Hai tā Tiffany Te Moni nee Hicks tētehi o ngā rangatira o te whare kōhungahunga a Te Pākārito me kāua e whakaheke iho te mana o te tuku me te whāngai i te ruaki mātauranga. Kia ū ki ngā mātāpono o tō tātou ao taketake. Nō te wiki ka hori ka whakanuia tana eketanga ki te rima o ngā tau te pakeke e Te Pākārito. Ka nui hoki ngā whakatōreatanga mātua ki te wāhanga o te whakatū whare me te whakawhanake whare.
Nō te whānau Haronga te whare kai te puku o te rori o Railway e tū ana. Ko te kāinga tēnei o Aroha Hicks te whaea o Tiffany nā ngā mātua o Aroha a Pera me Rui Haronga te whare i waihanga. I tōna orokohanga ake e rua noa iho ngā rūma o te whare, nā wai ka whakawhanake tō rāua whānau ka whakawhanakengia hoki tō rātou whare. Tokoono a rāua tamariki ake, whoi anō momona katoa te whare i ngā tini tamariki o Te Koutu me ngā whānaunga nō Tūranga, " nā te mea hai tā rātou ko Rotorua te paoa nui i taua taima!". Mō te tokorua nei a Aroha me tana tamāhine a Tiffany, kai te kāinga kau te mahi, kai te mahi kau te kāinga. Tokotoru ngā tamariki a Tiffany. Kai te rūma o tōna kuia tana tari mahi. I āta rāwekengia ētehi wāhanga o te whare engari ko te mea nui kia pupuri ai te tinana o te kāinga kai kōnā te māuri o te whare.
Mātua hoki ko te whāriki rūruhi kai te hōro e takoto ana koinā te whāriki tūturu o te whare." Ka pirangitia ētehi ki te whakahuri i te whāriki ka tere au ki te whakakāhore i taua whakaaro ko tā mātou wāhi kirikiti tēnā, tā mātou papa-tākarokaro – ki te kore tēnā kua kore noa iho te māuri o te whare". Ka tae ki te tau e rua mano kotahi tekau mā whā e tu powharu nei a Tiffany." Kua kore taku tūranga mahi i Te Taumata, kua hapū ohorere hoki ahau, kāore e tino pirangitia kia hoki ki te kura tuatahi whakaako ai i te huatanga ake o te ngākau whiwhita ki te ECE". " Nō whaea Hapa me tōku māmā te whakaaro – ka kī mai rāua ki ahau, whakatūwherangia tō ake kohanga ?"
" Kua pūkeko kē koe ki tēnei ao, ōu hiahia me te mea hoki mārama kē koe ki ngā whakanekehanga o te whare kōhungahunga me te kura". Ka wānanga tahi māua ko taku tāne a Stephen Te Moni – ka roa e whakaarohia ana ka tāhuri ai a Tiffy ki tōna pikitūranga i te whānau Haronga nei ki a Diane Hapatapu Haronga he mātanga pūmanawa tangata, koia hoki te GMA me tetehi o ngā pou hautū o Te Pākārito. Nōna te waimarie ko tōna māmā a Aroha Hicks he mātanga ki te whakaako kōhungahunga ka noho hai pou hautū tuatoru mō Te Pākārito. Nō te tau e rua mano kotahi tekau mā wha ka rēhitangia te whare kōhungahunga ko Te Pākārito LTD.
" Ka mahara ai ahau kua roa kē tēnei moemoeā nōku he ahakoa e hakoke kuare ana ka peka atu ki ngā tini whare kōhungahunga ngā kura me ngā puna kōhungahunga huhua koinā taku mahi i Te Taumata o Ngāti Whakaue, katoa he mahi whakapakari noa ahau ki a whakatutukingia e ahau taku kura hua"
" Ka murakehuangia, ka kore noa iho ai aku tamariki ki ngā kame o te ao? Ngā mātanga o te reo, pouako rangatira, ngā tūmahi wheako katoa e hāngai pū ana ki te akaaka pūtaiao katipa me ngā tikanga me ngā taonga tawhito a tātou te Māori. Nā taku whakapapa ake i toko ake ai te poukaiāwhā o taku whare hai whare āhuru tikanga, whare kāmehameha otīa hai waka mōku ki a whakatutukingia ai ngā wawata o a tātou tamariki. Ko te uho o te whare mātua me wairua tau, me rangimārie tonu nā reira i whai take ai tō mātou papakāinga.
Atu i te reo me ngā tikanga Māori ka nui te hiahiatia o Tiffy kia eke ai ngā pia ki ngā taumata o te ao hou hai whakahono atu ai i a rātou ake kaupapa. E takoto ana te mārau mātauranga ko te mea kē atu kia whakamanangia te tāhūhū e te kaunihera o Rotorua – kātahi te pakanga hāmuti ko tēnā.
