He taupānga a Ōkupu, e tūhono ana i te tangata ki tētehi kaiwhakamāori, autaia nei te reo, me taua autaia anō ki te whakamāori kōrero. I puta ake tēnei tūmanako i ā māua ko Aroha Turner wānanga, nā runga i te kaha nui e tono whakamāori ana i te paohopori. Arā anō ētehi atu, ka hiahia whakamāori i ētehi rerenga noa nei o te ia rā, engari, kāore rātou e mōhio pai ana ki ētehi e matatau pai ana ki te reo, e taunga ana ki te whakamāori, e wātea ana hoki ki te whakatutuki i ngā mahi.

Ko te reo kōrero te āhua o te reo e tonoa nei i ngā kaiwhakamāori, me te aha, kāore e kō atu i ngā reta 180 nei, nō reira, ko tōna 30 kupu tērā ka taea te tono mā Ōkupu. Kua kitea, ko te nuinga o ngā tono e whiwhi ana a Ōkupu, kāore e hipa atu i ngā kupu 10 nei.

Mātua rā hoki me utu ngā kaiwhakamāori, kei te āhua o te nui o ngā kupu te utu, mehemea he pakihi, he rerekē anō te utu. Mō ngā whakamāoritanga nui a ngā pakihi, ka tonoa mā te wāhi ipurangi o Ōkupu, ā, ka riro mā Ōkupu me te kaiwhakamāori tētehi utu e tau ana ki te ngākau o te kaiwhakamāori – ka riro i a Ōkupu tētehi ōrau ka tāpiritia ki runga ake i te utu ki te kaiwhakamāori. Mā reira hoki e ea ai ngā utu o Ōkupu ki te whakahaere tonu i a ia anō; arā ngā nama e pā ana ki te whakahaere i te taupānga me te wāhi ipurangi.

I ngā wiki i mua tonu mai i te whakarewatanga o Ōkupu, i te marama o Hepetema, i te wā o Mahuru Māori, i tahuri ai māua ki te āta pōwhiri ki ngā kaiwhakamāori kua riro kē i a rātou ō rātou Tohu Whakamāori a Te Taura Whiri, ka mutu, i pōwhiri hoki ahau i ētehi, e whakapono ana ahau, ka taea e rātou ngā mahi nei, nā tō rātou matatau, nā tō rātou mōhio hoki ki te rāwekeweke waea atamai, inā hoki koirā te karawhiu.  

I tēnei wā nei, ko tōna 30 ngā kaiwhakamāori kua rēhita ki Ōkupu, ka mutu, nō ngā iwi katoa ngā kaiwhakamāori nei, me pērā ka tika, e taea ai e te kiritaki te tūreo (mita) e hiahiatia ana hei reo mō tāna i tono ai. Ko te tūreo tētehi o ngā āheinga me ngā āhuatanga motuhēhē o Ōkupu, e rerekē nei i te mahi whakamāori a Kūkara. I tua atu, he tangata tūturu ka whakamāori i ō kōrero, ehara i te rorohiko noa iho.

Heoi anō, e tino eke ai a Ōkupu ki te taumata e tika ana, me whakakaha ake, me whakapai ake ētehi āhuatanga, ko te iWaea tētehi kāore anō kia tika, nō reira, me whakapau kaha ki reira. Heoi anō, e kitea ana te kokenga ā-reo nei, o te hunga e whakamahi ana i te taupānga.  

Me mihi rā koutou katoa i āwhina mai, i tautoko mai i a Ōkupu, tatū atu ki Te Māngai Pāho i te pūtea āwhina, me te tautoko. E rere ana ngā whakamānawa whakamutunga ki a koutou e ngā kiritaki, koutou hoki e ngā kaiwhakamāori, me kore ake koutou kei aku rangatira.

Hononga whaipānga:

- Ōkupu

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.