RARAHI 19 : Te Wiki o Te Reo

rarahi

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori

perehitanga 19

Te Pukapuka a te kaiwāwāhi matua

Ko Putauaki tōku maunga.

Ko Whakatāne tōku awa.

Ko Mātaatua tōku waka.

Ko Motiti tōku moutere.

Ko Pupuaruhe tōku marae.

Ko Te Patuwai tōku hapū.

Ko Ngāti Awa ratau ko

Ngāpuhi, ko Te Arawa, ko Waitaha ōku iwi.

Ko Cameron tōku ingoa.

Tena koutou kātoa.

Kei te whakawhirinaki ahau i taku kaitiakitanga i tēnei tau mō Massive’s Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, e whakatairanga ana i koutou ki te whānui o ngā pūkenga i roto i te tauira o Te Whare Wānanga o Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa.

Kei roto i ēnei whārangi ka tūhura e koutou te haerenga o tētahi tauira i whakatipuhia i Ahitereiria ki te rapu i tō rātou whakapapa, te whaihua o te kaha kōrero, te whakapapa o ō tātou atua wāhine, o Hine-titama ki Hine-nui-te-pō, ngā waiata whenua i roto i te reo Māori, tētahi tohunga toi, tohunga whakairo hoki o rātou tīpuna, me te pouri a tētahi tauira mō te kore e tae ki ngā karapu reo Māori i te whare wānanga.

He tino ataahua ngā momo kaupapa kei roto i ēnei paki, e tino tūkōripi ana ahau ki te kitea a koutou e rukuhia ana!

I te timatanga o tēnei tau, i whakahōnoretia ahau ki te kawenga o te kaituhi mō Te Ao Māori mō Massive Magazine, he taitara mahi hōu e whakapaparanga ana i te ao Māori i roto i tō tātou pūrongo ākonga.

Kei te kite tātou i tēnei e nui ake ana i ō tātou whare whakaata kaupapa, pērā i te Te Rito Journalism Project e whakarato ana i te hōtaka mahi mā tekau mā rua tauira

Māori me te Pasifika ki ngā whare panui nui pērā i a NZME me Whakaata Māori puta noa i Aotearoa

Me te whakapau kaha a Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa ki te whakarato i te arahanga i runga i Te Tiriti, me tā Te Tira Ahu Pae whakahaere i te tauira whakahaere tahi o Te Tiriti, he mea whakahirahira te whai ao Māori i ngā āhuatanga katoa o te whare wānanga.

Nā reira, he mīharo te tipuranga o taua tūranga, ā, ka whakatipu tonu te whakapāpā Māori i roto i Massive me te hapori whare wānanga whānui mō ngā tau kei te heke mai.

Ki te taha o Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, ka whai mai ngā mauri e rangirua. Ki tētahi atu taha, he mīharo te kite i te kaha o te reo Māori i roto i Aotearoa, i te tau 1975(iwa tekau mā whitu) i whakamanahia ai Te Wiki.

He whakamiharo ahau i te whakanui i tēnei kaupapa whānui i te motu, he rereke rawa atu i te ahua o te reo Māori i te kotahi rau tau kua pahure! Ahakoa tēnei, i tēnei wiki ka tae mai anō ngā kare-a-roto mō te hunga kāore e kaha ki te kōrero i te reo Māori, me ahau ano.

Ka maumahara ahau i te tangohanga o te reo Māori i taku whānau, me te hohonu o te paanga o te karaune ki te Iwi Māori katoa.

Mēnā kei roto koe i te waka kotahi, kia kaha e hoa mā - Ka kite ahau i a koe, ka rongo ahau, ka tuku atu taku aroha ki a koe.

Ahakoa kei whea koe i roto i tō haerenga ki te reo Māori, tēnā koa ka taea e koe te whakapakari i ō pūkenga, te ako i tētahi mea hōu, me te whakanui i te reo Māori me ngā mahi a ngā kaiwhakapakari reo o te reo Māori katoa i tēnei wiki. Nāku mihi ki Ngā Tamatoa, Te Huinga Rangatahi, te pāpori o Te Reo Māori, o Te Whare Wānanga o Wikitōria, Naida Glavish, me te maha atu o ngā kaiwhakapakari reo Māori, i te whakapau kaha i ngā ārai o te reo, kia kore e ora noa, engari kia tipu tonu.

Nāku noa, nā, Cameron.

Tena koutou kātoa.

I am beyond blessed to have been this year’s curator for Massive’s Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori issue, introducing you all to a wide scope of talent within our Massey University tauira cohort. Within these pages, you will explore one Australian-raised student’s journey towards finding their whakapapa, the importance of story sovereignty, the whakapapa of our atua wāhine Hine-titama turned Hine-nui-te-pō, country waiata in te reo Māori, a talented fine arts major and the carving of their tīpuna, and one student’s frustration with the low attendance within their te reo Māori classes at university. Such a beautifully diverse range of topics that I am SO excited for you all to dive into!

Earlier this year, I was honoured to take on the role of Te Ao Māori editor for Massive Magazine, a newly cultivated job title that allows te ao Māori representation in our student magazine to flourish. We are seeing more and more of this within our mainstream newsrooms across Aotearoa, such as the Te Rito Journalism Project that allows 12 Māori and Pasifika cadets to work within large media outlets such as NZME and Whakaata Māori. With Massey University claiming to be Te-Tiriti led, and our student association Te Tira Ahu Pae run through a Te Tiriti co-governance model, having te ao Māori within all aspects of university life is crucial. Therefore, the development of such a role is AMAZING to see, and I can’t wait to see how Māori representation evolves within Massive and the wider university community for years to come.

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori comes with mixed emotions for many of us. On one hand, it’s incredible to see how te reo Māori has strengthened within Aotearoa, with Te Wiki officially put in place in 1975. To see it celebrated through a nationwide kaupapa is drastically different to the state of te reo Māori 100 years ago! However, this week also comes with feelings of whakamā for those who can’t kōrero Māori confidently, myself included. It reminds me of how te reo Māori was stripped from my whānau and how deeply colonisation impacted Māori as a whole.

If you are in the same waka, kia kaha e hoa mā - I see you, I hear you, and I send you my aroha. Furthermore, a week celebrating te reo Māori is incredible, but it should be celebrated ALL year! I hold faith that our journey towards normalising our reo within Aotearoa is only going to escalate!

No matter where you are in your te reo Māori journey, I hope you are able to find some time this week to work on your skills, learn something new and commemorate both te reo Māori and all that our te reo Māori advocates did to get us to this point. Shout out to Ngā Tamatoa, Te Huinga Rangatahi, Victoria University’s Te Reo Māori Society, Naida Glavish, and many other te reo Māori advocates, for pushing the boundaries and allowing our reo to not just survive, but to thrive.

Nāku noa, nā, Cameron.

