Kua neke atu i te 20 tau a Te Puna e tautoko ana i te whakarauoratanga o te reo Māori ki ngā ripa tauārai o Hauraki. I tēnei wā tonu, e tū ana ia hei Tumuaki Tuarua ki Te Wharekura o Manaia. He Pou Reo, he Pou Tikanga hoki mō Te Whare Tāhuhu Kōrero o Hauraki. E noho ana hoki ia ki Te Pae Motuhake o Tainui hei māngai mō Hauraki. Kua riro i a Te Puna te tūranga Poutaki, te tūranga kua manaakihia mai e Tākuta Haki Tuaupiki. Nō te tau 2022 a Haki noho ai hei māngai ki te Poari o Te Mātāwai. Waihoki, kua 10 tau ia e noho ana i Te Pae Motuhake o Tainui.
Mā Te Puna ngā maruāpō whakarauora reo o Tainui e arataki, kia rongo ai i te reo taketake o te rohe ki ngā kāinga, ki ngā marae, ki ngā hapori hoki. Ko tō te rohe o Tainui aronga matua, he whakapakari ake i te kōrerotia o te reo Māori o ia rā; he whakawhanake hoki i te māia o te tangata mā te whakarite huarahi ako e āwhina ai i a ia; he whakaū hoki i te tuakiritanga mā te tuku iho o ngā kōrero taketake, o ngā tikanga hoki nā ngā tūpuna. Katoa, katoa, he whakatipu mumu reo te whāinga, ka mutu he whakatītina hoki i tuku ihotanga o te reo Māori ki ngā whakareanga mō te haere ake nei.
Ki tā te Hoa-Toihau, ki tā Mātai Smith, ka kawea mai e Te Puna ana wheakoranga nui e kore e taea te wāriu te ine ki te Poari me Te Pae Motuhake o Tainui hoki.
“Ko taua āhuatanga anō, kua mātau ia ki te whakatinana i ngā aronga matua, arā te Tukuihotanga me te Hononga Hapori Reo. I a ia e arataki ana i te rohe o Tainui, he māramatanga nui ōna ki ngā tumanako o ōna hapori, ka mutu te mana kei roto i ngā mātauranga/kaupapa/rongoā kei waenganui i ngā hapori e rongo ai i te tuakiritanga o te iwi. Ko tā Te Mātāwai he whakarauora i te reo Māori hei reo tuatahi ki roto i ngā kāinga me ngā hapori. Ko ngā kaiwhakaako me ngā kaiarataki pēnei i a Te Puna e mātua whakatinana ana i tēnei putanga.”
He whanaketanga tēnei kopounga mā Te Puna o te kaupapa kua roa e ngakau whakapuketia ana.
“E ngākau titikaha ana au ki te tautoko i ngā whānau kia mauri tū, kia mauri ora te reo Māori ki roto i ngā mahi o ia rā, ahakoa mā roto i te mātauranga, i te rauemi, i te hapori hoki rānei. He huarahi anō tēnei tūranga ki te whakaū i ēnei mātāpono, arā te tautoko i ngā whānau ki te whakapakari i ngā hononga ki te reo Māori, ki te tuakiritanga, ki waenganui a rātou anō hoki.”
E whakawhētai ana a Te Mātāwai ki te kaha o Tākuta Haki Tuaupiki ki te arataki, ōna tūruapō, me tōna wairua whakakiriūka ki te whakarauora i te reo Māori.
“Kua mahue i a ia ngā ōhākī; he pou whakarauora reo mō tōna iwi mā roto i ngā mātauranga Māori, te mātai whetū, me ngā mōhiotanga mō ngā āhuatanga o te taiao hoki. Kua waiho mai ko ēnei mātauranga hei tūāpapa mō te whanaketanga o ngā hua ka tukuiho/hekeiho ki ngā reanga,” te kōrero a te hoa-toihauma Brenda.
KA MUTU
Te mema hou i te Poari Matua o Te Mātāwai
