Tērā pea ko te noho hāneanea tahi me te whānau ehara pea i a tātou katoa engari anō ki a Te Ataraiti Waretini, koia te pito o tōna ngākau. Ko te tangata waewae āwhiowhio te tangata ngākau whenua koia ko Te Ataraiti, he wahine pukumahi.
E rua āna pākihi – ko tetehi he mea pikitia, he pouaka whakaata me te wāhanga kamupene-ā-ipurangi ko te mea atu he pākihi raranga. Kai te raranga a Te Ataraiti ināianei mō tētehi whakaaturanga iwi taketake ka tū ki Toronto i Kānata ā te mārama hou. Ko ngā kupu ōhākī a tōna matua tāne kai ōna hoi taringa e kī nei, "Kahakina e, ka mahue te kakara putiputi".
Nā ōna mātua, nā Te Kuru rāua ko Maria Waretini te whakapau kaha ki te mahi i whakatō ki a rātou katoa ki a Te Ataraiti me ōna tūngane. He kaha i heke iho hoki i tōna kuia ko Nita Katipa. He ahakoa kua mate noa atu tōna matua tane, tōna kuia me tōna tuakana, he wahine pūmau nei ki te aroha nui ki te manaaki i tana hāpori whānui tonu. Atu i a Kura Productions Ltd me Maru Creations Ltd he akona reo hoki a Te Ataraiti, kai Te Wānanga o Aotearoa e tauira ana.
Otianō i whānau mai, i pakeke ai i kuraina hoki a Te Ataraiti i Te Kura o Te Whakarewarewa, nō te wā i neke tana whānau ki Tamaki Makaurau ki reira ia kura tuarua ai, nā wai ka rere atu mō ngā tau e whitu ki Īngarangi.
"Ehara i te mea he ako mātauranga kau nōu e kura kaupapa Māori ana, he takahi whenua, he kōrero tūpuna hoki, ka nui kē taku whakamīhā ki taku kura e māori nei tō rātou kura i te ao o te mātauranga".
I Te Puia ōna mātua e mahi ana, whoi anō kātahi tonu tēnei ingoa hou ka tapangia ki tēnei wāhi mahi, kāti. He mātanga mākete tōna matua tāne, koia hoki te pikitūranga o te wāhi mahi, ā, he pou-arahi tōna matua wahine he mātanga raranga hoki. He akona raranga hoki nā Kui Emily Schuster me Kui Honoria Matenga (nee Maniapoto) kua mate noa atu ēnei wāhine tokorua.
Kai te kawea e Te Ataraiti te ingoa o tōna kuia, nō nā tata nei ka mātau ai he kuia noho ki Īngarangi hoki i ōna wā. I whānau mai tōna tupuna kuia a Te Moananui-a-Kiwa ki wē moana nō rātou ko tana pahi e hoki mai ana ki te kāinga i te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau kotahi tekau mā rua.
"Mō te roanga o taku oranga he ako kē i te tangata ki te whakahuahua tika i tōku ingoa, e hika mā, kāua e mea mai he uaua, engari he rerekē!." Ka ūpoko pakarū ngā tangata o Īngarangi ki te kōrero tika i tōku ingoa kia kāua au e patua ki te whakaiti. "Tērā ētehi ka pau i a rātou e rua wiki e whakangungu ana – me taku ngākau aroha i whakaarongia au". He toru tekau mā rima ngā tau o Te Ataraiti.
Tūturu he Tūhourangi-Ngāti Wahiao, he Tainui, he Te Rarawa ōna kāwai tupua. Kua kotahi tekau mā rima ngā tau nāna e whakapau kaha i te ao o te pouaka whakaata. Nō te Tīhema kua pahemo ka riro māna te tūranga ringatohu-pouwhakahaere mā Kura Productions he whakawatea noa i a Quinton Hita.
He kamupene motuhake nei e tohunga nei ki te waihanga kiriata, kaupapa pouaka whakaata me ngā kaupapa ā ipurangi hoki. "I Aotearoa nei ko taku tino mahi he noho i ngā kaupapa Māori. Koina tētehi o aku mahi nōku e noho atu ana i Īngarangi, nā reira i mārama ai aku kanohi ki te whānuitanga o tēnei momo mātauranga. He ngāwari ake te ao pouaka whakaata i Īngarangi, ka whia kē ngā huarahi tuwhera, me te rahi hoki o ngā kaupapa pouaka whakaata, he iti kau te mahi engari he rawe kē te nama hāunga ngā kaupapa Māori.
