Tetehi wahine autaia ko Harina Rinaha Rupapera, upoko maro ki tana i whai ai he ahakoa ki tewhea pito o te motu, no te tau e rua mano kotahi tekau ma waru ko tana kaupapa ko Te Hauhake – ko te whakarauora matauranga tohora. He aroha ke te mahi kare kau ana he putea.
"Ko tatou katoa nga tangata tiaki tohora, he aroha kau me te tino rangatiratanga ki te kaupapa. He mana motuhake tenei mahi kare i tua atu ki ahau otia tatou katoa, he ahakoa he manaaki tupapaku ke te mahi no matou ke nga whiwhinga nui ki te noho tahi me enei tupua me te noho ki te ao o nga atua."
E harikoa ana tana ngakau kua whakawhiwhingia tana tuhinga whakarapopoto o nga tuhinga e whitu rau katoa kia korerongia ki te huinga taketake o te ao ka tu ki Adelaide a te Hepetema o tenei tau.
"Taku ngakau whakaiti hoki engari e hikaka ana ka whai tunga ahau ki te tuku i tenei momo matauranga, ka rua e whai wahi ai hoki ki te ako ki te whakawhiti korero tahi me nga tuakana me nga taina katoa o te ao."
Kua whakawhitingia e Harina tona matauranga tuki whenua, ki te ao o te matauranga whare wananga.
"I uru atu ahau ki tetehi tahu paerua hai waha i te ahureatanga me te hauoratanga o o tatou tupuna, e hika – ka tapiringia he nama ako ano ki taku tuara. Kai te whaia e ahau taku tohu kairangi, e hangai pu ana ki te kaupapa o taku tahu paetahi engari e aro pu hoki ki te ahoroa me te rautaki manawaroa taiao."
I te tau e rua mano kotahi tekau ma waru o Mei i whakapiri ai a Harina ki te kaupapa, Te Hauhake. He kotahi tekau ma rua nga tohora i pae ki uta i Taranaki ki te tonga. Ka kotahi atu a Ngati Wai me Ngati Hine te hunga mahi tohora ki Ngaruahinerangi ko Papa Hori Parata te tohunga. He kaupapa tuku matauranga hoki ki te hapu o Taranaki.
" He uri hoki ahau no Ngati Tu me Ngati Haua, whoi ano e tika ana ahau ki reira, na reira i uru atu ai ahau ki tenei mahi."
Kai te tangata whenua nga tikanga tuatahi ki te tiaki me te kauawhi nga mate o nga tupuna me nga, tohora, otia nga kura katoa ka pae ki uta.
"Kai ia kaupapa he ahakoa kai whea, ka pae te tohora ki uta ka u mai te hapu o tena whenua ki te kaupapa. Ka rahi hoki te hunga mahi kore moni, me te hunga tautoko i a matou, ko Te Papa Atawhai hoki tetehi huinga me nga tauira putaiao o nga whare wananga hoki."
Kare kau tenei mea te whakangungu, ka hau noa ki te kaupapa, ka whakaheke werawera.
"Taku tohora tuaono ka taku he poro i te matenga o te tohora, me tika te hahau i te tuaiwi. Koina taku mahi moroki noa nei. I Pouto matou ko taku he ako me pewhea te tua i te tahuhu, kuare ana ki tena tunga, na, ko taku tohora kotahi tekau ma rima tena."
Ka nui nga painga ka heke iho ki te tangata whenua i tenei momo mahi.
"Noku ke enei whakaaro, engari ko te pupuri me te tuku i tenei matauranga tetehi ahuatanga whakaharahara hoki. Ka noho katoa nga wahanga o te tohora ki te hapu, ko te kupu korero kai a ratou.
"Ko ta matou he mahi, mai i te timatanga tae noa tana whakaotinga. E mahi tahi ana, e ako tahi ana ranei ko tetehi kai te ako i tetehi atu. Ehara i te mea he whakarite whainga , na te mea kai te wairua o te noho he rereke i tetehi, i tetehi atu ko te mea nui ko te whakamana i nga tupuna, te mana whenua me te hapu.
"Kapi noa te motu nei i a matou e mahi ana. He wairua mahaki no Papa Hori Parata, he tangata tuku korero tuku matauranga ki nga tangata o Aotearoa me te hunga no tawahi hoki. He kaha no matou ki te arahi ki te whakatupu i nga hapu me nga iwi kia whakarauorangia o ratou puna matauranga heke iho i nga tupuna kua mena noa atu."
