te ngārara urutā me ngā hurihuringa matihiko. Nā ōna whakapau kaha kua kitea te pōrutu mai o te tokomaha e mātaki ana, e toro maiana ki ā mātou kaupapa. Kua eke noa atu te tokomaha o ngā tāngata e mātaki ana i ngā kaupapa a Whakaata Māori ki taumata kē,” te kōrero a Jamie Tuuta.

I puta te pānui a te Toihau i tētahi huihuinga a Whakaata Māori kia kopoua anō a Shane Taurima mō te rima tau kei mua i te aroaro.

“Me mihi a Whakaata Māori ka tika i āna whakatutukitanga nui i te tau kua hipa. Ka nui te harikoa kua whānui pūrua te hunga apataki i te hongere reo Māori; me whakanui te ekenga o ngā tikiake MĀORI+ ki tua atu o te 100,000 te nui, ā, ko tōna tahi miriona tāngata i tahuri mai ki te mātaki mā MĀORI ACTIVE. Nō tā mātou hono kōtui me NZ Sports Collective, i neke atu i te 30 ngā kura tuarua i whakapāhotia mataoratia ai ā rātou mahi hākinakina ki ā mātou apataki. Hei āpiti atu, e whakahī nei mātou ko te tau tuatoru tēnei kua piki ake tā mātou tapeke toro kaimahi, arā,ko te 4 ō roto i te 5 i tēnei wā. Ko ēnei whakatutukitanga e tohu nei i te pukumahi me te manawanui o tō mātou waka kia puta ai he hua ki ngā apataki me ngā hapori,” te kōrero a Jamie Tuuta.

Nā Shane Taurima i ārahi te whakaūnga o tētahi pūnaha ine putanga ki Whakaata Māori mā roto i te hanganga o te anga putanga e kīia nei ko Te Huapae. He mea nui te ine i ngā pānga mai me te puringa o ngā raraunga ki ngā tikanga whakataunga, whakamahere hoki.

“Ināianei, he pai ake ngā taunakitanga kōrero a Whakaata Māori e mea ana, e 80% te tokomaha o ngā apataki Māori kua whakaawetia, kua tautokotia ki te ako i te reo Māori i runga i te manawareka kite ahurea Māori. E 70% te tokomaha kua kaha ake te whakamahi i te reo Māori mā roto i ā tātou kaupapa,” te kōrero a Jamie Tuuta.

E whakaatu ana te rārangi pātai apataki kātahi anō ka puta i te horopū o Whakaata Māori, arā, e 83% te tokomaha o te hunga apataki e whakaae ana he wāhanga nui tā Whakaata Māori me āna kaupapa ki te tuakiri ā-motu, ā, e 91% tetokomaha o ngā apataki Māori e pono mai ana ki a Whakaata Māori hei tuku i ngā kōrero, hei whakatairanga hoki te reo Māori.

“Mā te ngākaunui ki ngā kōrero, ki te reo me te ahurea Māori e hua hora nui ai te ahureatanga ki roto o Aotearoa nei.  He mea nui kia whanake haere tonu a Whakaata Māori kia rite tonu te mana o te kaupapa ki te momo mana i whakarērea iho,” te kōrero a Jamie Tuuta.

Ka nui te mihi a Shane Taurima ki Te Rūnanga Kaiwhakatere o Whakaata Māori, ki ngā Kaihoe, ki te rāngai pāpāho Māori whānui me ngā hapori Māori. Kei ōna kupu mihi ka kitea te mahi ngātahi e whai mana ai a Whakaata Māori.

“Nōku nei te whiwhi kua whai wāhi mai au ki tēnei kaupapa nui, whakaharahara o te ao Māori. He kaupapa motuhake nō Aotearoa e takahi tahi nei i te ara tuku kōrero me ngā iwi taketake o te ao. Kua titikaha tō tātou tūāpapa whenua, nā reira, ka nui taku hiamo kia tukuna ā tātou kawenga matihiko kia rere. Ka haere tonu ngā mahi whakatutuki i ngā hiahia atu me ngā hiahia mai a te hunga apataki i runga i te whai kia mauriora te reo me ngā tikanga Māori,” te kōrero a Shane Taurima.  

Ka kopoua anō a Shane Taurima imua tata mai i te kaupapa whakatuwhera i a Hawaikirangi, he whare toi auaha, he whare toi whanake hou ki Whakaata Māori. Hei te ata pō o te 4 o Hepetema 2023 tākina ai ngā karakia tā i te kawa o Hawaikirangi e te mana whenua, e ngā kaihautū me ngā Minita.

“Ko Hawaikirangi he whare whakaihi, he whare okioki e puta ai ngā kaupapa hirahira, me te aha, he whare whakangūngū e puta ai he āheinga whakapakari i ngā Kaihoe. Ehara i te mea mō Whakaata Māori anake, engari, mō te rāngai pāpāho Māori whānui mā roto i te whakatītina i ngā pūkenga me te para i ētahi huarahi whakawhanake, auaha hoki,”te kōrero a Shane Taurima.

“Nā ngā kāhui whetū o te pō ka tīrama mai ngā kōrero mō te tangata, mō te ahurea me ngā kōrero tuku iho mō Hawaiki. Koia ko Hawaikirangi, he hono tāngaengae ki te onamata, ki te inamata me ngā rā ki tua kia tangata whenua ai te mātauranga a ō tātou tīpuna me ā rātou kōrero tuku iho.”

“Ko te tapanga o te ingoa o Hawaikirangi he maharatanga kia toi auaha, kia puta hoki he mahi whakamīharo i a tātou. He huarahi whakahōnore i ngā mahi hei whakatutuki kia noho whakahī ai tātou. Ko tō tātou hiahia kia mauroa te rangatiratanga o tēnei whare mō ake tonu, arā, kia rite ki ngā kāhui whetū i te rangi,” te kōrero a Shane Taurima.

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