Te Kauanga Hoanga.
I Aotearoa nei e rua, e toru rānei ngā puna pūtea nā reira kai te tohea taua pūtea e ngā hoa mahi hoki me te rangatira hoki o ngā kaupapa, i wāuna me hinga tētehi o te hunga tono."
"Me te mea hoki me ōkea rawatia te Māori mō te maramara kau, engari anō ka whia kē ngā pouaka me whakatikatika kia puta ai ki te tihi o te maunga, kia whakatauirangia e ahau, me reo rua, me ahurea atamai, ko te taha ki te whakamāori, whakapākehā rānei mātua kia tika katoa ngā wāhanga e ai ki a tātou te Māori kia kou katoa ngā mahi. Ko ngā taumahatanga kai ngā pakihiwi o tātou te Māori me ngā kaupapa Māori e hoa kai tūā rānō o te pūtea, ko tō tātou mana kē, nē hā – ko te taiao, ko te mana o te iwi me ngā kaumātua".
"Ko ngā hōtaka Pākehā kāore he paku aha ki a rātou ēnei taumahatanga, ka rua, ka itiiiti noa te pūtea awhina ka haere ki a tātou te Māori, nō reira ki Aotearoa nei he purtiti kau ngā ara, he koretake te moni, he mano kē ngā hāora mahi, he pūehu te kai. Ki te āhua nei kai te piki ake te pai, tāria te rima o ngā tau e tīno mātau ai tātou. Ko te mea e hāneanea ai taku ngākau ko te mahi tahi me ngā whānaunga me te whakaputa i tō tātou reo taketake me te taiao Māori kia Māori kau kia waia te whenua ki tō tātou māuri ora, otianō hei āwhina i ngā whakatupuranga hou".
Tērā, tērā ko tōna pōtae tuarua, ko Maru Creations, nāna te kamupene nei, whaihoki kai te akongia hoki a Te Ataraiti ki te whakamomona i tona taha raranga. Nā Maria Waretini tana tamāhine i ako ki te raranga mā Pukamata nō Te Ataraiti e noho ana i Īngarangi. "Ka eke taku tau ki te toru tekau ka tāhuri ki te raranga , e whia kē ngā hāora kua riro atu engari tonu. Ko te mea uaua e noho atu ana ahau ki tāwāhi ako ai, ka pōrangi noa i ngā wā o whenua kē atu me te mōhio hoki ko tōku matua wahine taku pou haeoratū anake." "He tohunga tōku matua wahine e ora katoa te ngākau i whai taima māua ki tēnei haerenga rangatira".
Nōna e rima tau anake kua mau tona wairua i te ao pouaka whakaata. Ka anga atu ki Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau, ko te hangarau whakawhitiwhiti whakaaro tana kaupapa matua he tohu paetahi e toru tau te roa. "He tohu rangatira hoki e paru ai ou ringaringa. Ko taku tau tuatahi ko ahau tētehi o te hūnuku Māori me te PI itiiti o tētehi kāhui e toru rau tangata. Ko ahau anake te Māori i tū Māori i tō mātou kāhui e toru tekau. E akona ana mātou e ngā niho roa o te ao pouaka whakaata kai te mahara hoki ahau he wāhanga motuhake e taea ai e tātou ngā Māori me ngā PI ki te whakangā, he tino wāhi, ka tae ki ahau te harikoa, kua whai whakaaro mai ngā rangatira o te wānanga ki a mātou".
Ka nui hoki te whakamihi āna ki ngā manuao Māori o AUT nāna a ia i arahina ki te ara o tana karahipi. "Ko te karahipi i whakawhiwhia e ahau he mea Māori me Pasifika engari kāore i heke mai i toku iwi, kāore au i mōhio nā te aha i mōhio ai te manuao Māori engari koia te mea nui ki ahau". Nā tana whakaritenga whakamutunga ka riro i a ia tana mahi uiui tuatahi. Ko te kaupapa ko Marae DIY. Kātahi ka tū mai ko Kura Productions he waka hourua i tīmatangia ai e Quiton Hita me South Pacific Pictures āhua kotahi tekau mā rima o ngā tau ki muri.
