He toa-ahuroa mō te reo kua tūhono mai ki Te Poari Matua o Te Mātāwai

E pōhiri mai ana ngā Hoa-Toihau, a Mātai Smith rāua ko Ruakiri Fairhall, i a Raniera McGrath, (nō ngā iwi o Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kuri, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Kahu o Torongare) ki Te Poari Matua o Te Mātāwai hei Poutaki mō Te Pae Motuhake o Te Tai Tokerau.

Kauanuanutia ana ia hei kairangahau i te reo Māori, hei mātanga ahurea, hei kaipakihi hoki. Inā noa atu ōna mōhiotanga ka kawea mai e Raniera i te ao mātauranga, mana hautū, rangahau, huawaere me ngā mahi whanaketanga ā-hapori. I tēnei wā, kei te whai ia i tōna tohu kairangi mō ngā mahi wetereo Māori, inā rā, ko ngā tikanga reo me ngā mita ake o Te Tai Tokerau.

Hei tā te Hoa-Toihau, a Mātai Smith, nā ngā hekenga werawera o Raniera i ngā kaupapa whakarauora i te reo ā-hapori, i whai take ai tōna ekenga mai ki te kōkiri i tō mātou rautaki ahungaroa.

"Kawea mai ana e Raniera ōna pūkenga mana hautū, ōna tutukitanga mātauranga me ōna pūkenga kōtui i ōna hapori. Kua hia tau nei te roa ia e mahi tahi ana ki ngā whānau, ki ngā hapū ki ngā iwi hoki ki te whakahaumanu i ngā wawata mō te reo Māori puta noa i Te Tai Tokerau,” te kōrero a Mātai.

"Mā te piringa mai o tēnei tangata mārama ki te motuhenga me ngā āheinga kei ngā hapori hei āwhina i te āhua o ngā whakataunga hautū e uekaha ake ai a Te Mātāwai, me te aha, mā konei hoki noho ai ngā wawata o ngā hapori hei ihomatua mō ā mātou mahi," te āpitihanga mai a Ruakiri.

Ko Raniera te Kaihautū mō Moko Kauri Ltd, ā, ka mahi tahi ia ki ngā whānau, ki ngā hapū, ki ngā iwi, ki ngā whakahaere hoki ki te whakatītina i te reo, i ngā tikanga me te mātauranga Māori. He horopū toa hoki ia mō ngā nohoanga taumata puta noa i Te Tai Tokerau me ā rātou mahi ki te whakarauora i te reo e hāngai ana ki ngā tūruapō ake o te takiwā, ki te tuakiri, ki te hautūtanga hoki.  

“Ko te iti o tōku ngākau tēnei, kia noho au hei ringaringa, hei waewae hoki mō Te Tai Tokerau me te iwi Māori whānui.

"Ka whakapono au ki te whakataukī: ‘Ko te ora o tō tātou reo ko te kāinga, ko te awatea o tō tātou reo ko ngā tamariki o te wā.’ Mehemea ko ā tātou tamariki te hunga kawe i tō tātou reo ki tua, ko tā tātou he whakatakoto i te tūāpapa, he whakatauira atu kia kite, kia rongo, kia whai mai hoki rātou. Mā reira rawa te oranga o te reo e tōnui ai i ō tātou kāinga, e ūkaipō ai hoki i ngā whakareanga ā muri ake nei,” te kōrero a Raniera.  

Ka rere ngā kupu whakamihi, ngā kupu whakamiha a te Poari ki a Aperahama Kerepeti-Edwards, te Poutaki o Te Tai Tokerau e heke ana i tēnei tūranga, mō tōna whakapeto ngoi ki ngā mahi a te Poari a Te Mātāwai, otirā, ngā mahi a tōna ake Pae Motuhake atu i te pikinga ki te Poari i te Ākuhata o 2021.

“He mātanga reo Māori a Aperahama, i kawea nuitia te whakarauora reo i roto i ngā kaupapa a te hapori. Kua ū hoki ki ngā kōrero tuku iho a Te Tai Tokerau ki te tautoko i ngā āhuatanga huhua o te whakarauora reo, otirā ki roto i ngā kāinga, ki runga hoki i ngā taumata o ngā marae,” te kōrero a Mātai.