WEEKLY NEWS

Everyone’s using AI, no one’s getting caught

Brett Kerr-Laurie (he/him)

Students using artificial intelligence for assessments say ‘catch me if you can’ to universities struggling to keep up.

A Massive Instagram poll revealed 41% of respondents had used AI for an assessment this year, but only five of them were caught. Nearly a year after ChatGPT’s launch in November 2022, the platform has integrated itself seamlessly into many students lives - and assessments.

Massey’s policy on AI use in assessments states “artificial intelligence tools and other thirdparty assistance may not be used to generate summative assessment tasks”.

Despite this, AI use is rampant among Massey students, said Sam* who spoke to Massive anonymously.

The third-year media studies major used ChatGPT for 70% of his assignments this year, saving him so much time.

Sam* said he reads over each assignment multiple times before submitting, questioning “is this something I would personally think of?” to ensure he isn’t caught.

“I might not be thinking for myself as much, but it’s a lot faster”.

Sam* used ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas, summarise information, paraphrase his work, and answer assignment questions, but never directly copy-pasted what the AI spat out.

Not all of this was considered illegal, as Massey’s AI policy allows AI use in the formative process of information gathering, listing examples such as “developing initial ideas”.

The illegality arises when AI generated work is “uncritically submitted as the students’ own work”, unless this has been explicitly allowed in the assignment instructions.

A Massey University spokesperson said, “Remember, the reason we ask you to submit assessments is because we want to know what you know… If we want to know what AI can tell us about a topic, we’ll ask it ourselves.”

The university’s Student Disciplinary Regulations listed example penalties for student misconduct as a suspension or up to $500 in fines, while serious misconduct could result in expulsion or up to $5,000 in fines. The spokesperson said, “Students who are repeatedly found to have used AI are also likely to receive more serious penalties.”

They said there had been zero cases of serious misconduct related to AI in 2023, however, there had been 70 breaches of academic integrity categorized as “students submitting work that does not represent their own”.

Although rare, the spokesperson said Massey had the power “to revoke a qualification after graduation if a student is found to have committed serious academic misconduct”.

They said Massey spots AI use through the Turnitin detection service, but primarily “uses human judgement”, looking at file metadata, fake content, and fact checking.

In most cases students are given a chance to prove their work is not AI generated through assignment notes and drafts, said the spokesperson.

Students protest against cuts at Wellington Open Day

Sammy Carter (she/her)

A Massey Students Against Cuts member, Romany Tasker-Poland, held up a banner in front of potential students at the Wellington Open Day opening ceremony.

Students Against Cuts (SAC) held protests at Massey Wellington and Victoria University on the 25th of August Open Day to express their anger at staff and course cuts. Tasker-Poland said, “Massey University and Victoria University see prospective students as dollar signs, and Open Days as an opportunity to sell their brand.”

“We have a different view. We see Open Day as an opportunity to raise awareness about the attacks that are happening at universities across the country”.

Students spread posters and leaflets around their campuses to show their “frustration at the disparity between the images presented by university advertising and the reality of tertiary education for students”, said a press release to Massive.

An art piece in block 2’s Clear View was covered in fabric and chia seeds the night before Open Day, but the morning of, three squares had been cut out to reveal posters that had used Massey’s Open Day marketing against them.

Wellington students Julia Kohlhaas, Fahsai Chainarong, Ruby Christoffel, Shevana Sammons, and Tobie Parsons created the ‘Off Cuts’ exhibition.

‘Off Cuts’ posters were taken down outside Tussock Cafe before 8am on Open Day, however, the posters in Clear View were not.

Posters at Victoria University saying “Staff are the heart of VUW” were taken down from noticeboards. Kohlhaas said she kept ‘Off Cuts’ plans a secret for a long as possible to prevent someone from stopping them, only cutting out the fabric and hanging the posters around 10:30pm the night before Open Day.

The Massey Fine Arts Instagram account posted photos of Chainarong applying the chia seeds before the art was revealed to be against the cuts.

The ‘Off Cuts’ exhibition is doing an open calling for creative responses posing the question, “If the cuts in education go ahead as planned – what will we miss? What gets ‘Cut Off’?”

Chainarong said she cannot control if the chia seeds will grow or not. She said as a student, “we want to grow but if the environment of the university doesn’t really take care of us, we can’t”.

Chainarong and Kohlhaas laughed, explaining that the chia seeds aren’t growing as the environment is too harsh, saying this was pictorial for the situation that is happening at Massey. Two students also protested at the Manawatū Open Day on the 2nd of August by chalking “save our papers” outside the library and science buildings.

The students were given a verbal trespass and followed off campus. One staff member was trespassed and escorted off campus along with the student for watching and recording the interaction with security. If you’d like to submit a response to ‘Off Cuts’ before the exhibition held on the 9-14th of October, email off.cuts.2023@gmail.com or head to their social media.

Massey University declined to comment.

Massey skimps on staff’s coffee, tea, stationery, travel and catering

Sammy Carter (she/her)

Staff are urged to reconsider any travel they have already planned for this year, and to use company cars for short distances only in an email from the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). The new cost-saving initiatives sent on the 16th of August come as Massey recorded an $8.8 million deficit in 2022 and recently announced a yearto-date operating deficit of $14.2m.

The email said Massey had made the decision to “revise our refreshments provisions”.

“Effective immediately, fruit teas and coffee beans will no longer be included in our curated selection available for purchase, nor will they be reimbursed via Flexi-purchase.”

The vice chancellor was last reported to earn $586,000 per annum.

To fulfil its obligation under employment agreements that “all employees are to receive free tea, coffee, milk and sugar for rest periods”, instant coffee, ‘standard’ tea varieties, Milo, milk and sugar would continue to be available for staff.

Company vehicles were to be used for “shorter distances”, saying drives between the Wellington and Manawatū campuses, and overnight stays incurring expenses were to be avoided unless approved as essential travel.

A Massey University spokesperson said, “These decisions have been hard to make, and the Senior Leadership Team recognise some staff may find them unsettling.”

SLT would review all domestic and international travel requests for the remainder of 2023, noting that some travel is externally funded, for example via external research funds or via an external organisation.

Massey will no longer contribute (perhead) to end of year staff functions, saying this will save approximately $150,000 dollars.

The email continued to say Massey was putting purchasing “non-essential stationery and equipment” on pause.

Discretionary spend for catering for staff training sessions, meetings, and farewells was also to be paused,

and any exceptions needed to be approved by the relevant SLT member. The Massey spokesperson said, “There is a continuing need to look at every aspect of our operations –from large to small – and ensure our operations are fit for the future and able to continue to serve Aotearoa New Zealand”.

“While some of the measures outlined in the recent email to staff may appear to be minor cost savings, collectively they will have a positive impact on the university’s financial position.”

