Nei au te pupuri i ngā tini mahara e, taka ko roto nei ka māwherangi au, pa mai ki ahau whakahiangongo ai ē mō aku mate tau tini he aroha nei au e

Nō te 19 o Whiringa-ā-rangi ka karangahia tōku pāpā me mātou te whānau kua pani e ngā kaikaranga o Toa Rangatira. Kua tuwhera ngā kūaha o Toa Rangatira. Ko te whare me ōna kūaha, ngā kūaha nā tōku pāpā i whakairo, kei te karanga mai hoki. Ka kuhuna te whare ka takoto tōku pāpā ki te pou tuarongo, ko mātou ki tōna taha. Ka noho au ki a pāpā, ki te tuarongo o te whare, ka hoki ngā mahara ki āna pūrākau, ki āna kōrero i kaha rangona, i kaha kitea i tōna wā.

I whānau mai tōku pāpā a Tana Te Hou Salzmann i te 26 o ngā rā o Hakihea i te tau 1960. He tamaiti ia nā Tūtari Salzmann (nō te whānau Horomona) rāua ko Albert Salzmann. I tupu ake ia ki Takapūwāhia, ki te ūkaipō o Ngāti Toa Rangatira. 

Ka noho au ki te poho o tōku tupuna whare a Toa Rangatira, ka tirotiro haere ki tōna tuakiri, ka oho ngā mahara ki ngā kōrero mō te wā i whakaaro te iwi kia whakanikoniko, kia whakanakonako i te whare i ngā tau 1970. Nā runga i tēnei whakaaro o te iwi, i waimarie ngā taiohi o tērā wā ki te whai wāhi ki te āwhina atu i te tohunga whakairo o te whare, i a Kohe Webster. Ka tahuri ki tōku pāpā ka tangi apakura “Nā tēnei mahi a te iwi i tupu ake ngā kare-a-roto i roto i a koe mō tēnei momo mahi, mō te whakairo, nē, e pā?”.

Waiwai ana ngā kamo i te whakaarotanga mō ngā momo taonga nāna i waihanga me tōku whiwhi hoki i riro mai i a au ētehi. Ahakoa te nui me te maha o āna taonga i roto i ngā tau, ko ngā mahi tino whakahirahira ki a ia ko ngā mahi mā tōna iwi tonu. Ko ngā kūaha mō te whare tupuna nei ki runga i a Takapūwāhia marae tētehi. He nui ōna pūkenga, he maha āna mahi auaha. He tangata whai mātauranga anō hoki. He kaiwhakairo ia, ā, he kaha nōna te waihanga i ngā taonga mai i te uku, i te kōiwi, i te rākau, tae noa atu ki te hoahoa, tuhi ki te rorohiko (graphic designer). Nāna anō ia i ako ki te kāmura, nāna tō mātou whare i hanga, i whakapaipai. Nō ngā tau tata nei i hē ai te tuarā o tōku pāpā. Nā konei ka whai wheako hou mā te kimi i tētehi momo mahi auaha anō ka taea e ia, arā ko te waihanga taonga mā te rorohiko me te mīhini taiaho (laser-cut machine) te hua.

 I te marama o Hui-tanguru 2018 i pāngia tōku pāpā ki te mate pukupuku. Ahakoa tōna kaha hiahia ki te puta ki tōna whare toi, tē taea nā tōna māuiuitanga. I taku nohonga ki te kāinga tiaki ai i tāku pēpi, ka ako au i tōku pāpā me pēwhea te whakamahi i te mīhini taiaho. Nāwai rā ka mahi tahi māua i ētehi taonga, waihoki ka haere tonu ngā mahi whakarākei a tōku pāpā. 

I te 21 o Whiringa-ā-rangi, ka puta mātou ko tōku pāpā i a Toa Rangatira ka mahue i a ia ngā kūaha nāna tonu i whakairo, ka tū ki te marae ātea. Koinei tāna poroporoaki whakamutunga ki ōna kūaha, ki tōna whare. Ka hakaina te pōkeka/ngeri a tōna tupuna a Te Rauparaha ka wehe, tē hoki mai, i tōna tūrangawaewae. Upane, ka upane whiti te rā!

He tangata hūmārie, he ringa rehe, he ringa whakairo, he pāpā atawhai e kore e warewaretia.

Kāti, ko tā He Muka he whakaputa kōrero ki te reo Māori. Ko ngā tirohanga, whakaaro rānei kei roto i te tuhinga nei he mea whaiaro nō te tangata nāna te kōrero i tuhi. Ka mutu, kāore i te whakaatu i ngā whakaaro o, i ngā kōrero a, rānei, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, āna kaimahi, tana pae whakahaere, tana poari rānei, tae atu rā ki ngā tari, ngā pakihi rānei e whai pānga ana ki Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, ahakoa te hononga, hāunga i ngā mea kua āta whakahuatia ake ai.  Ehara ēnei tirohanga, whakaaro, kōrero rānei i te mea whakaiti, whakahē rānei, i te iwi, i te hapori, i te rōpū, i te tari, i te pakihi, i te tangata rānei.