E whia kē ā rātou kaupapa rangatira kua oti noa i a rātou. Ko Mt Zion me Maui's Hook, ko Pūkoro me te pakipumeka ko Huritua, ko Kōwhao Rau, he whakaari whakangāhau, Only in Aotearoa, ko Ahikāroa. Nā Wai i Teka? Te mea hou kai te kawea ki te Pukamata he kaupapa e kaha kawengia nei e Q.
Ko te aronga nui o Kura Productions ko te whakarauora i te mana o tātou te Māori me ōna wāhanga katoa. Me te whakapakari i ngā Māori ki a rangatira ai rātou i tēnei kamupene otīā tēnei ao mahi. I whakatupungia a Te Ataraiti me te raranga i te pā taunaha o Te Whakarewarewa me te taha o tona whānau nō Tainui kai reira hoki ētehi tipua ko Nanny Nuia Taratu he mahita kura tawhito i Manukau Institute of Technology. Nā Nanny Nuia a Te Ataraiti i ako ki te raranga me te harakeke nāna hoki i tākohangia tana kūtai tuatahi. "He huarahi taka Māori noa mai te ara raranga nei kai te toto kai taku whakapapa, e hoa ngā kaupapa whakahirahira kua ara ake nā te raranga hāunga ngā whakakitenga i Īngarangi me te tūtakitaki tangata rongonui pēnei i a Lauryn Hill.
Ā te mārama hou nei he whakakitenga tāna i te Indigenous Fashion Arts in Toronto. He ahakoa ngā tangata huhua kua atawhaitia a ia ko ngā pou tikanga heke iho i ōna mātua me tōna kuia a Nita te tūāpapa o tōna wairua tau. E whakamomori nei ki a Nita nō rātou te whakatupuranga i hahaungia mō te kōrero Māori me te noa atu nā reira i kaha ai ia ki te whakatō i te reo ki āna mokopuna. Tokorua anō ngā toki o te ao pouaka whakaata hoki nāna ia i toko ake ko Quiton Hita me Te O Kahurangi Waaka.
"Ko te pou tāhū o te kamupene ko te reo Māori, ko te ao Māori me ngā kaupapa Māori, mātua ki tēnei tokorua.
He rangatira katoa ngā kaupapa kāua mā te Māori anake engari mā te ao whānui engari ā Māori nei. Ko tāku kau kia whakahīhī mai rāua ki aku mahi". Rere ana ngā wharawhara mō te pae tawhiti.
Tāria te wā e Māori noa te ao Māori ki Aotearoa nei otīā te ao whānui hoki. Kia rere noa te whakamihi tangata, pēnei me te, kia ora – kai te pēwhea koe? E hāngai rite tahi nei ki te Hi – how are you?".
E āuē nei taku ngākau kai tēnei taima hoki mā te mōhio ki tō reo e tomo atu ai koe ki ngā mahi whakahirahira o Aotearoa nei!". Ko ngā kaupapa Māori te pūtake o tōna aroha nui ki tana mahi. "Mēnā kāore he hiringa o te ngākau ki te mahi kua puta noa ahau i te ao mahi nei kua whakahuri umunga nui hai pou-raranga".
Kua tino uaua ēnei tau whakamutunga hoki ki taku whānau. Ka rāhuinga tātou nā te māuiui korona tuatahi i te tau e rua mano e rua tekau, ka mate te kuia o Te Ataraiti, ka pau te rua hāora ka heke te taumata ki te pae tuatoru i te pae tuawha engari nā te ture hou ka whakaaengia kia tekau noa ngā tangata hai waha i a ia ki tōna rua kōiwi i Pānguru i Hokianga. He aha rā.
"E toru tekau meneti noa hai tuku i te roimata me te hupe, te tere hoki! E whakamomori tonu nei mātou ki a Nan, kātahi nei ahau ka mātau ki te roanga atu o te māuiui korona, kāore i whakaae kia kāuawhiawhingia tātou, kāore hoki i whakaae ki a tae te tangata ki tō mātou whare tangi tahi ai".
