Kua pānuitia e te Tumu Whakarae mō Te Mātāwai, e Poia Rewi, ka heke ia i tōna tūranga mahi hei te Māehe 2025; kua whā tau me te hāwhe ia e noho nei hei kaihautū i te waka whakaūkaipō i te reo Māori ki ngā iwi me ngā whānau Māori.

I roto i tēnei wā, kua kaha te whakatipuria mai o ngā pūkenga me ngā raukaha e Poia (Ngāti Manawa, Tūhoe, Te Arawa, Ngāti Whare, Tūwharetoa) ki Te Mātāwai. Tokowhā noa ngā kaimahi pūmau i te tau 2020, ā nāwai kua piki te tokomaha ki te 38 kaimahi a mohoa (tae atu hoki ki ngā tūranga mahi pūmau e iwa kei ngā Pae Motuhake o ngā rohe).

Hei tā Reikura Kahi, hoa-toihau o Te Mātāwai, he hōnore nui te piringa mai o te momo pēnei i a Poia i tōna ngākau remurere kia kaha ake te kōrerotia o te reo Māori.

Ko tāna, “He tangata ngākau iti, engari hiranga ake nei a Poia i roto i āna mahi kaihautū. He tangata e kauanuanutia ana puta noa i Aotearoa nei, ā, e arohatia nuitia ana ia e āna kaimahi katoa. Te amohanga ake āna i te urungi i Te Mātāwai, nāna i hua ai tā mātou mahere hapori motuhake, ā, nō konei whakapūmautia ai ngā Kāhui ā-Iwi e waru me ā rātou ake Pae Motuhake e kī pohapoha ana i te toa reo Māori. I tēnei tau, i mahi ngātahi a Poia me te Poari Matua ki te waihanga i te rautaki whakakitenga hou mō te reo Māori mā te whakaterenga o tētahi waka e pae atu nei ki Hawaiki Tipuna ā te tau 2027, ā, kia tau rā anō ia me āna mahi whakaūkaipō i te reo Māori ki tōna wāhi ūnga, ki Hawaiki Mokopuna ā te tau 2040.

Te Tumu Whakarae, a Poia Rewi i te kaupapa Komiti Kaha 2024 a Te Mātāwai.

“Me mihi e mātou a Poia i ngā mahi katoa kua tutuki i a ia hei Tumu Whakarae. Kua ora rawa atu mātou i tōna mātanga ki te reo Māori, ki ngā tikanga, ki te whaikōrero me ngā mahi rangahau; kua whai hua nui hoki te huarahi nāna tonu i para hei takahitanga mā mātou.

“Heoi, i te otinga atu, ka mokemoke mātou ki a Poia i tōna ngākau motuhenga, i tōna ngākau manaaki ki te tangata me tōna manawa tītī ki te whakarauoratanga o te reo Māori, ao noa, pō noa.” te kī mai a Reikura.

E mea ana a Poia, ahakoa pōuri te ngākau i tōna wehenga i Te Mātāwai, ka pūmau tonu ia ki tōna tūruapō, arā, ‘Kia Ūkaipō anō Te Reo ki ngā Kāinga me ngā Hapori’.

“Kua tutuki katoa ngā whāinga i whakaritea hei whai māku i taku taenga mai me ētahi kaupapa i tua atu. Ko taku hiahia i tēnei wā, he piri kaha ki tōku whānau, he takoha hoki i ōku mōhio ki ngā kāinga, ngā hapori me ngā iwi i tawhiti ai ahau i ngā tau, he hanga e matenui ana ki te whakatipu ake anō i tōna reo me ōna tikanga,” te kōrero mai a Poia.

Hei te tau e tū mai nei ka rapua anō he Tumu Whakarae hou.

Whakaahua: Kua tata pau te rima tau ia e hautū ana i tēnei kaupapa whakaūkaipō i te reo, ā, kua heke a Poia i tōna tūranga hei Tumu Whakarae. Ka hoki ia ki te āhuru o tōna whānau noho ai hei hoa rangatira, hei pāpā, hei 'koro'.

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