Students protest in more ways than one at the Wellington Open Day. Photos / supplied

Finding My Whakapapa

Marlee Partridge (Kai Tāhu)

I only learned what a pā was back in 2017 during my second year of study in Dunedin. My friend had stared at me with abject horror scrawled across her face. She knew my ancestry, but I don’t think she realised until that point how truly disconnected I was from it.

It had taken me over a year of friendship to even mention that I was Kāi Tahu, because you never would have guessed it by looking at me or hearing me speak. I was the girl who had grown up in Australia. The girl that had developed a Frankenstein-esque accent of Aussie, Kiwi, and something that could almost have been inhuman. I’m a New Zealander at heart, my passport is black and silver and my birth certificate proudly states that I was born in Christchurch Women’s Hospital. And yet I was scared to tell people my iwi, I still am. But why?

In all honesty, I don’t know. Not even now, seven years after moving back to my homeland. I can’t pinpoint exactly why, but the fear still sits within me. Sometimes it feels like a festering wound and other times it feels like a dull ache. The best times are when I don’t feel it at all, but its shadow still lingers. I don’t think it will ever truly go away.

I considered for a long time that it was simply because of the colour of my skin. Even growing up in Australia, I had not tanned and would continue to be pasty like the parts of me descended from Scotland and England. Though the colour of my skin plays a part in my discomfort, it isn’t the defining factor in my hesitance to define myself as Māori.

I’m a New Zealander at heart, my passport is black and silver and my birth certificate proudly states that I was born in Christchurch Women’s Hospital. And yet I was scared to tell people my iwi, I still am. But why?

The closest I’ve come to an answer is hard to explain, but I want to try. I started this personal ‘essay’ when I was fifteen and full of teenage angst, sick of hearing kids at school tell me that “kiwis [were] moving to Australia and taking all the jobs”. I was sick of hearing the insults against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders while my homeland seemed to be embracing their culture with a newfound vigor. And I wasn’t there to experience it.

Like an outsider looking in, I watched as my family slowly started connecting again. The parts of our whānau that had retained our traditions reconnected with the parts that didn’t. My cousins started learning Te Reo Māori online while the younger ones were taught in school.

My fear of telling people my iwi comes from my own identity, I think. At least, that’s the closest I’ve come to an answer. Your identity is the most vulnerable part of you and there’s unease when part of that feels detached.

There’s a distinctive discomfort when you enter a room and feel you do not belong to either side, the division like a concrete barrier as you feel forced to pick where you should sit. If only you could choose to sit upon that concrete wall that separated the two parts of your own self. My identity was so intensely ingrained in knowing where I came from, but as I grew older, I learned that my ancestry was not as simple as my parents had made it seem. What defines who I am as a person is not simply the people who came before me or the country I was born in, but younger me did not realise that distinction until it was too late.

In the search for myself, I chose outlets to define myself, who I was, and what I could offer to other people. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but those outlets were very rarely healthy, legal, or safe. The toll it all took on my mental health is perhaps my biggest regret, as years later I find it is something that may never heal. Like broken china, it does not mend easily.

But again, my identity is something strongly rooted in something that I didn’t really understand. Imagine the language of your ancestors being foreign, the customs and practices feeling both wrong and yet so natural in the same breath. Imagine that your family has changed, the place where you were born has evolved, but you were left behind. Now I’m playing catch up. I’m slowly learning all the things I missed. I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that my identity is not something that is easily defined.

Your identity is the most vulnerable part of you and there’s unease when part of that feels detached.

I don’t have all the answers, but I do know that my tuakiritanga is not defined by the colour of my skin. It is not defined by where I live or where I have been, nor is it defined by where I will go in the future. Perhaps the closest I have come to an answer is – growth. Physical. Emotional. Spiritual. We are always growing.

I know that I grow best when my feet are in the soil of my home, when my heart connects with the wairua of my people, and when I learn about where I’ve been and where I’ve come from. But in my heart I still wonder, do I belong? Is this where I should be?

These are the questions that may never be answered in my lifetime. They may follow me on my journey of discovery. On my journey to finding my whakapapa and defining my tuakiritanga.

“...my tuakiritanga is not defined by the colour of my skin. It is not defined by where I live or where I have been, nor is it defined by where I will go in the future. Perhaps the closest I have come to an answer is – growth. Physical. Emotional. Spiritual. We are always growing.”

Te Rapu i Tōku Whakapapa

I te tau 2017(rua mano tekau mā whitu) ka ako ahau, kei te aha he pā, i roto i tōku tau tuarua o te ako i Ōtepoti. Kua titiro mai tōku hoa ki ahau me te whakararuraru āwara i runga i tōna kanohi.

Kua mōhio ia ki tōku whakapapa, engari kaore ia i mōhio ki te wehenga o ahau ki tōku whakapapa

Neke atu i te kotahi tau o taku hoahoa, ka kī ahau ko tāku ake whakapapa ko Kāi Tahu, nā, heoi anō, kāore koe e mōhio mā te titiro mai ki ahau, me rongo rānei i ahau e kōrero ana.

He wahine ke ahau i tipu ake ai i Ahitereiria. He wahine i whanake i te reo Frankenstein-esque o Ahitereiria, te reo Kīwī, me tētahi mea e kore pea he tangata.

Ki roto i tōku ngākau he Kīwī ahau, he pango, he hiriwa taku uruwhenua, me te whakahihi o tōku pōkaitahi whānau, i whakaatuhia kia whānau mai ahau i te hohipera Wahine o Ōtautahi. Heoi ano, he whakamā ahau ki te kī i aku iwi ki ngā tāngata, engari ka whakamā ahau, kei a wai?

Ki roto i tōku ngākau he Kīwī ahau, he pango, he hiriwa taku uruwhenua, me te whakahihi o tōku pōkaitahi whānau, i whakaatuhia kia whānau mai ahau i te hohipera Wahine o Ōtautahi. Heoi ano, he whakamā ahau ki te kī i aku iwi ki ngā tāngata, engari ka whakamā ahau, kei a wai?”

I roto i te whakapono katoa, ehara ahau i te mōhio. E kore ahau i mōhio ināianei tonu, e whitu ngā tau whakamuri i taku hoki mai ki taku whenua tupuna. Kāore ahau e taea te tohu he aha, engari kei te noho tonu te wehi i roto i ahau. I ētahi wā, ka rite te āhua o te patunga e pupuhi ana, i ētahi wā ka rite ki te mamae puhoi. Ko ngā wā, e pai rawa atu, kahore ahau e mārama ana ki ngā mamae, engari ka mau tona ātārangi. Kāore ahau e whakapono ka whiwhi whakatutuki tonu.