E toru tekau ma whitu te rahi o Harina, he Ngati Pikiao, Ngati Rangitihi, Ngati Whakaue, Tainui, Tuwharetoa, Ngaruahinerangi, Ngati Ruanui, Ngati Kahu, Raukawa, Toa Rangatira, Nga Iwi o Te Tau Ihu me Ngapuhi ona panga whakapapa. Ko Hapai i Te Rangi Eparaima Mako-Wharemahihi Cameron tana huatahi, he tamaiti whai panga ai ki a Ngai Tuhoe, Ngati Tawhaki, Te Rarawa, Tuhorehe me Raukawa ki Te Tonga ko te taha enei o tona Matua tane.
I whanau ai a Harina i Whakaahurangi (Stratford) ko te wahi tenei i takoto ai a Ruaputahanga ki te matai whetu i muri i tana wehenga i Whatihua. Ka wehe atu taku whanau. Ka haere ahau ki Turoa he kohanga reo i Otaki katahi ahau ka neke mai ki Rotorua, na ka uru ai ki Te Kura o Ruamata.
"Tupu noa matou a pakeke kau matou ki runga marae i Rotorua nei ki runga o nga marae o Ruamata me Rangitihi i Matata. He reo Maori toku kainga pake kau nga patu o te whare, he pena hoki te kura he reo Maori anake ko taku tohu whakaako tamariki me taku pokairua katoa i tuhia e ahau ki te reo Maori anake.
"Kai te pena hoki taku tohu kairangi, he maori noa he ngawari ki te tuku i taku wairua me nga kare-a-roto o taku tinana ki te arero o nga tupuna."
Hai ta Harina kua tino ora ia i nga karahipi me nga karati huhua o tona iwi e ea ai te taha ki te nama. Kua whakawhiwhia hoki e ia tetehi karahipi putaiao-a-motu e toru tau te roa hai whakamama i tana tohu kairangi ko te wero nui o tenei karahipi e hangai pu ana ki te wero taioranga-a-wariu.
"Kua toa ahau na te manaakitanga oku e te whanau, taku hapu me te iwi, nga rangatira nui kua huri mai ki ahau, nga pou-ako hoki kua whakakotahi mai ki tenei huarahi whakahirahira."
"Ia ra ka rere taku wairua, ko te taiao me nga ahuatanga whakamiharo katoa i penei ai. Ko Papa Hori Parata tetehi tupua tino kino nei ki te akiaki i ahau he manaaki wairua, he atawhai taku ngakau me taku hinengaro i tona ake puna o te matauranga me tona ake manaakitanga."
Ko te pae tawhito mana kia penangia e ia tetehi kete momona i te matauranga e rangatira ai nga whakatupuranga kia mohio pu ratou ko wai ratou, no whea ratou e ngawari ai te amo i te ihi o nga tupuna.
"He oranga kai te matauranga, tatou katoa kia kaha mai, kia u ki nga kame o te ao hou kia whakangawari ai te haere, kia whakahuri ai tatou i te wa e huri poki ana te ao torangapu me te whakawhanake to tatou matauranga ki tetehi ano taumata whakahirahira. E matakerepo oku kanohi ki te apopo engari ko te tumanako ki roto ki ahau ki a whai mana ai tatou katoa ki nga huarahi rau e eke ai tatou ki to tatou rangatiratanga. Me taku whakapono hoki ko te hangarau kai reira te huarahi e tuhonohono ai ano tatou te Maori ki a tatou ano, ko te matauranga matihiko – paia e hoa ma!"
Hai korero whakakapinga mana – e te hunga rangatahi, kia mohio kau ki to tunga aianei, me te marama hoki ko to putawenga mai he mana nui. Ko te tangata matau ana ki nga takahanga tupuna e matau nui ana ki te huarahi nui ki mua ki a ia. E ihi rangaranga ai te mana whakaharahara o nga tupuna e whetukituki kau ana te tarouma tangata.
The team working on Tokerau.
Harina Rinaha Rupapera is a force of nature, devoted to working around the motu in the taiao and since 2018 the kaupapa has been Te Hauhake — cultural whale resource recovery.
This is a job done out of love, there is no funding.
"We all do the work for aroha and tino rangatiratanga.
"This mahi is mana motuhake and I love the space we work in, even though we are looking after the dead we are privileged to be learning and working in the realms of our atua."
Harina is thrilled and proud that her abstract, Te Mauri o Taiao, was chosen from 700 applicants to be presented at the World Indigenous People's Conference being held in Adelaide in September this year.
"I am really humbled and excited to go and share knowledge, learn new knowledge and interact with other indigenous brothers and sisters from around the world."
