Te Ataarangi stalwart appointed to Te Mātāwai

E whakahī rawa atu nei tā Te Mātāwai pāpāho i te piringa mai o Erana Te Haeata (o Ngāti Porou, o Rongowhakaata, o Rakaipaaka, o Rongomaiwahine, o Ngāti Kahungunu hoki) ki te Poari hei māngai mō te rāngai Hapori i te kāhui o Te Reo Tukutuku.

I whakahōnoretia a Erana ki te tohu Manutea o Te Ataarangi mō tōna manawarahi mō ngā tau 40 neke atu ki tēnei kaupapa whakarauora i te reo Māori. Kua tū hoki ia hei kaiarataki, hei kaiurungi ki ngā tūranga teitei i te rāngai Adult Community Education Aotearoa puta noa i te motu.

I whakatūria Te Ataarangi i te tau 1979 hei kaupapa ā-hapori ki te whakaora i te reo Māori, waihoki ko tōna rautaki ako mā te noho rūmaki he rautaki nō mua mai i te Kōhanga Reo, i te Kura Kaupapa Māori, i te Kura-ā-iwi, me ngā Whare Wānanga Māori anō hoki.

Hei tā te Hoa-Toihau o Te Mātāwai, a Ruakiri Fairhall, he āpitihanga nui a Erana ki te Poari, kua roa nei ia e titikaha ana ki ngā mahi whakarauora i te reo, waihoki ki ngā hapori e hāngai atu ana.

“Ko ngā mahi whakaako me ngā mahi whakahaere hei pou tuarongo mōna, ā, ko āna mahi he aro ki te tautoko i ngā hapori kōrero i te reo Māori, te oranga o tuakiritanga, me te tukuihotanga hoki o ēnei taonga puta noa i Aotearoa.”

“Kua mahi tahi atu a Erana ki ngā iwi taketake puta noa i te ao, pēnei i ngā tangata Ainu Mosir o Hapani, ki te tohatoha mātauranga me te tautoko i ngā kaupapa whakarauora i te reo taketake ki ngā wāhi kua kaha tāmia haeretia te reo,” hei tāna.

Hei tā Erana, nōnā te hōnore ki te tū hei māngai mō te rāngai Hapori i te Poari o Te Mātāwai nā te mea he kaupapa ā-hapori a Te Ataarangi ki te whakarauora i te reo Māori.

“Ko tāku e ohia nei kia rauora te reo Māori kaua ki ngā wāhi ōkawa anake engari kia wheako ai ngā whānau katoa i ngā reanga e rua - neke atu, e kōrero Māori ana, waihoki e tūwherawhera ai ki ngā hapori, ki ngā horopaki kanorau hoki, ka mutu ko te reo Māori te reo kōrerorero. Kia kore koe e ngaro taku reo rangatira. Nā, kia nui te reo ōpaki o ia whakapaparanga hei tauawhiawhi i te reo ūkaipō’, hei tā Erana.

Nei te reo whakamiha atu a te Hoa-Toihau, a Mātai Smith nā te Poari ki a Teina Boasa-Dean mō āna mahi titikaha mō Te Mātāwai, hei māngai anō hoki mō te rāngai Hapori i te kāhui o Te Reo Tukutuku nō te tau 2018.

“Kua roa a Teina e kaha taunaki ana i ngā rangahau Māori, Te Taiao me ngā Hapori reo Māori puta noa i Aotearoa. E whakamiha ana i a ia mō ōna rau kura ki te Poari i ngā tau, waihoki mō tōna tū hei Heamana mō Te Kōmiti Rangahau, me tōna tū hei māngai ki Taiwan mō ngā Rangahau o ngā Reo o ngā Iwi Taketake. E Teina, tēnā koe mō tō whakapau kaha ki te hāpai i te reo Māori. Ngā mihi maioha ki a koe,” hei tā Mātai.