I whakaaro ahau mō tētahi wā roa, nā te tae noa o taku kiri, ko te take o tōku whakararuraru. Ahakoa i tipu ake ana ahau i Ahitereiria, kāore i pārara taku kiri kāpara, e tino rite ana ki ngā wāhanga, pēnei taku whakapapa mai i Kōtirana me Ingarangi. Ahakoa ko te tae o taku kiri e whai tōna ana i taku whakararuraru, ehara tēnei i te mea i whakamōhiotanga i taku whakawehenga ki ahau anō ko te Māori.

Ko te pito tino tata kua tae mai ahau ki tētahi whakautu, he uaua te whakamārama, engari e hiahia ana ahau ki te whakamatau. I timata ahau i tēnei ‘tuhinga roa’ i te tekau mā rima ōku tau, e mate ana ki te whakarongo ki ngā tamariki o te kura e kī mai ana, “kei te neke ngā kiwi ki Ahitereiria me te tango i ngā mahi katoa”. I mate ahau i te rongonga i nga kohukohu ki te iwi Māori me te Kaupapa Whenua o Tiriti i te wā e whakanui ana te whenua o au i te āhua hōhae hōu, a kaore au i reira ki te wheako.

Pērā i te tangata o waho e titiro ana ki roto, ka mātaki ahau i taku whānau ka timata te hono ano. Ko ngā wāhanga o tō tātou whānau i mau tonu i ā tātou tikanga, i hono anō ki ngā wāhanga kaore i mau. Ka tīmata ana aku whanaunga ki te ako i te Reo Māori i runga i te ipurangi, i te wā e akona ana ngā teina ki te kura.

Marlee Partridge (Kai Tāhu)

Ko taku uruwehi ki te kōrero ki te tangata ko taku iwi nō tōku tuakiri anake, e whakaaro ana ahau. Ki te whakarite, koinei te mea tino tata kua tae mai ahau ki tētahi whakautu. Ko tōu tuakiri te wāhi e whakawhiti ake ana i a koe, ā, he wairua whakawhiti i te āhua o ētahi o ēnā e ripo tonu ana.

Kua whakapūmautia te ahurea o taku tangata i te māramatanga ki te āhua o whea i puta ahau, engari i taku pakeketanga, ka mōhio ahau, kāore i te mea ngawari te āhua o taku whakapapa, i whakaū ake a taku whānau. E whakararuraru ana i a au ko wai ahau hei tangata, kāore he mea ngā tangata i haere mai i mua i ahau, i te whenua i whānau ahau ki reira, engari, ka mārama ake ahau kua pōhēhē rawa te whakapapa aroha i taku whakapapa.

He pouri te āhua ki te uru ki tētahi rūma, e whakamā ana i a koe i te kore e tino whai wāhi ki tētahi taha, ko te whakararuraru rānei he taiepa raima, ka āwangawanga ana koe ki te kōwhiri i te wāhi ka noho ai koe. Mena ka taea e koe te noho ki runga i taua pakitara raima i wehe i ngā wāhanga e rua o koe anō.

I roto i te rapu ki te kimi i ahau ano, i kowhirihia e ahau ngā wāhi hei whakatairanga i ahau, ko wai ahau, me ngā mea ka taea e ahau te tuku ki ētahi atu tangata. Kei te whakamā ahau ki te whakaae, engari he raruraru noa iho ngā whakararuraru, kaore he hauora, he ture, he haumaru rānei. Ka whakapau kaha te mamae o ēnei katoa ki taku hauora hinengaro, i ngā tau e whai i ahau ka mārama ahau ka whakapaukaha, pērā i te hāina pakaru i ngā tau i muri, kāore e whakatika ngāwari.

Engari, kei te whakapapa kaha tonu te ahurea o taku tangata ki ētahi mea kāore ahau e mōhio i te whakamārama o tērā. Whakaarohia ko te reo o ōu tīpuna e whanoke ana, ētahi tikanga me ngā mahi e he ana, ā, he mea Māori i roto i te manawa kotahi. Whakaarohia, kua rereke to whānau, kua tipu te wāhi i whānau ai koe, engari kua whakawetekina ahau.

I tēnei wā, kei te takaro hopuhopu ahau, ā, kei te ako tonu ahau i ngā mea katoa i ngaro ahau. Kei te ako tonu ahau i te āhua kāore e tino whakapā atu ana te āhua o taku tangata, engari, kei te mōhio ahau kāore ehara e ngawari te whakamārama i tāku tuakiritanga.

E kore au i whiwhi i ngā whakautu katoa, engari karekau e tino tautuhi ana taku tuakiritanga i te tae o taku kiri. Kāore tōku tuakiritanga e tautuhia ana i te wāhi i noho ai ahau, i te wāhi i haere ai ahau, rānei kāore i te wāhi e haere atu ai ahau i te wā kei te haere mai. E whai ana ahau ki tētahi whakautu anō - te tipu. Tinana. Hinengaro. Wairua. Kei te tipu tonu tātou.

E mōhio ana ahau ka tino tupu ake ahau i te wā e noho ana ōku waewae ki roto i te oneone o toku kainga, i te wā e hono ana taku ngakau ki te wairua o toku iwi, me taku ako i te wahi i haere mai ai ahau, i ahu mai ai ahau. Engari i roto i taku ngākau, ahakoa e whai ana ahau, kei konei ahau e tika ana? Hei whea taku wāhi tika?

Ko ēnei ngā pātai, kaore pea e taea te whakautu i roto i taku oranga. Engari, ka whai pea rātou i ahau i taku haerenga whakahua, ki te kimi i taku whakapapa me te tautuhi i taku tuakiritanga.

“Ko tōu tuakiri te wāhi e whakawhiti ake ana i a koe, ā, he wairua whakawhiti i te āhua o ētahi o ēnā e ripo tonu ana.”

“...engari karekau e tino tautuhi ana taku tuakiritanga i te tae o taku kiri. Kāore tōku tuakiritanga e tautuhia ana i te wāhi i noho ai ahau, i te wāhi i haere ai ahau, rānei kāore i te wāhi e haere atu ai ahau i te wā kei te haere mai. E whai ana ahau ki tētahi whakautu anō - te tipu. Tinana. Hinengaro. Wairua. Kei te tipu tonu tātou.”

Pikitia whakaari: Annick Harvey

From Whakamā to Story Sovereignty

As a creative writing major, my mind is constantly swirling with stories, with majority (if not all) of my stories and characters rooted in te ao Māori. However, this has definitely not always been the case, and it has been a mental journey to finally feel like I could take this kaupapa on. Now, I can’t imagine writing anything else.