Mea mai te kaunihera kia tapangia ngā rākau nā tōna ake koroua a Pera i whakatō ai ko te whakapae a te kaunihera kia whai wāhi ai ngā motokā.E mea ana kotou! " He whakapapa hoki tō ngā rākau nā. Nā tōku koroua ake ngā kakano loguat i kawe mai i tōna ūkaipō i Te Karaka he wāhi pātata atu ki Tūranga nui a Kiwa ka whakatō mai i kōnei. Hei paiaka herenga whakapapa nōku ki taku Aitanga a Māhakitanga hei hoa haere mō taku Te Arawatanga.
" Nā toku kuia na Nanny Hapa ngā rōhi i whakatō", ka mea mai te Pāpori Hauora kia unuhia hoki ngā rōhi nā te mea kua whai taratara rātou. Māna te pērā ! Ko te wairua o te rōpū whakamana i taua taima he wairua tīkaro whakapapa i tēnei whenua ko te māuri ora kē tēnā o tēnei wāhi".
" E rakuraku ana ngā mahunga me pēwhea e ora ai – kātahi tēnā haerenga ko te takahi i te ara o te kaunihera me te whakatutuki i a rātou tini ture". Tino ora ai mātou i te pukenga hoahoa nei a Darin Grant me tana kamupene a Darin Grant Design, ka whawhai ka whawhai nā wai rā kua mana katoa ngā pepa. Kātahi mātou ka tahuri ki te Tāhūhū o te Mātauranga tuatahi mai ka hinga mātou, tu mai anō ki te tono ka puta te ihu o te waka. Rangatira ana!
Site preparation for Te Pākārito.
Whai iti nei i te rūwhenua i Otautahi ka puta mai ngā tikanga hou e te kaunihera EQC ka raru anō ai mātou. Tuatahi rawa me tuku rīpoata rū whenua, tuarua mai ko te whakamana i ngā tono a te rōpū patuahi kia māia ngā pātū o te whare ki te kaupare i ngā hana o te ahi, whoi anō ka nui ngā whakapōreareatanga ka piki hoki te nama. " Ruku pūkoro ana a Whaea Hapa me tōku māmā, ā, ka hokona taku motokā kia ea ai ngā nama ka ea".
He ahakoa ēnei taumahatanga ko te akoranga matua kua kitea e ōna ake tamariki; Nōu te moemoeā, kāua e wehi ki te whakaheke toihau me ūpoko pakaru rānō engari e tū kia aro ki te pae tawhiti e mana ai tāu e tumanako ai. Ko ngā hua o ngā rā kua hori katoa ki ngā kamunga o o rātou ringaringa ināianei.
Ko te kaupapa whai atu ko te whakahuringa o te whare hai wāhi mātauranga – ka hua mai ngā kura huna.
Ko ngā pāipa kawe para o te wharepaku ngā pāipa tūturu ko ngā "cowboy doors" (saloon doors), he mea rokohanga i te kāreti o tō mātou koroua e mātou , ko tētehi anō kura nui ko te kūtā whero he mea nō te whānau katoa tēnei waka me te pakeke noa atu, ka oti ka kitea hoki e mātou te pū hoata a Koro nāna e hōīa ana.
Ko te murimuri aroha o te hāpori o te whānau me ngā pou tautoko kē ki a Tiffy tētehi āhuatanga e kore e ngaro i a ia me tōna whānau. " E mahi ana mātou i tētehi rā, ka kitea mātou e ngā tamariki o te kura kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu ka pātaingia ā mātau mahi nā wai rā ka huri mai rātou ki te keri keri i te rua oneone – ka pau te rā ka mana te rangi i tō rātou aroha nui". Engari ko tōna whetū kōmata ko tōna mātua tāne ko Barry Hicks tētehi tohunga nanakia, kai a ia ngā hua katoa o te ao kāmura me tōna mōhiohio ki ngā toki o te ao kāmura nei, ka kore tētehi raruraru e kore e tāea e ia te whakatika. Ka tākohangia ngā raumei nunui e te tokomaha o te hāpori ka puta mātou ki ngā toa hokohoko, " Me i kore ngā ringa rehe, me i kore te aroha o te whānau me ngā hoa tata kua kore tō tātou whare kōhungahunga".
Kua pau te rima o ngā tau e hoa mā kai te kaha tonongia mātou hai whare kōhungahunga mō ngā tamariki nā tēnei mihi rangatira kua whakaarangia e mātou tētehi kawekawe pākihi hou ko Te Pākārito Education Consultants. He waka awhina i ngā Whare kōhungahunga me ngā ECE puta atu ki Waikato ki te whakawhanake me te whakapakari i a rātou ake ratonga. " Kua rangatira mātou i te hunga whakapono mai ki tā mātou kaupapa ko te hunga tuki whenua huhuti māheu, mātua ko taku tīma Kaiako mō tō rātou mana-kaitūtaetanga ki ā mātou tamariki".
Only the best is good enough for the mokopuna of Te Pākārito.
For early learning centre co-owner-operator Tiffany Te Moni nee Hicks, it is about the best possible education outcomes delivered in an authentic and organically Maori manner. Last week Te Pākārito celebrated its fifth birthday.
