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HE HUATAU NŌKU
I pepehangia e ngā kaumatua, ‘Ka pā te ruhi ki ngā turi, kāua e tukuna ngā pokowhiwhi kia hakeke’. Kai te whakapono ahau ki tēnei rerenga kōrero.
Mēnā koe e pirangi ana ki te noho tahi me te hāpori me puta koe i te whare. Wheoi anō e mana ai tēnei whakaaro, tuatahi rawa me pakari te tinana me kakamā te hinengaro nā te mea, ko te mea nui ki a tātau ngā pakeke ināianei ko te mana o te taima.
Kāua e tū tekoteko noa ki tahaki whakaparahako atu ai, whakatumatuma atu ai, e ruku ki te paru o te kakaritanga, whakaurua tō wehi ki te kaupapa. Kāore au e huna i te kōrero e hoa mā. He wahine kōrero tika ahau, ka nui taku aro ki ngā kaupapa rangatira o te wā. Ehara au i te tangata noho ki te ātea o te rorohiko, pau katoa i a au te rā, rāweke ai. He mōhio nōku ki te wā tika e puta ai ahau ki te whakanā i taku tinana.
Kare kau hoki aku amuamu. E ora nei taku ngākau, nā te mea kai te kaha tonu ahau, e whai take tonu ana ahau ki te noho pononga i taku hāpori. Otīā, e rua ngā tino kaupapa kai taku ngākau: Ko te hunga rangatahi me ngā taonga ā ngā tupuna.
Kai te paepae o Te Pukenga Koeke ahau ko tāku he atawhai i te waka o Te Mūheama o Rotorua, whaihoki kai te paepae Kaumātua hoki ahau mō te Kōti Rangatahi.
Ko ngā take whenua kai aku taina. Kua nanakia te wā ki a rāua e toutou ana i ngā konga o te pūrenga. Kua tata ki te waru o ngā tau ahau e noho kāinga nei ana. Me taku kaha hoki ki te karo i ngā huihui o te takiwā, ā, auware ake.
Ka kata ahau, nā wai rā ka tae ki ngā hui nui, ā, kua māuiora taku nohanga me aku tini whānaunga. Me pēwhea e kore ai e ruku ki te mātū o ngā kaupapa kōrero. He ahakoa he kaupapa hou, ka nui hoki ngā akoranga, ko taku mate ko te tāmi i taku taha tāingoingo, he hīanga, he nukurau hoki, wheoi anō rā he uri ahau nō Tamatekapua. Nō te wiki ko pahemo nei ka oti i a tātau te hui mō Kapenga M.
E mea ana ngā pepa, e teitei ana te puku o te taratī. Kai te kaha manaakingia tēnei waka e ngā mema o te iwi. Ka nui te kōrerotia i ngā tini kaupapa mō te hauora, mō te hunga kaumatua me te tangihanga. Ko te kaupapa moni aroha ki a mōhio ai tātau katoa e tiaki ana i te taha ki te mātauranga me ngā karahipi.
Kua pai ake pea tā tātau hui me he pouaka whakaputa reo ki a rangona ai te ia o ngā kaupapa. He ahakoa he wāhi pai a Te Rau Aroha, kai ētehi taimā mēnā kāore e tino kaha ana te tangata kawe kōrero ka uaua kē te whakarongo. Ka oti i a māua ko Watu tā tātau hui ka heke māua ki Ōhākī he tangihanga te take o te haere nā.
E mea anō ngā kaumatua ka huruhuru ngā taringa ko te wā hoki tēnei e heke ai te tangata ki ōna rangatira. Kāti. Kai te wiki nei kai te whakataetae kaumatua ahau ka tū ki Rotorua Events Centre. Hai te rātapu kai te hui mātau a Tūhourangi Tribal Authority, whaihoki hai whakakapi i te mutunga wiki ko te kaupapa Opera in the Pa ki Te Puia.
Ko ngā manu tīoriori ka tū ki te ātea whakamīharo ko Moses Mackay, ko Ludwig Treviranus, ko Kawiti Waetford, ko Elisha Fa’i-Hulton, ko Ellis Carrington me te rōpū rangatahi waiata-tira o te pā taunaha.
Kai te taumata o te whitu tekau o ngā tau ahau ināianei. E wāuna hoki, kai te pirorehe te tinana, kai te hakeke ngā pokowhiwhi, kai te more haere ngā niho, e turi ana ngā taringa, wheoi anō kai te pau te kaha o te tinana. Ko te pōhēhē o te whakaaro kai ngā pire, kai ngā rongoā te mana e ihiihi anō ai te tinana. Ko te māharahara nui ko te korenga o ngā tākuta me ngā manuao i te tāone.