Growing up, I was that kid in the corner reading books while all the other kids played. I loved all the girly classics: Jacqueline Wilson, Cathy Cassidy, The Dork Diaries, The Babysitter’s Club. Last year, I even wrote an open love letter to Jacqueline Wilson on my Substack, about how safe and understood her books made me feel. My own stories took on many similar qualities, about groups of girls with quirky names and underdog backstories taking on the world in places like America and England. It makes sense; I was a young Māori-Pākeha girl raised in te ao Pākeha, hugely disconnected from my Māori culture. I was writing what I thought I knew, or what felt familiar to me. My writing in high school and university often showed no Māori roots, still dreaming up faraway worlds and lives overseas. Glimpsing at my Massive articles in 2021, I wrote one article pertaining to te ao Māori, only just, and it was from a very narrow-minded, ‘woe is me’ whakaaro. I had absolutely no idea of what was to come or what I was capable of.

Am I the person who should be doing this mahi, when I lack the tikanga, the te reo, the te ao Māori worldview? Time and time again, these questions plagued me, and they still do. However, I came to a realisation that I believe Rawinia Parata captures perfectly in her creative writing thesis Our Side of the Fence: “My identity is defined by my ancestors, by this history, by our sites of significance but also by my people. I am them and they are me.” My whakapapa is enough, and as long as I’m putting in the mahi to upskill and better my knowledge, that’s all that matters.

A huge lesson throughout my journey has been that Māori stories all look different. There is no single Māori story, no correct way to be Māori. Every story is valid and Māori in its own right. I remember doing an interview with author and illustrator Gavin Bishop about his book Atua, when he told me that at 77 years old, he is still on his whakapapa journey and uses what he does know as inspiration to create his own stories. “I used my great-kuia’s name in a story,” he told me. “I may not have met her or known her, but it’s a whānau name. It’s my whakapapa.”

In 2022, I took a gap year and began working at a community newspaper, where I was thrown into a Māori affairs reporting role. No warning, no experience, just whakapapa Māori and a desire to learn. That role singlehandedly changed the trajectory of my life, equipping me with not only the skills but the mana to tell Māori stories the way they deserved to be told. Imposter syndrome hit me hard in this role.

Cameron McCausland-Taylor (Ngāti Awa, Ngāpuhi, Te Arawa, Waitaha)

“I had absolutely no idea of what was to come or what I was capable of.”

Witi Ihimaera’s whakapapa is strongly woven in his mahi too, with many of his stories set in a fictional recreation of the town in which he grew up in and descends from. A fact I found both surprising and comforting about Witi was that at 79 years old, he is taking a full-immersion te reo Māori course, saying he hopes those who speak fluently “honour me as someone who doesn’t speak fluent te reo Māori.” His mahi is just so inherently Māori, I wouldn’t have guessed him to not be fluent, again bringing back that whakaaro that you don’t have to have all the knowledge to produce incredible mahi.

Creating Māori stories is what I want to do for the rest of my life. It has become my passion, the thing that gets me out of bed in the morning. As I traverse the final few months of my degree, I simply can’t help but create from a te ao Māori point of view. I’m starting to create plays and screenplays, encompassing my whakapapa from Mōtiti Island and Whakatāne, with my goal to bring such a project to life through a master’s in creative writing and in a professional career.

I won’t always get everything tika on my own, but that’s the beautiful thing about Māori culture; we work in a collective. The amount of amazing Māori creatives out there, all doing our own things, reassures me that we have each other to kōrero with and bounce ideas off of. I will carry myself with manaaki and aroha, crafting stories to the best of my ability that I feel will beautifully reflect te ao Māori, proudly weaving my whakapapa into the mix.

I also call attention to Whiti Hereaka’s novel Kurangaituku. In a Volume NZ interview, she declares that her novel doesn’t need to seek legitimacy or recognition, speaking to story sovereignty and moving away from a “definitive” telling, particularly in terms of how pūrakau are told and re-told. However, she also speaks to how being a Māori writer means always having the responsibility of articulating the voices of the Māori community, intended or not. “No matter what my work is, there will always be the question about how that reflects on te ao Māori as a whole. I try my best and I’ll often get it wrong, because it is impossible for one person to speak for the multitudes of people from a community.”

Speaking more on story sovereignty, I look to Trinity Thompson-Browne’s Spinoff article Story sovereignty: Māori taking back control of our narratives. most to Patricia Grace’s definition: “At the heart of how she approaches her work is accountability, to herself and her iwi, hapū and whānau… As Māori, having whakapapa means that you are your own authenticity.” I place myself as a thread within my whakapapa, and as I create, my goal is to reinforce this whakapapa through pūrakau, both brand-new and re-told through a contemporary lens. This is how I exercise my tino rangatiratanga, accountable to some but most importantly, accountable to myself and my whakapapa. Plus, I’m always one to encourage Māori writers to ensure we have a wider, more diverse range of Māori narratives, and I need to include myself within that whakaaro.

“My whakapapa is enough, and as long as I’m putting in the mahi to upskill and better my knowledge, that’s all that matters.”

Mai i teWhakamā ki te Mana Whakapū Kōrero

Ko ahau he tauira tuhituhi ahurea, e pupuri ana i ngā pūrākau i roto i tōku hinengaro, me te nuinga (mehemea kaore i te katoa) o āku pūrākau me ngā whakaahua he whāngai i te ao Māori.

Ko ahau he tauira tuhituhi ahurea, e pupuri ana i ngā pūrākau i roto i tōku hinengaro, me te nuinga (mehemea kaore i te katoa) o āku pūrākau me ngā whakaahua he whāngai i te ao Māori. Heoi ano, karekau tēnei i pēnei i ngā wā katoa, he haerenga hinengaro kia mōhio ahau ka taea te whakapau i tēnei kaupapa. Ināianei, kaore ahau e āhua whakatika ana ki te tuhi atu i ētahi atu mea.

I tipu ake ana ahau, ko au te tamaiti kei te pānui ana i ngā pukapuka i te wā e whakatūria ana ngā tamariki kē i te takaro. I aroha ahau ki ngā paki o te ira wahine

- Jacqueline Wilson, Cathy Cassidy, The Dork Diaries, The Babysitter’s Club.

Nō houanga, i tuhia e ahau he pūriki aroha tūwhera ki a Jacqueline Wilson i runga i taku Substack, mō te haumaru me te mōhio o ōna pukapuka i puta ai ahau. He maha ngā āhuatanga rite ki aku korero, mō ngā rōpū kotiro me ngā ingoa rerekē me ngā korero o muri mai i te ao i ngā wāhi pēnei i Amerika me Ingarangi. He tamaiti Māori-Pākehā ra nei i tipu ai i te ao Pākehā, he nui te wehewehe i ahau i tōku ahurea Māori. I taku tuhituhi, kāore i whakaatu ngā ūpoko Māori, engari i whakamahia e ahau ngā mea i whakaaro ahau i mōhio ai. I taku tuhituhi i te kura tuarua me te whare wānanga, kāore i whakaatu i ngā tākotoranga Māori, e moemoea ana ahau ki te ao i tua atu, ki ngā ao e noho ana ki tawāhi.

