E hihiko ana Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori ki te pānui atu kua riro i tōna Toihau, a Ahorangi Rāwinia Higgins (Ngāi Tūhoe), te tohu whakahirahira mō te Wahine Mana Whakahaere Māori 2024 i te wāhanga mana whakahaere Māori.

Hei tohu taunaki tēnei i te kaiārahitanga whakahirahira, i te ū ki te whakarauora i te reo Māori, i te tū tautoko kia whai wāhi te Māori ki ngā mana whakahaere, i te kaiārahitanga wāhine Māori anō hoki.

“Ko tō mātou Toihau te wahine tuatahi hei Toihau mō Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. E whakaatu ana i te ū rawa ki te whakatairanga i te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori puta noa i ngā tau maha, i ngā kaupapa maha, ki te kāinga ki tāwāhi anō hoki”, e ai ki a Ngahiwi Apanui-Barr, Tumu Whakahaere o Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.

“He whakaihi tana kaiārahitanga i te tokomaha o te ao Māori, o waho atu hoki. He kaiārahi tūturu ia, he kaiwhakawhanake mā tōna kaha, mā tōna koi, mā tana whakapoapoa hoki. E tino harikoa ana mātou kua riro i a ia tēnei tohu, i tēnei wiki tonu - Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.”

Ka whakanuia e Ngā Tohu Wāhine Mana Whakahaere ngā mahi nui kua tutuki i ngā wāhine puta noa i ngā kaupapa maha o te mana whakahaere.

Kei tāwāhi kē a Tākuta Higgins e kōkiri ana i āna mahi kaiārahitanga, nā reira ka riro nā Charisma Rangipunga, Toihau Tuarua o Te Taura Whiri te tohu i tiki.

“I roto i tana tūranga Toihau, me te huhua atu o ngā kaupapa, kua kōkirihia e Rāwinia ngā take whakapakari i te reo me ngā tikanga Māori, i whakahoahoa ai anō hoki Te Taura Whiri ki ētahi atu rōpū whakahaere katoa”, e ai ki a Charisma.

“Ko tana whakakitenga he tautoko nui kia koke whakamua ai ngā whāinga o Te Taura Whiri, kia māhorahora ai te reo Māori hei reo ora ki ngā tāngata katoa o Aotearoa”.

Hei tā Charisma ko te kaiārahitanga a Rāwinia e tauawhi ana i ngā iwi taketake me ngā reo taketake puta noa i te ao. Nō konā hoki i tohua ai ia ki te Rōpū o te Ao mō te Ngahurutanga Tau o Ngā Reo Iwi Taketake o te Ao 2022-2032.

“Ahakoa kua riro te tohu nei i a Rāwinia, ehara tana toa i te toa takitahi, he toa takitini mō te hunga katoa e whai ana ki te whakarauora i te reo me ngā tikanga Māori. Hei tauira hoki tana kaiārahitanga i te mauri o te mana whakahaere Māori - he kaha, he whai wāhi, he whakakitenga. E whakahī ana mātou i a ia me tana ū tonu ki tā mātou kaupapa matua.”