It has not been without its challenges especially in the building and development phase.
The learning centre in Railway Road was the homestead of the Haronga whānau, childhood home of Tiffy's mother, Aroha Hicks, and was built by her parents, the late Pera and Rui Haronga.
It started out as a two-bedroom home on a lot of land but Pera & Rui added to it as their family grew. They had six children of their own but the house was always full of kids mainly from Koutu and whānau from Gisborne "because Rotorua was the big smoke ".
For Tiffany Te Moni and her mother Aroha Hicks, work literally is home away from home.
The mother of three's office is set up in her Nanny's bedroom. Few structural changes have been made to the home in its latest alteration with the intention of maintaining the home feel that it has always possessed.
Even the retro carpet in the hallway is the original carpet.
"They suggested updating the retro carpet but I said no, it was our cricket pitch and play space as kids and it wouldnt be the same without it."
In 2014 Tiffy was at a crossroads. "I had just lost my job with the Taumata, had a surprise pregnancy & didnt really want to go back to primary school teaching after finding a new passion for ECE.
"Aunty Hapa and Mum suggested 'why don't you open your own centre?'
"You know what you want and you have seen enough kohanga and kura to know what works."
After lengthy wānanga with her husband, Stephen Te Moni she thought about it and was glad to take advice from the "go-to person" in the Haronga whanau, Diane Hapatapu Haronga, an expert advisor in human resources and GMA and co-director of Te Pākārito.
She was also fortunate enough to have a very skilled expert in Early Childhood as her mother who later became the third director of Te Pākārito, Aroha Hicks.
She registered the company, Te Pākārito Ltd, in 2014.
"I realised I had been building a dream in my mind for years and had been preparing for it without knowing it— going around and looking at kohanga, kura and early learning centres as part of my previous mahi with Te Taumata o Ngati Whakaue.
'I thought 'why can't my kids have it all? High quality reo, teachers, learning experiences, that aligned with neuro-science and our own tikanga and taonga tawhito. I felt it was my obligation to my whakapapa to deliver this and nothing less.
It also included a place with a good wairua which is where the homestead came in.
As well as strong reo and tikanga Māori, Tiffy wanted her graduates to benefit from mainstream learning and utilised them to supplement their own kaupapa.
With the education plan set, they needed planning permission so went off to the Rotorua District Council where they encountered big barriers. The council wanted the trees planted by her Koro Pera over 60 years ago removed for a carpark.
"Those trees have whakapapa. My koro brought the loquat seedling from his whēnua at Te Karaka near Gisborne and replanted it here. It maintains a tangible whakapapa connection to my Te Aitanga-a-māhaki whēnua and Te Arawa.
The Haronga homestead in Railway Road, Rotorua, above, transformed into Te Pākārito.
"Even the roses were planted by my nanny and Aunty Hapa which Public Health wanted us to remove due to thorns. At the time it seemed as though 'the authorities' wanted to remove the whakapapa connection that makes this place so special".
"We didn't know what to do. It was scary navigating through the council requirements." Help came in the form of architect Darin Grant of Darin Grant Design and after months of battling they finally got consent.
The whanau applied to the Ministry of Education for funding but was unsuccessful on their first attempt. The second brought good results.
It was just after the Christchurch earthquakes that new coucil EQC regulations presented another hurdle. A seismic report and fire wall requirements resulted in more delays and unexpected costs.
"Aunty Hapa and mum dug into their savings and I sold my car to cover the cost"
For Tiffy a positive from these hard times was a valuable lesson for her sons: If you have a dream hard work, perseverance and an undeterred focus will help to achieve it. Now they also reap the rewards of its success.
Then came the physical conversion to a learning centre, which turned up a number of unexpected treasures.
The toilets use the original plumbing and the "cowboy doors" (saloon doors) were some of the treasures stored in her Koro's shed. Among many other treasures such as the old red whānau scooter which was way older than her, and Koros musket from the war.
More of her Koro's DIY treasures were uncovered while smashing the old concrete up including bed, furniture frames, and the kids' old bikes used as DIY concrete reinforcing.
But the whanaungatanga and help from whānau, friends and the Koutu community is what Tiffy values most.
"We were working at the site one day and some of our Koutu kids were walking along the railway tracks. They asked what were we doing then came and helped to dig out the sandpit for the rest of the day."
She is also most grateful to her hero, her father Barry Hicks who has the trick of all trades with numerous contacts and, always found a solution to any problem that felt impossible to solve.
Materials and resources were donated, bought second-hand or made.
"Without the labour, time, koha and aroha from whānau and friends we wouldn't be here today."
Five years on they are in huge demand, and have built a second business arm, Te Pākārito Education Consultants which provides professional development to Kohanga and ECE services as far as the Waikato Region.
"Our success has hugely been because of the people who believed in our kaupapa and did the hard yards, especially my amazing team of kaiako that have an undying commitment to our tamariki."