Ka titiro ahau ki aku tuhinga nui i te tau 2021(rua mano rua tekau ma tahi), i tuhia e ahau he tuhinga e whakarāruraru ana, kāore i whakapau kaha i te ao Māori, i tērā, i ētahi āhuatanga ‘Aue te mate’ whakaaro. Kaore ahau i tino mārama ki te mea ka puta mai, ka aha rānei taku āheinga.

He tau tangohanga ahau i te tau rua mano rua tekau ma tahi, ka timata ahau ki te mahi i tētahi nūpepa hapori, i tukuna ahau ki tētahi mahi pūrongo take Māori. Kāore he whakatupato, kāore he wheako, he whakapapa Māori anake me te hiahia ki te ako. I raro i taua mahi, i whakarerekē ahau ki te huarahi o taku ora, i whakakaha i ahau ki ngā pūkenga me te mana ki te kōrero i ngā kōrero Māori i te āhua e tika ana kia kōrero. I te wā o tēnei mahi, i whakapau kaha ahau ki te whakatakune. Hei aha pea ahau he tangata e tika ana kia mahi i tēnei mahi, ehara ke ahau te tikinga, ki te reo, ki te tirohanga o te ao Māori? Ka āwangawanga ke ēnei pātai tonu.

Heoi ano, i whakamārama ahau e whakapono ana ahau i te whakaaro a Rawinia Parata e whakarite ana i tana tuhinga ‘Ko To Tatou Taha o te Taiapa’: “Nā ōku tūpuna, nā tēnei whakapapa, nā ō tātou wāhi whakahirahira, engari nā toku iwi ano i whakaatu toku tuakiri. Ko au te rau, ko te rau ko au.” Kua whakapakari aku whakapapa, i te mea kei te whakapau kaha ahau ki te whakapakari ake i aku mōhiotanga, koira te mea nui.

Ko te akoranga nui i taku haerenga, ko te ahua rereke o ngā kōrero Māori. Kāore he kōrero Māori kotahi, kāore hoki he huarahi tika hei Māori. He tika ngā kōrero katoa, he Māori anō tōna mana. Kei te maumahara ahau ki te uiui me te kaituhi me te kai-whakaahua a Gavin Bishop mō tana pukapuka, Atua. i tana korero mai ki ahau i te 77(whitu tekau mā whitu.) ō ōna tau, kei te haere tonu ia ki tana whakapapa me te whakamahi i ngā mea e mōhio ana ia hei whakahihiko ki te hanga i āna ake kōrero.

Cameron McCausland-Taylor (Ngāti Awa, Ngāpuhi, Te Arawa, Waitaha)

“Kaore ahau i tino mārama ki te mea ka puta mai, ka aha rānei taku āheinga.”

“Kua whakapakari aku whakapapa, i te mea kei te whakapau kaha ahau ki te whakapakari ake i aku mōhiotanga, koira te mea nui.”

“I whakamahia e ahau te ingoa o toku tīpuna wahine i roto i tētahi korero,” ka kī mai ia ki ahau. “Kāre pea au i tutaki ki a ia, i mōhio rānei ki a ia, engari he ingoa whānau. Ko taku whakapapa.”

Ko te whakapapa o Witi Ihimaera e kaha tana raranga i roto i ana mahi, me te maha o ana kōrero i tuhia ki roto i ngā mahi ngahau o te taone i tipu ai ia, i heke mai ai. Kei te 79(whitu tekau ma iwa) ōna tau a Witi, engari kei te whakapau kaha ia i te akoranga reo Māori rumaki katoa, e kī ana ia he tumanako ki a rātou e kōrero te reo Māori whakapau kaha, “whakamana i ahau hei tangata kāore e kōrero te reo Māori matatau.”

Kei te whaihua tonu tana mahi i te ao Māori, kāore ahau i whakaaro e kore ia e kōrero i te reo matatau, ka whakahoki anō i taua whakaaro kāore koe e whai mātauranga katoa ki te whakaputa mahi whakamiharo.

Ka whakatau ake ahau ki te tuhi aroha i te pukapuka a Whiti Hereaka, arā, Kurangaituku. I tētahi uiuinga a Volume NZ, e kī ana ia kei tōna pukapuka te mana, kāore hoki e whai hua te rapu whakamana, e kōrero ana ki te rangatiratanga o ngā kōrero me te neke atu i te kōrero “whakamutunga” whai muri i te pēhea i kōrero ai ngā pūrākau, e kī ana.

“Ahakoa tērā, e kōrero ana mena ka whakamahi i te tuhinga Māori hei kaituhi koe, mō ngā reo o te hapori Māori, kei te whai hiahia koe, ahakoa te whakaaro, kaore rānei. Ka whakapau kaha ahau, ka pōhēhē, nā te mea kāore e taea e te tangata kotahi te kōrero mō ia tangata o te hapori.”

Ki te mana tāhuhu kōrero, kei te titiro ahau ki te tuhinga a Trinity Thompson-Browne i te whārangi Spinoff, ko te tuhinga ‘Te Tino Rangatiratanga o ngā Kōrero: Māori e whakahoki ana i te whakahaere i ō tātou kōrero. E tautoko ana ahau ki te whakamārama a Patricia Grace: “Kei te puku o tana huarahi ki ana mahi ko te kawenga takohanga, ki a ia anō me ōna iwi, hapū, me ōna whānau... Hei Māori, ko te whai whakapapa ko koe ano to pono.”

He miro ahau i roto i taku whakapapa, ā, i te hanga, ko taku whāinga kia whakakaha ake i tēnei whakapapa mā te whakaputanga i ngā pūrākau hōu me ngā whakahoki i ētahi o ngā pūrākau o mua, i runga i te aro whakamua.

Koia nei taku tino rangatiratanga, he whakapau kaha ki ōku whakapapa. Ko taku whāinga, kia whakapau kaha i ngā kaituhi Māori, whakapakari i ngā kōrero Māori, ā, me whakauru anō ahau ki roto i taua whakaaro.

Kua whakapau mahara e ahau te whakārite i ngā pūrākau Māori, he mea e hiahia ana ahau mō te roanga o tōku oranga. Kua whakapau mahara i ahau i te moenga i te ata. I a au e hikoi ana i ngā mārama whakamutunga o taku tohu, kāore e taea e ahau te whakarite i te ao Māori.

Kei te timata ahau ki te whakarite i ngā whakaari me ngā tuhinga whakaari, e tīmata ana i tōku whakapapa i Mōtiti Island me Whakatāne, me tōku whāinga kia ora ai taua kaupapa mā te tohungatanga o te mahi tuhituhi auaha me te mahi ngaio. Kaore ahau i āhei ki te whiwhi i ngā tikanga katoa i ngā wā katoa, engari ko te mea ataahua o te tikanga Māori; mahi tahi tātou.

