Te whakakaupapa te kotahitanga - Waiata tuku iho provides cultural framework for te reo intiative

The Annual Report is a standard fixture of the Parininihi ki Waitōtara calendar, with the focus firmly on reporting business and financial results. This year, whānau might sense a deeper cultural element as the management team introduces a new framework that gives voice to te reo o Taranaki. Moana Ellis reports.

The old recording of a waiata tawhito calling for unity in the face of loss is spine-tingling.

Te Whakakaupapa i te Kotahitanga was originally composed by Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāruahinerangi, Ngaa Rauru, Taranaki Iwi and Ngāti Te Whiti rangatira Te Whareaitu for Te Kahu Pūkoro, a Ngāruahinerangi and Ngāti Ruanui rangatira who protested against and petitioned the Government for the removal of the West Coast settlement reserves regime.

The mōteatea (lament) is a testament to the resilience and fortitude of the Taranaki people, urging descendants to come together in a movement of unity to overcome trauma, land confiscation and peppercorn rentals.

Now, the moving and uplifting words of Te Kotahitanga are to be heard and remembered by new generations as the foundation of the new cultural framework for the use of te reo Māori within Parininihi ki Waitōtara.

General Manager Shareholder Engagement Puna Wano- Bryant, who will now have the title Te Rautitikura, says the cultural framework signals the organisation’s commitment to te reo o Taranaki, and to ensuring that the way it is used within PKW reflects ‘our whenua, our people and our story’.

“It is not so much putting a new tune to an old waiata – it’s more giving voice to a song that hasn’t been sung for a long time. It commits us to a pathway set by our tūpuna through the words of Te Whareaitu.”

The waiata uses the word ‘raupatu’ (confiscation) – another foundational element of the framework.

“It reminds us that everything we do is driven by the story of our land and our people – and that is one of raupatu. The opportunity we have now is to re-vision and repurpose this legacy in a positive and unifying way.”

“When we started planning our Annual Report for the year, we found that everything – even our business reporting – connects back to that cultural framework of raupatu and kotahitanga.

“Everything we do reflects our identity and history. It is our foundation, and our reo, expressions, statements and terminology should all align with that.”

Puna called upon newly appointed Te Rau Whakaihoiho / Kaitiakitanga Strategy Manager Tonga Karena to help develop and formalise the thinking.

Pictured above: Tonga Karena

“The cultural framework sets out the principles behind the deeper values that come from te ao Māori and the historical foundations, tikanga and knowledge that have given rise to the organisation that we are all a part of,” Tonga says.

“It maps out how we will integrate that story into the way we operate this incorporation on behalf of the people who whakapapa to this land.

“When we give it that level of scope, then everything that falls in between – translating menus for Novotel Ngāmotu, creating signage for farms, our use of te reo me ōna tikanga – can be guided by the framework.”

The framework will remind whānau of the trauma expressed in the words of the waiata tuku iho, but uri will also find inspiration and meaning in the new approach, Puna says.

“It’s a stark reminder of our history, but it’s also inspiring. Muru and raupatu is who we are and never to be forgotten. We’ve suffered the prejudicial effects over time. Our old people lived it – yet they still expressed hope for kotahitanga and oranga. That is the blueprint they left us.”

The framework will be tested gently as part of the internal culture of Parininihi ki Waitōtara. It will be seen initially in new kaimahi titles and incorporated into publications such as the upcoming Annual Report.

The new titles have been created from the word ‘raupatu’.

“They follow the differing layers of expressions built into the word ‘rau’, as the word ‘raupatu’ is, in fact, two words, ‘Te rau o te patu’ or the edge of the patu/short club,” Tonga said.

He said the word ‘rau’ has many layers of meaning. Forexample:

• Raupatu – confiscation, dispossession

• Rau o te aroha – a bounty, a demonstration of time, energy and compassion

• Taniwharau – a group of critical thinkers

• Raukura – a symbol of peace and Parihaka

• Whakarauora – to revitalise, rebirth, replenish, restore

• Taumatarau – to achieve at many levels

• Puanga Kairau – the heralding of a Māori new year in Taranaki

• Rau matamata o te patu o Tongariro – refers to the tewe or scar or broken cone of Taranaki when he wasstruck by Tongariro

Puna says building the framework has been like breakingopen the doors of an archive.

“It is so exciting to be speaking this reo. The connectionswe all have with these words go back to concepts andknowledge that has always been there. Using them in thisway unearths a new layer of meaning in the work we do atParininihi ki Waitōtara.

“It’s a powerful and empowering journey.”