E hoa mā he āwangawanga nui tēnei. Kia whakatauirangia e ahau. Tērā tētehi wā, e hapa ana taku ngākau, ka tohutohu mai me noho puku mō te kotahi tekau o ngā mārama. Kātahi ka wātea ai he tūnga tirotiro ngākau māku i te hōhipera o Rotorua nei. Ka tae te wā. Ka tirohia taku ngākau, ā, ka tatari anō ahau ki te tākuta. Ka hoki ahau ki te hōhipera. Nō te Rāhoroi, kātahi ka hui tahi māua ko te mātanga ā topa. Ko te mea kē i Ōtautahi kē te mātanga.
He nui hoki nō te nama ki te tākuta. E wāuna hoki ki te hunga e noho taumaha ana i te korenga o ngā kāri ratonga. E wha tekau mā rua tāra te nama. Engari he nama anō hoki mō te rongoā. Ko te utu o taku nama i tērā atu taimā e rima tekau tāra te nui o te nama.
He kotahi tekau katoa ngā pepa rongoā, e rima tāra mō ia pepa rongoā. He kotahi tekau mā ono te nama o taku noho i te mātanga tirotiro ngākau. Ka haere hoki ahau ki te rata niho, e waru tekau tāra te nama he mātakitaki kau. Engari ko te nui o te nama mō te whakapai i aku niho, he kotahi mano, e rua rau tāra te nama. Ko te nama mō ngā niho teka, tēnā, kai te waha o te parata.
E turi ana hoki ngā taringa nō reira pea ko te takahanga hou kai te aroaro o te kāri moni. He aha rā hai tāu ? Kai te ora ahau ? E hika mā. Ka nui taku ora.
— Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori
OPINION
The truth in the saying “you have to be tough when you’re old” is really hitting home with me.
To participate actively in our communities, you need to get out there. To do that it helps to be fit, resourceful and well-heeled because the demands on our time can be huge. You must get involved, not stand on the sidelines slinging mud or snide remarks.
I am an unapologetic news junkie, always interested in what’s going on around me.
I don’t hang out on social media platforms much and I also make sure I have device down-time.
But I’m not complaining, in fact I’m pleased I can still make a useful contribution to our community.
To this end I am involved in two kaupapa dear to my heart: Our Rangatahi and our Taonga.
I sit on the Pukenga Koeke for the Rotorua Museum and the Kaumatua Panel for the Kooti Rangatahi.
Participation on land trusts and other iwi entities I have left to my siblings who have lived in Rotorua all their lives.
Since I returned home eight years ago, I’ve tried to stay away from hui but it’s not working.
The funny thing is when I do go to hui, I find it impossible not to participate.
I am always learning something new, and I have to make sure I don’t let the imp in me make mischief just because I can.
The Kapenga M Trust meeting at the weekend learned from the comprehensive annual report shows the farm is in a healthy state and it is in the reliable hands of our trustees.
There was quite a bit of discussion about kaumatua, health and tangihanga grants. The moni aroha includes education grants and scholarships.
It would have helped matters considerably if there had been a sound sysem because the acoutics in Te Rau Aroha mean it was difficult to hear most speakers.
After the hui Watu and I went to a tangi at Ohaki. At my time of life tangihanga are to be expected.
This week, as well as work I have the Kaumatua Olympics today at the Rotorua Events Centre. On Sunday there is the Tuhourangi Tribal Authority AGM and capping it all off for me is Opera in The Pa at Te Puia.
The evening concert features Moses Mackay, Ludwig Treviranus, Kawiti Waetford, Elisha Fa’i-Hulton, Ellis Carrington and the Opera in the Pa youth choir.
Being able to enjoy life at 70 plus is a challenge for me because the body is degenerating — teeth, eyes, ears, bones.
Pills and potions help keep things in check but the shortage of medical personnel and services in our town is starting to bite.
For instance, I was having heart trouble and waited 10 months for an appointment at Rotorua Hospital. I had an echocardiogram and then waited for a consultation.
I duly reported to Rotorua Hospital on a Saturday afternoon where I had an appointment by zoom with a consultant who was in Christchurch. Going to see my GP is not cheap either if patients are like me don’t qualify for a community services card. The fee is $42. Then there is the cost of medication. My last lot from the pharmacy cost $50 — 10 scrips at $5 each.
For my referral to the cardiologist, I was charged $16 for the practice could send an email.
I went to the dentist too. The cost of an examination was $80 and the price of the work to clean up my mouth prior to dentures will top $1200.
I won’t even hazard a guess at what dentures will cost.
My hearing is not that sharp, so I suppose that’s the next step.
What’s that you say? Am I happy? Too right.
Walker mentors six jade carvers in Rotorua.