I attended Te Kohanga Reo o Pakowhai until the age of 5. From there I went to te kura kaupapa Māori o nga uri a Maui and te kura kaupapa Māori o nga purapura a Mahaki. At the age of 13 I went to Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi marae which is based in Auckland’s Glen Eden, I attended that kura until my 6th form year. I then went back home to Gisborne to attend Lytton High School which worked out real good for me, for it had a bilingual unit to help students like myself who’s English wasn’t as good as my Māori. I found that the difference between a mainstream kura and a wharekura is the loss of whanaungatanga and respect that students have with each other and towards the teachers, at a mainstream kura if your grades aren’t up to the standard of your age then the focus was on the students who had good marks. As a pose to wharekura the focus was more on an individual base, perhaps it’s because the numbers in wharekura classes aren’t as high as mainstream schools. If you take a look statistically the kumara specks like me are now succeeding at a higher level due to the fact that whanaungatanga, respect and the whakaaro of tikanga is driven into us as people. From high school I attended the Tairawhiti Polytechnic, where I studied for 2 years. I now study full time at the University of Waikato where I am due to complete my BA at the duration of this semester. I look forward to developing my skills in 2009 at a higher level when I begin my honours papers in Te Reo Māori.
Education
Being a student who attended kura kaupapa I believe if the mandate is strong then the kaupapa, the philosophy of tikanga is strong. All ideas for that matter which involve whanau and iwi need the backing of the people. It is much needed to korowai the whakaaro. A strong backing ensures kaha, kaupapa and individual support.
From the age of 6 month at Kohanga I was very lucky to have been brought up through tikanga Māori. To attend Kura Kaupapa and Wharekura were the teachings were all taught in Te Reo Māori, and driven by tikanga Māori were privileges. So I was very much exposed to the Māori world view, for example the Waikato River. To some people it is just a river, how ever to others like myself “he tipuna awa ke”. Ko nga pou rahui. Ki ētahi he hiwi noaiho, engari ki roto i te whakangita o ngai taua te iwi maori ko Hikurangi ke, te puke o te atua. I gained knowledge based on a holistic view, that being taha wairua, taha hinengaro, taha tinana, and to also stress “he tapu te tangata ahakoa ko wai” Nā Tāne-pēpeke-o-te-wao ko Hinetītama, ko te ira tangata ko te whai ao ki te ao marama. Mei kore ko te ira tangata kua kore he uri, mei kore he wai tātea kua kore he uri, no reira koirā ētahi o ngā whakaaro i whaonahia e o tātou matua tīpuna i runga i te takapau wharanui, i roto hoki i ngā kete mātauranga, that was the vision right from the very beginning.
I was very fortunate to be offered an internship with Te Runanga o Turanganui a Kiwa. The internship is an initiative by Te Roopu Manukura. The Runanga is part of Te Roopu Manukura at the University of Waikato. The internship is 10 weeks. I have been working at Te Runanga o Turanganui a Kiwa office and my project comes out of the work that the Runanga is doing in the Treaty Claims process.
The project that I am working on is the:
Popo strategy – mana tangata, mana whenua, mana atua, mana motuhake
The food that the child is referring to is in reference to education and is searching for a way to be educated. The child is empty of knowledge and is seeking sustenance.
Te Aotu and Te Aohore are the kaitiaki of sandstone and were found in the Waiapu River along side Hinetuahonga. Te Whatu o Poutini is the greenstone. It was the sandstone and greenstone chisels that were used to carve the traditional waka. The waka that refers to our people as being the same waka that I paddle through the journey of education.
Maninitua, Maniniaro, ka tangi te kura, ka tangi wiwini, ka tangi te kura ka tangi wawana
These are the mechanisms that led us as a people from Hawaiki with the vision in mind aeons ago. The vision being education. They are the mechanisms that have helped me row my waka.
Hakirirangi was an expert of growing Kumara. The Kumara seeds were planted that many years ago and today I stand as a speck of the Kumara vines Hakirirangi planted.
Hei kura mo Mahaki, “
ko au ko te kura, ko te kura ko Mahaki” meaning, although it is me achieving, it isn’t about me, its about upholding the mana of my iwi and the people who set the foundations before me, aku tipuna, the foundation being instilled through Kura Kaupapa and Wharekura to always owe it back to your people. In the end it is all part of the vision set whilst our tupuna were travelling from Hawaiki to Aotearoa. Me kii, a feather in my cap is an achievement for my iwi and hapu.
Do you have any long or short term goals?
“Whaia te pae tawhiti kia tata, whaia te pae tata whakamaua kia tina”
My long term goal is to aim as high as possible, so high it almost becomes impossible. The short term goal how ever is to graduate and succeed in the field I study in. It’s about qualities of life rather than quantity.
“Ehara taku toa i te toa taki tini, engari taku toa i te toa taki mano”
Although I study alone away from home, the work that I do and achieve is to benefit the many people I represent, taku iwi, taku hapu, taku ahikaa.
Do you have any advice for our many Taiohi in Turanganui a Kiwa?
“Panapana maaro”
The basic translation for this whakatauki is to never retreat. From an education point of view "YES" at times the work load is heavy and sacrifices must be made, how ever it will drive you to push on, you want to need it, and you need to want it.
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