Nō te tau e rua mano e rua tekau mā tahi i toromi tōna tuakana a Kapuaiwaho i mua tata tonu i te rāhuitanga māuiui korona i te marama o Pepuere." Ēnei pāmamaetanga katoa me te mea kua piki te kaha o te mahi, ae kua pirorehe mātou i a korona , engari i te korenga o ngā ture korona kai te rere anō ngā hihi o te rā, e puehu pai ana me te puku mahi hoki."
"Me tū ahaui ētehi taima, kia mārama kehokeho ai aku kanohi ki ngā reareatanga o te wā, pārahutihuti ana te huringa o te ao – kia hōkia ki te pepeha a tōku matua tane, "kahakina e, ka mahue te kakara putiputi".
Whakapiritahatahi kia mau, me he pūtake tuanui tāu, tiakina, e ora ana te puku tō waimarie hoki – e mahi ana he rangatira koe.
One prized resource of the past which was closely guarded was the ancient sandstone used to prepare, shape and finish items that denoted status. Items such as tiki, mere pounamu, kuru and other ornate gifts.
Many such sandstone working blocks are found throughout the central north island and the Rotorua region.
Generally, they are called – hoanga. A word that refers to the guardian of sandstone, Hinetuahoanga. Depending on the kind of sandstone with differing degrees of fineness they will also bear names such as Hinemaheni and Hine kiri taratara. Another word also associated with the hoanga is orooro, used to describe the physical grinding of one natural resource against another.
Typically, you would hear experts refer to such stones as, pōwhatu orooro, or stones used for smoothing or polishing items. Such stones will also have a personal name and associated history. There are a few in Rotorua, such as Te Toto, Te Mata taratara, Hinetuahoanga and Te Kauanga-hoanga. On the coast line of the Bay of Plenty once sat the famous polishing stone, Whakarewa-i-te-rangi .
Whakarewa-i-te-rangi is a pōwhatu-orooro that lay once at Matata not far from the Mimiha river. Many stories told how this splendid sandstone was transported upon the Te Arawa waka from Hawaiki and eventually laid to rest near the Mimiha river that runs out into Te Moana-o-Toitehuatahi.
Whakarewa was so popular in the past that it was somewhat of a neutral resource that all people from neighbouring and often warring tribes could frequent without any hassle. However, with the gradual introduction of western influence moving throughout the country, roads and rail lines were laid to connect the developing townships. Unfortunately, a rail line needed to pass near where Whakarewa-i-te-rangi lay; due to works, the stone itself was blown apart with dynamite to cater for the rail line.
Whakarewa was saved from this disgrace. With the support of the local iwi, it was uplifted and catered to the Auckland Museum, where it sits today on the second floor along with taonga from the Rotorua region.
Te Toto-o -Hinemaru was another sandstone that sat within the land area known as Paepaehākumanu. Gilbert Mair recorded that the last tohunga he witnessed working their taonga at this site were Taupua Te Whanoa and his fellow artisans; sadly, the area was mined for its rich sulphur content, which led to the unfortunate loss of this taonga.
We are very fortunate however, that Te Kauanga-Hoanga is one taonga that still sits in its natural state near the Government Gardens, the site today is fully acknowledged with a signpost that speaks to its richness and importance of the area. As an added point of interest, Te Kauanga is short for Te Kauanga-a-Hatupatu, as it was from this site that Hatupatu swam out to the island of Mokoia, located in the middle of the lake.
One of the most famous pōwhatu-orooro or hoanga that was frequented by the Arawa tohunga was a gift transported to the shores of Aotearoa by the legendary explorer, Ihenga, the grandson of the great commander of the Te Arawa waka, Tamatekapua.
The pōwhatu-orooro is named Hinetuahoanga, after the great ancestress of sandstone and was placed below the summit of Ngongotahā by a sacred stream known as Wai-oro-toki. The stone bears upon its surface the deep grooves left by generations of earlier artists.
It is often asked how such great stones could be physically moved. Once upon a time these taonga had been light but had gradually grown heavy over the centuries from the extreme tapu they had all acquired over time.
