Kāhu ki Rotorua: Great way to come together

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See below for English translation

Kātahi taku haerenga whakamīharo hoki

HE WHAKAARO NŌKU

Ehara au i te tangata e rata kaha nei ki te rā o Waitangi – atu i te mea he rā whakanā e utua ana e te Kāwanatanga. Ka tae tātau ki te mutunga wiki ka hori e ūpoko mārō nei ahau ki tāku e whakapono nei. Wheoi anō he whakamihi nāku ki te pahi whakahaere o te Kaupapa Whakanuia nō reira Ngāti Whakaue – Mō te aroha o te iwi, ka nui te mihi, ka nui te maioha o te ngākau ki a kotou katoa.

E menemene ana ngā pāpāringa o te hunga pakeke me te hunga rangatahi, ka whakarerea hoki e te taipakeke tō rātau wairua takaahuareka, ka tahuri kē mai rātau ki te whakanui me te papaki i te hunga tū ātamira.

Engari anō ngā mokopuna ka riro te katoa o te ngākau i a rātau. Kua pania o rātau kanohi ki ngā tai o Kahukura, e kata na hoki ahau ki tētehi māmā nō Āhia e whakarata ana i tana tamaiti e wehi nā ki tētehi tamaiti Māori i whakaKurungaitukungia i a ia e noho ana i te roro o Tamatekapua.

He wāhi māoriori e pūhakehake ana i te manaakitanga o te iwi, nā reira e rarata ai ngā ahurea katoa ki a noho kotahi ai i runga i te whakaaro o te rangi. He rangi pūmāpu, he rangi kāpuapua me te pai hoki me i puta te rā ko pakapakangia katoatia te iwi.

He hau iti ki te Rua o Peka, he tāpuapua pakupaku noa me te aha. Me e mau kaha nei e ahau ki taku pōtae pūhohe tēnā pea kua pūhohengia e ahau te kaupapa, engari kāore e take ana. Whakahīhī pai ahau i te iwi nā reira te wehi o te rangi, ko tāku noa he tāuteute kau i ngā mihi rangatira o te rā e mākere kau i ngā ngutu o te tini me te nui o te tangata.

Ko te wāhi nui ki ahau ki tahaki o te ātamira whakangāhau me taku whānau, aku mokopuna me aku pōtiki, he kai tahi, he mātakitaki, otīā he tautoko i ngā mahi a Rēhia. Ka puta hoki a Krissie Knap ki te whakaohooho me te whakakaha i te iwi, he tuawahine hoki ! Kua roa noa atu taku whakahīhī ki tō tātau ao o te kapa haka engari ka tūmeke hoki ahau ki ngā ahurea whakamīharo o te hāpori. He Īniana, he Korea, he Filippino, he Sri Lankan, he Hainamana, he Hapani me te hunga nō Ameika ki te Tonga.

Ta Robert Gillies raises the 28th Maori Battalion Battle Honours memorial flag; the Local Gecko crew and songstress Matahiapo-Waimarie Maxwell.

He wehi, he mana katoa rātau. Ehara ko ēnei iwi anake, kia tūpato hoki kai pau te pepa i taku rarangi haere i a rātau katoa. Ka tutaki i ahau ngā tangata nō Awherika ki te Tonga, he Tiamana, he Wīwī hoki, me tō rātau hākoakoa ki te āhuareka o te rangi. E tika ana te kōrero, ko te mana nui o te tangata ka kitea i te kai. He kotakota parete, he kerepe, he tōtiti, he hāngī, me te mana nui o Ngāti Whakaue i hāpaingia e Karena me Kasey.

Nō te poupoutanga o te rangi e mau pereti kai ana ngā tangata katoa I puta ki Ohinemutu. Kai Rukuwai etehi e kai ana, kai te rori anō etehi, mēnā e wātea ana he wāhi noho kua nōhia e te manuwhiri me tana kai. E karangangia ahau e ngā pahū o Kuki Airani, ka nui taku whakamiharo ki ngā whānaunga nō Tokoroa i tū ki te whakangāhau. Engari he ao anō ki Te Papa-i-Ouru.

Nā Tā Robert Gillies te kara o Te Hokowhitu-a-Tūmatauwenga i rere. Kua whitu tekau mā ono o ngā tau te kara e moe ana. Ko Koro Bomb te morehu o te ope taua i tōhia ki ngā wai whakaheke tangata. Ka whakaemia katoatia ngā tamariki o te pā e te tima hākinakina o Whakanuia, ā, ka whakataetae rātau.