Harina has taken her practical knowledge to academia.
"I did undertake a masters degree to articulate the cultural context and well being concept within carrying tupuna responsibility, that added to my student loan.
"I am now pursuing my doctorate within the same well being concept of tupuna practices, navigating Maori cultivation systems aligned with maramataka and resilient climate change strategy."
She became involved in Te Hauhake in May 2018, when 12 sperm whales stranded on the South Taranaki Coast. Ngati Wai and Ngati Hine crew that work under the guidance of tohunga Papa Hori Parata, went to Ngaruahinerangi to teach and pass on the ancient knowledge to the Taranaki hapu.
"I am a descendant of Ngati Tu and Ngati Haua, and so we are the responsible guardians and as tangata whenua and ahi kaa of the taunga ika where the whales lay, that is how I got involved in the mahi."
Tangata whenua have first right of protection as kaitiaki and guardians of our mate, tupuna, including whales and any taonga on our shores.
"In every mission, depending where the whale strand and pass, the hapu of that whenua is directly involved. We do have volunteers and supporters including officials, Department of Conservation and university scientists as well."
There is no training, just learning on the job.
"On only my sixth ever whale I just fell into being the person who decapitates the whales head and severs from the vertebrae. That continues to be my role. In our last mission up in Pouto, I had to learn to do the back, as I have never really done that so it was a new experience even though it was a part of my 15th whale experience."
Harina says tangata whenua benefit in many ways from whale recovery.
"I personally feel that the responsibility to carry and learn the matauranga is the greatest honour anyone can have. All of the whale stays within the hapu and they make the decisions on how to preserve, create tangi or care for the tupuna.
"We have to do the mani right from the beginning to the end. Sometimes we are all learning together, or teaching each other. This mahi doesn't necessarily have set goals as every experience is different and we must honour the tupuna and the mana whenua, hapu.
"We have worked regionally, nationally. Papa Hori Parata is such a beautiful soul, he is open to sharing and transmissioning knowledge to anyone in Aotearoa, and afar.
"We can also support mana whenua to come up with their own ideas, tikanga and reclaim the way their tupuna did things."
Harina, 37, affiliates to Ngati Pikiao, Ngati Rangitihi, Ngati Whakaue, Tainui, Tuwharetoa, Ngaruahinerangi, Ngati Ruanui, Ngati Kahu, Raukawa, Toa Rangatira, Nga Iwi o Te Tau Ihu, Ngapuhi. Her son Hapai i the Rangi Eparaima Mako-Wharemahihi Cameron, has connections to Tuhoe, Ngati Tawhaki, Te Rarawa, Tukorehe, Raukawa ki te Tonga from his father.
"I was born in Whakaahurangi (Stratford), the place Ruaputahanga lay down and gazed at the sky after leaving Whatihua. My family moved and I went to Turoa Kohanga Reo in Otaki, and then moved to Rotorua so I could attend Te Kura o Ruamata.
"We grew up on our Marae here in Rotorua, Ruamata Marae and Rangithi Marae, in Matata.
"I was nurtured in a reo Māori speaking home, attended a total immersion Reo Maori school, also finished my Teaching degree and Diploma in Maori education and Masters writing in the reo.
"I am conducting my PHD in te reo as well. I find I can truly articulate my feelings and thoughts within my native tongue."
Harina says she has been fortunate to receive numerous grants and supporting scholarships from her collective iwi throughout my studies. I have been awarded a three-year National Science challenge Scholarship for my PhD, within the higher nutritional value challenge.
"I have had copious support throughout my journey such as my whanau, hapu and Iwi, great leaders and teachers aligned on my path.
"I am inspired every day in many ways, by our taiao and wairua.
"Papa Hori Parata has been super inspiring and has nurtured my wairua, ngakau and hinengaro within his knowledge and manaakitanga."
Harina plans to quest and gather as much knowledge as she can, to ensure her descendants "know who we are and where we come from, in order to uphold and honour our tupuna responsibilities.
"My hope is that we are well educated, equipped and mobilised. To be adaptable through political change and able to innovate knowledge.
"I can't say what the future looks like. I hope that everyone has access to opportunity and resources in order to work efficiently and live our fullest potential.
"I believe technology will be the way to re-engage Maori to who they are and where they come from, through digital storytelling. It is a genius creation."
Harina's advice to rangatahi is to know who you are and where you come from is a superpower. Learning tupuna journeys gives an aligned purpose. It will enlighten the greatness of our ancestors that vibes within.
