Tākuta James Te Wharehuia Milroy

‘Ko te whakaiti te whare o te whakaaro nui.’

Kia tīkina ake e au ki tēnei kōrero a Te Wharehuia hei ūpokotanga mō ngā kōrero ka whai ake nei i te mea he tino kōrero nāna tēnei ki te hunga ka noho mai ki ōna rekereke ako ai i ngā kura reo i karangatia ai e Te Taura Whiri i te tuatahi, ka whai mai ko ngā rohe o te motu, ā, e haere tonu nei, e haere tonu nei. Mai i Waimārama, te kōhanga o ngā kura reo nei, ā, ka rangiwhāwhā.

Ko te kōrero whakaūpoko he tino kōrero nāna, arā, kei wareware ko te whakaiti he mea kia āta whakaarotia, ahakoa tō tūranga ki hea noa iho nei, kei rangiwhata, kei pīho. Ko te whakaiti ka whakanuitia e te iwi tēnā ko te hīkaka o te ihu me te pehu e kore rawa atu e paitia mai.

E takahi kē ana a Te Wharehuia i te ara o te tū hei rōia ka whakawaitia nei e tōna reo, e āna tikanga, ā, ko te māritanga tērā o te hunga kaingākau ki ēnei āhuatanga o roto mai i te ahurea Māori.

He tangata mānawanawa koirā i pai ai ki a ia te mahi whāngai i te mātauranga Māori ki te hunga hōkaka mai ki ērā kano kai, ā, koirā hoki ia i pīrangitia ai e te hunga ako. I ngā kura reo ko ia tēnā e warea ana ki āna mahi ka wareware ake ka hiakai anō ana akonga, ā, tuku rawa ake kua eke kē te wā mō te kai kua mate ana akonga ki te hoki hiakai atu ki ngā akoranga ahakoa te koto kē i ngā mātauranga i whāngaihia atu ai e te autaia koroua nei! Ū ana ia ki te kōrero, ‘Ko tā te rangatira kai he kōrero’, hei aha atu māna te hemo o ana akonga i te hiakai!      

Ka whakarērea atu rā e Te Wharehuia te ao o te ture ka tahuri mai ki tōna anō ao ka tonoa atu e au,otirā e māua ko Te Rangihau, kia haere mai ki te wāhanga reo Māori o Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato whakaako ai. Whakaae mai ana ia ki tērā tono, ā, ka kaha ake te rangona o te reo Māori e rere ana i te mea i taua wā rā ko Te Rangihau, ko Hirini Melbourne, ko Ngāhuia Dixon, ko John Moorfield, e mōhiotia nei ko Murumāra, ko au. Pakari ana te tū o te wāhanga Māori i ēnei tāngata.

Ka karangatia au e Te Minita Take Māori o te wā, e Koro Wētere, kia riro māku te waka o Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori e whakatere, ā, ka mate au ki te hūnuku ki Te Pane o Te Motu noho ai ki reira whakatutuki ai i ngā mahi i horahia mai.

Nō te ekenga ki te wā e panoni ai ngā mema o te poari whakahaere i Te Taura Whiri ka karanga atu au ki a Te Wharehuia kia noho mai hei mema mō taua poari, ā, whakaae mai ana ia. Waihoki i a au i te poari matua o Te Kōhanga Reo ka wātea mai he tūranga i taua poari rā ka karangatia atu e au a Te Wharehuia kia eke mai, ā, whakaae mai ana ia.

Ka haere ngā tau ka toko ake te whakaaro ki a au kia whakatūngia ko Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo. Tōna tikanga ko māua noa, ko ia ki ngā tikanga ko au ki te reo whāia rā hoki ka wātea mai a Pou i tāna mahi i Te Wānanga o Awanuiarangi ka tonoa atu e māua kia eke mai ki te waka. I te tokonga tuatahitanga ake o te whakaaro ki tētāhi whakahaere pērā i Te Panekiretanga i whakatakoto au i tōku whakaaro ki mua i te aroaro o Te Wharehuia kia rongo noa i ōna whakaaro. Inamata tonu tāna whakaae mai, ā, ka tere nei tērā waka i ngā wāi o whakatakē, o whakamanioro me uaua ka hīwawā ko ngā wai o whakamānawa. Heoi anō, tutuki rawa atu ana tā māua, otirā tā mātou ko ā mātou apataki, i moehewa ai.

Nā, i roto i ēnei āhuatanga katoa kua whakahuatia ake nei ko ngā kura reo i whakaterea rā e Te Taura Whiri i te tau 1989 ki Waimārama, ā, i aua tau tuatahi rā nā te putea tonu a Te Taura Whiri ngā raru o aua kura rā i pīkau.

Ko te hunga i haere mai ki ēnei whakahaere katoa kua kōrerotia ake nei, i waimarie rawa atu ki te noho hei ākonga i ngā whakaakoranga a te koroua nei. He tangata aroha nui ki te tangata, whakatauira anō hoki i tēnei mea, i te whakaiti, kia rangona ā-ngākau, kia kitea ā-kanohi. Ko tōna tino tohungatanga he kōrero paki, ā, i a ia ētahi kōrero, e hika e!

Ka ngaro rā tēnei momo i a ia i te ao kōrero Māori engari arā anō ngā tōtara haemata e tipu ake nei i ruia ki te wairākau i ahu mai i ngā kōrero i whāngaihia atu ai e te koroua nei. Ko te tangata ka ngaro, ko te mahara ia ka tū tonu.

Waiho mai ki ēnei rārangi iti nei o tētahi waiata kua titoa mōna hei whakatepe ake,

‘Kāti, whakaangi rā ki te whānau marama
Whēkite mai ai, whēriko mai ai’