Te iwi Māori e auaha ana, tōna mahi tātou, ka whakamanahia ahau ki te kōrero me te whakaputa whakaaro. Ngā kaihanga Māori whaiwhai mahi, e whakapau whakamīharo ana ahau kua whai mana tātou ki te kōrero me te whakatakaro i ngā whakaaro. Ka mau ahau i te manaaki me te aroha, e hanga pakiwaitara ana i taku whakapapa ki te whakatauira i te ao Māori.

NŌ hea koe?

where are you from?

Northland

Tamaki-makau-rau Auckland

Kirikiriroa

Ahitereiria Australia

Hamilton Ngāmotu

New Plymouth

Whakatū Nelson

Te Waipounamu

South Island

Rakiura

Stewart Island

Tāhuna

Queenstown

Waihōpai

Invercargill

North Island

Tairāwhiti Gisbourne

Ahuriri Napier

Te Papaioea

Palmerston North

Te Whanganui-a-Tara

Wellington

Ōtautahi

Christchurch

No (place) ahau.

I’m from... (ancestral connections)

Kei (place) ahau e noho ana.

Ōtepoti Dunedin

I live in...

I whanau ahau i (place).

I was born in...

I tupu ahau i (place).

I grew up in...

I tupu ahau i Whakatū.

Kei Te Papaioea ahau e noho ana. I grew up in Nelson. I live in Palmerston North.

Te Moana-a-Toi Bay of Plenty

Te Tai Tokerau

Te Ika-a-Māui

te tai poutini West Coast

HE KŌRERO TUAKIRI

Introducing yourself

Ko (Name) ahau.

I’m (Name).

Ko (Name) taku ingoa.

Ko (Name) taku (relation).

My name is (Name). (Name) is my (relation).

He (role/title) ahau.

I am a (role/title).

He (role/title) ahau ki (workplace).

I am a (role/title) at (workplace).

Kei (workplace/location) ahau e mahi ana.

I work at/in (workplace or location)

Ko Jackson ahau.

I’m Jackson

Ko Tui taku ingoa.

Ko Malia taku Māmā.

My name is Tui. Malia is my mother.

He rata kararehe ahau.

I am a veterinarian.

He kairīpoata pepa ahau ki Daily Times.

I am a journalist at Daily Times.

Kei Waka Kotahi ahau e mahi ana.

I work at NZ Transport Agency.

Ko Matthew ahau.

Ko Mereana taku hoa rangatira. He kaiako ahau.

Kei Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa ahau e mahi ana. Kei Te-Whanganui-a-Tara ahau e noho ana.

I’m Matthew. Mereana is my wife.

I’m a teacher. I work at Massey University. I live in Wellington.

Toroa Drawer

middle page

Kapu Cup

Oumu Oven

Tīkera Kettle

Tītaora Tea towel

Pouaka makariri Fridge

Ngaruiti Microwave

He kupu mihi

Salutations

Kia ora

Hello

Mōrena/Ata mārie

Morning/good morning

Ahiahi mārie

Good afternoon

Kia ora, e te whānau

Hello everyone (familiar)

Tēnā koe

Hello (one person)

Tēnā kōua

Hello (two people)

Tēnā koutou katoa

Hello (to everyone)

Te mihi whakanui

Showing appreciation

Kia ora/Tēnā koe

Thank you

Tēnā koe i tēnā

Thanks for that

Kia ora rawa atu

Thank you very much

Ngā mihi ki a koe

Ki a koe hoki

Thanks to you

To you, too

He mihi poroaki

Saying goodbye/signing off Whakamoemiti

Ngā mihi nui

Thank you

Praise

Ka rawe

Excellent

Mīharo

Karawhiua

Pai mutunga

Pai / Tino pai / Tino pai rawa atu

Koia pū

Ka pai tō mahi

Ka mau te wehi

Me he tē!

Wehi nā

Tau kē

Amazing Go for it

Outstanding

Good / Very good / Very very good!

That’s exactly right

Good work

Overwhelminwgly good

Like a boss!

OMG

Awesome

Kia haumaru te noho

Stay safe

Me aku mihi aroha

With love

Hei te tau tītoki

Until next time

Ka pai te rā

Have a good day

Ka kite

See ya

Hei tērā wiki

See you next week

Hei reira

See ya there

Ngā manaakitanga

Naku noa, nā

Hei āpōpō

Hei a Mane

Pō mārie

Kind regards

Yours, sincerely

See you tomorrow

See you Monday

Good night

The Mahi Toi of

Rangiatea

Kia ora, ko Rangiatea toku ingoa

Ko Patangata te maunga

Ko Wharekahika te awa

Ko Hinemaurea te marae

Ko Horouta te waka

Ko Tuwhakairiora te hapū

Ko Ngati Porou, Ngai Tūhoe, Te Ati Awa ōku iwi.

This carving is a depiction of one of my tupuna, Tuwhakairiora.

I decided to carve one of my Māori ancestors to tell his story and spread a bit of my history with te ao ipurangi, carving each groove and curve to show just how beautiful indigenous toi is and its importance to keep the reo and Māori traditions alive.

I used purple paua shells specifically, as my teacher, master carver Matua Tracey Brown who has been carving for more than 20 years, informed me that purple was rare amongst the colors that form on a paua shell and is very well sought after.

I had cut out each purple paua shell at my whānau home that is over 100 years old. Within 2 days, I also sanded the edges with my step-dad’s sanding kit he lent me, although I didn’t wear the right gear and could have possibly gotten lung cancer from the shell pieces and dust in the air during the sanding process. As a coastie, I didn’t care and focused on creating a beautiful carving to make my whānau proud. It is a carving that sold before I even finished its paint job.

You can find me on Instagram, @starlight_studi0s.

Some of my inspirations stem from mainly wāhine such as Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, and Megan Thee Stallion. Some painters and drag queens that inspire me also are Robyn Kahukiwa, Neimy Kanani, Trixie Mattel, Crystal Versace, and Juno Birch, among many other queens who help with my choice of facial and figure designs along with clothing choice.

He

I am fluent in Te Reo and now live in Poneke to study fine arts at Massey University.

I have decided to take on a Bachelor of Fine Arts as makeup and painting were what I mainly excelled in, growing up as takatāpui in a small town with a population of 400. I’ve always been a creative person and wanted to use my toi to connect with my ancestors and to spread the voice and the tikanga Māori of my people, “Kia kaua rawa e waiho kei memeha atu”, to ensure my reo doesn’t fade away in history. I’d love to open up my own business one day and sell art worldwide to spread my aroha for my culture and for my whānau takatāpui as well.

To anyone who would love to study fine arts, I can highly recommend it as I’ve met and learned from many beautiful artists, and te ao toi is so very fluid and free with no bounds. Stay true to who you are and the message you want to share with the world, as it is your own voice that no one can take from you, or silence. Stay humble, honest and give gratitude to yourself. Remember to make time for yourself like having a self-care day or a self-care week.

