Nō te tau 2016 i whakarewangia ai Te Reo ki Tua - te kurutetenga whakarauora reo Māori a Ngāti Kahungunu.

I tū te hui tuatahi ki Te Whare Takiura o Te Aho-a-Māui i Ahuriri, ā, tōna 400 tāngata i tae ake. Nō te tau i muri mai, i neke ki Heretaunga ki Clubs Hastings. Mai anō i taua hui tuatahi rā, kua tino tipu te kaupapa, otirā, te tokomaha o te tangata ka tae ake.

Ia te tau ka panoni te kaupapa matua o te hui. I te tau 2017 ko “Whakaaweawetia te hunga whakaaweawe”, nō te tau kua mahue ake nei ko “Karawhiti taua!”, ā, i tēnei tau ko “He hiki roa tō hiki!”. Ko te kaupapa ia o te hui i te tau 2017, ko te whakahikohiko i te hunga whakaaweawe kia kaha tonu ai rātau ki te whakatahuri mai i ētahi atu kia aro mai rā ki tō tātau reo. I tērā tau, ko te karawhiti i te hunga taua, arā, ko te whakakotahi mai i te ope taua reo Māori o roto o Ngāti Kahungunu kia kotahi ai te karawhiu kia ora tonu ko te reo i waenga i te iwi. Ko te kaupapa i tēnei tau, he mea tiki ake i te haka rongonui a Ngāti Kahungunu, Tika Tonu, arā: “He hiki roa tō hiki!”. Ko tā te kaupapa nei, he whakakaha i te iwi aroha nui ki te reo kia pakanga roa, kia whawhai roa, kia kaua e mate wheke, engari kia mahara iho he roa tēnei pakanga, ā, me pūnoke, me pūkeke e toa ai tātau.

Ehara hoki i te mea mā Ngāti Kahungunu anake tēnei hui, e kāo. E tuwhera ana ki ngā iwi o te motu, waihoki o te ao. He mea tiki ake ngā kaikōrero i ngā kokoru katoa o te motu, ā, katoa rātau he mātanga, he tohunga ki tā rātau mahi. E waimarie rawa atu ana ēnei hui i te momo o ngā kaikōrero, katoa rātau he toa reo Māori, ā, kua aua atu e pakanga ana kia mau te reo me ōna tikanga. He pērā anō te rārangi kaikōrero i tēnei tau, ka mutu kua whakakotahitia mai Ngā Tohu Reo Māori o Ngāti Kahungunu me tēnei kaupapa, kua manu karapipititia. I eke ki tua noa atu o te 1000 ngā tāngata i tēnei tau.

O ā mātau hui whakarauora katoa i Kahungunu nei, koinei te mea nui katoa, ka mutu te muia ai hoki e ngā iwi o te motu. Anō te pai o te noho tahi mai a ngā whakaihuwaka reo o tēnā iwi, o tēnā peka, mō te rua rā ki te whakawhitiwhiti whakaaro, ā, ki te tautoko tētahi i tētahi. Ko te kōrero hoki rā, ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari kē he toa takitini.

He rawe hoki te mātakitaki i a Ngāti Kahungunu whānui, mai i runga ki raro, ka kuhu mai ki te whare i runga i te whakaaro kotahi, arā, te aroha nui ki tō tātau reo. Kitea ana ko ngā kanohi rongonui o te reo, ko ngā kaumātua, ko ngā pakeke, ko ngā tamariki o roto i ngā kura, tae noa ki ō tātau hoa Pākehā.

He pokotaringa hoki i wātea ki te hunga iti noa nei te reo kia rongo ai rātau i ngā whakapākehātanga o ngā kōrero. I mahi nui mātau ki te turaki i ngā taupā katoa e uru mai ai te tini ngerongero ki te whakarongo ki ngā kōrero me te kore i whakamā i te kore i mārama ki te reo. Koinei i tīkina atu ai te ratonga whakapākehā kia uru mai ai hoki ērā e iti noa nei te reo ki te kaupapa.

Ka mihi a Ngāti Kahungunu ki te motu i pau mai ki te hui o Te Reo ki Tua. Ehara mō Kahungunu anake te painga, engari mō tātau katoa e kimi nei i ngā ara rau e ora tonu ai tō tātau reo hai ngā tau tini.

Me takoto hoki i konei tā mātau tangi ki te mate nui o te reo, ki a Lee Grant Smith i mate mai i ngā wiki tata muri mai i te hui. Ka nui tō mātau koa, ko ia tēnā i whakawhiwhia ki te tohu tiketike o te tau, e kīia nei ko Te Āwhiorangi o Te Reo. I tangi nuitia a ia i tōna marae i Houngarea, i Heretaunga. Rere ana te kupu whakamihi a te tini tāngata ki a ia, otirā ngā mahi i tutuki i a ia i ora ai te reo i tēnei ao. Kāore e tika mā tōna anō iwi a ia e kōrero, engari kia kī noa ake i konei; nā ō hekenga werawera i ora ai te arero tipuna hai taonga tuku iho ki ngā reanga o āpōpō. Kai hea he koha nāu ki te ao i tua atu i tērā, Lee? Moe marire mai i te okiokitanga o te tangata.