Ki wāhi kē atu kai te arahina te tauhou me te manuwhiri e te hau kāinga, he tuku mātauranga nō te kāinga te kaupapa. Ka oti ana enei tūāhuatanga ka maranga Māori ake nei a Ngāti Rangiwewehi ki te haka ki te aroaro o Taiea, Te Matatihi o Te Arawa he whakamānawa ki ngā amokura nui onamata kua pūheungia. Ki Te Papa-i-Ouru tēnei kaupapa. Ko Tūhourangi-Ngāti Wāhiao hoki tētehi o ngā rōpū i tū whakangāhau, he ahakoa e noho kokohu tonu ana ō rātou tino waiata kia kāua e tūhurangia i mua o Te Matatini e whakatata ana.

E kī tino tata nei au e kore e tae ki te kaupapa. E noho ana i te kāinga e aruaru ana i ngā mahi nā wai rā ka puta mai tētehi o aku tino waiata, nā reira i heke ai ahau ki Ohinemutu. Ko te wahanga whakamutunga o te rā, he kaitahi me ngā koeke o Ngāti Whakaue i tētehi teneti whakahirahira e tū pai ana ki a mārama te titiro ki te ātamira whakangāhau.

Ka puta hoki ngā whānaunga nō Hāwai’i, e rere ana te iere o ngā pahupahu, ka mātika katoa ngā pakeke, ka whakatahangia ā rātou tokotoko kāore he titiro ki te ao o te kaumātua. Nōku e hoki ana ki Whakatūria mā runga waka korowhā ka unumia e taku wairua te reo rōreka, te reo waiata o Matahiapo-Waimarie Maxwell e whakamihi ana ki tana whakapapa Hāwai’i.

Kātahi taku haerenga whakamīharo hoki. Rangatira ana

English Translation

OPINION

Waitangi Day has never really resonated with me — except as a paid holiday.

Until this week, I didn’t have any reason to believe I would be changing my mind any time soon.

But I have to hand it to the Whakanuia organising team at Ngati Whakaue — Mō te Aroha o te Iwi, For the Love of the People was a runaway winner.

The smiles on faces of young and old — even teenagers forgot to be cool and cheered and clapped when someone on stage appealed — told just part of the story.

The little kids, especially, made my day.

Many of them sported brilliant face paintings and I was struck by a South Asian parent trying to soothe his child who was frightened by a very spectacular-looking Kurangaituku near the steps of Tamatekapua.

It was the warmth and manaakitanga creating a safe environment where all cultures felt welcome that was the real difference.

The day was dull and muggy which was probably a blessing as a sunny day would have been really hot.

At Ruapeka there was little wind and no real rain developed. There were puddles but they were easily negotiated.

If I had been wearing my cynical journalist’s hat I might have found something to criticise.

However, I went along as a proud iwi member and soaked up the admiration I heard and saw from our hundreds of visitors.

I spent much of the time at the main entertainment stage with my nieces and mokopuna who were enjoying snacks from the many kai caravans.

Krissie Knap was her usual fun self and kept the entertainment moving along.

I’ve always been really proud of our ao haka and whakangahau but this was the first time I realised what a fantastic contribution to our Rotorua cultural mix our Indian, Korean, Filippino, Sri Lankan, Chinese, Japanese and South American whanau make.

And the ethnicities did not stop there.

I’m almost afraid to carry on in case I miss any out. I spoke to South African, German and French people who were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

The kai reflected the different cultures — from chips, crepes and cherrios, to hangi and a showcase by Ngati Whakaue’s own Karena and Kasey.

At lunchtime just about everyone at Ohinemutu was carrying a plate of kai.

People were sitting outside Rukuwai eating and wherever there was a free seat in front of the stage. The drums of the Cook Islands called me and I enjoyed the Tokoroa group’s performance.

Up at Te Papaiouru was like another world.

The 28th Maori Battalion Battle Honours memorial flag was raised by Ta Robert Gillies, for the first time in 76 years. “Koro Bom” is the battalion’s last survivor.

The Whakanuia hakinakina team had gathered the tamariki and supervised a number of games while guided tours were given of St Faith’s. The learning activities included at Te Ao Marama an interactive history display and treasure hunt.

After their items on the main stage, Ngati Rangiwewehi gave an impromptu performance in front of Taiea, The Pinnacle of Te Arawa Kapahaka tribute at Te Papaiouru.

Tuhourangi-Ngati Wahiao kapa performed a bracket of our standards, not giving away anything ahead of Te Matatini.

And I almost never made it.

I had been keeping track of the happenings at Waitangi over the weekend and started watching the services on Monday.

But I soon left the television when one of my favourite songs was mangled on-screen and I hitched a ride to Ohinemutu.

In true Te Arawa tradition my day ended in kaitahi with the Ngati Whakaue koeke in a special tent which had a great view of the stage.

The Hawaiian group was performing and it was so cool to see so many koeke dump their walking aids and hope in time with the music. As I rode the golf cart back to the carpark behind Whakaturia I soaked up the beautiful sounds of young songstress Matahiapo-Waimarie Maxwell saluting her Hawaiian heritage. A fitting end to a beautiful day.