Raukura ahau, no Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Kawakawa Mai Tawhiti a kura, situated along the East Cape in Hicks Bay, Wharekahika.

Rangiatea (Ngati Porou, Ngai Tūhoe, Te Ati Awa)

“...carving each groove and curve to show just how beautiful indigenous toi is and its importance to keep the reo and Māori traditions alive. ”

“...Stay true to who you are and the message you want to share with the world, as it is your own voice that no one can take from you, or silence.”

Te Mahi Toi o Rangiatea

Kia ora, ko Rangiatea toku ingoa

Ko Patangata te maunga

Ko Wharekahika te awa

Ko Hinemaurea te marae

Ko Horouta te waka

Ko Tuwhakairiora te hapū

Ko Ngati Porou, Ngai Tūhoe, Te Ati Awa ōku iwi.

He tangata takutai moana ahau, kāore ahau i whakararuraru, i aro rānei ahau ki te hanga whakairo ataahua hei whakamanatia i aku whānau. I hokona tēnei whakairo whakairo i whaimua i te mutu ahau i te mahi.

He Raukura ahau, nō Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Kawakawa Mai Tawhiti nō te Tairāwhiti, i Wharekahika.

He uri matatau ahau i te reo Māori, ka noho ki Poneke ināianei ki te ako i ngā mahi toi i te Whare Wānanga o Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa.

I whakatau ahau ki te Tohu Paetahi o ngā Toi Toi i te whakapaipai me te peita i tipu ake ahau hei takatāpui i tētahi taone iti e whā mano te taupori.

He tangata auaha ahau i ngā wā katoa, ka hiahia ahau ki te whakamahi i taku toi ki te hono atu ki ōku tūpuna me te whakapau kōrero i te reo me ngā tikanga Māori o taku iwi, “Kia kaua rawa e waiho kei memeha atu”, kia kore ai taku reo e ngaro i te whakapapa.

He whakaahua tēnei whakairo mō tētahi o aku tūpuna, a Tuwhakairiora.

I whakatau ahau ki te whakairo i tētahi o ōku tūpuna Māori hei korero i ōna pūrākau, me te whakararuraru i tētahi wahi o taku whakapapa ki te ao ipurangi, i ia riu me ia pihi hei whakaatu i te āhua whakahirahira o te toi taketake me tōna whaihua ki te tiaki i te reo me ngā tikanga Māori kia ora tonu.

I whakamahia e ahau ngā kota o te pāua māhoe, i runga i te whakapau kaha a Matua Tracey Brown, he tohunga whakairo mō ngā tau e rua tekau, i whakamārama mai ai ia ki ahau kua raruraru te āhua o te tai māhoe i roto i te kiri o te pāua, he tino pai te whai i te rapu.

Ka hiahia ahau ki te whakatuwhera i taku pakihi ake i tētahi rā, ā, ki te hokohoko toi puta noa i te ao, hei whakapūmautia aroha i taku ahurea me taku whānau takatāpui hoki.

Ko ētahi o aku ranga wairua i ahu mai i te nuinga o ngā wāhine pēnei i a Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, me Megan Thee Stallion.

Ko ētahi o ngā kaipeita me ngā kuīni whakarākei e whakahihiko ana i ahau, ko Robyn Kahukiwa, Neimy Kanani, Trixie Mattel, Crystal Versace, me Juno Birch, i roto i te maha o ngā kuīni e āwhina ana i aku momo hoahoa kanohi me te ahua me te whiriwhiri kakahu.

Ki te tangata e pirangi ana ki te ako toi whakairo, ka tino taunaki au i te mea kua tutaki ahau, kua ako mai i te maha o ngā kaitoi ataahua, a he ao toi rere tonu, he kore noa

I tapahia e ahau i ia pāua mahoe ki taku kainga whānau kua neke atu i te tahi mano te tau e pākeke.

I roto i ngā rā e rua, ka ngaro e ahau ngā whakakino o ia pāua māhoe i ngā taputapu kirikiri a taku pāpā tāne i tukuna mai ki ahau. Engari, ahakoa kāore i maua ngā taputapu tika, kua whakaaro ahau ka puta pea he matepukupuku mai i ngā pāua me te hinu i roto i te hau i te wā o te mahi kirikiri.

Kia mau pono ki a koe, ko wai koe me te kōrero e hiahia ana koe ki te whakapuaki, i te mea ko tō reo ake e kore e taea e tētahi te tango atu i a koe, me te whānui o te hinengaro.

Kia noho tika, kia pono, me te tuku mihi ki a koe ano. Kia mahara ki te whakarite wā mō koe ano, he rā tiaki whaiaro, he wiki tiaki whaiaro rānei.

Ka kitea e koe i ahau i runga i paeāhua: @starlight_studi0s.

Rangiatea (Ngati Porou, Ngai Tūhoe, Te Ati Awa)

“...i ia riu me ia pihi hei whakaatu i te āhua whakahirahira o te toi taketake me tōna whaihua ki te tiaki i te reo me ngā tikanga Māori kia ora tonu.”

“Kia kaua rawa e waiho kei memeha atu”

Country&MusicWaiata Māori

The Mitchell Twins are a musical duo made up of Nicola Mitchell (me) and Maegan Mitchell (my twin sister). Maegan is based in Gore, our home town, and I am now living in Wellington without my twin by my side as I navigate my first year at Massey. We grew up in a home filled with the sounds of The Chicks, Dolly Parton and Kacey Musgraves along with the music of our Dad, Ron Mitchell, and older sister, Jenny Mitchell. Country music is very much in our genes and in 2023 we’re proud to have released our first EP that incorporates our country roots along with our love for writing waiata Māori.

Maegan and I whakapapa to Waikato Tainui and were fortunate to be able to explore our ancestry thanks to our school’s whaea Vanessa Whangaparita and the guidance of our Aunty Jill Mitchell-Larrivee. We were both leaders in our school kapa haka group and have known for a long time that collaborating on waiata Māori was going to be a goal of our musical future.

One of our proudest moments so far has been the recent release of our song Mihi. We chose to write Mihi as a way to introduce ourselves and our home, it is now the opening song in our live set. Exploring the idea of a traditional mihi including all the key parts but also builds a little on the beauty of the place we came from and what those important landmarks mean to us. This waiata was written by us, Tami Neilson and our Aunty – Jill Mitchell-Larrivee.

On the 25th of August we released a bilingual waiata called Mihi – recorded live at RNZ Studios in Wellington. And although we whakapapa Waikato Tainui, Ngāti Māhuta hapu, we were born in raised in Maruawai (Gore) and that’s what this waiata is all about.

We released our debut EP in June. The title track, Find a River, was a nominee for APRA best Country Song, and also was the song that we came runners up with in the New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards. Inspired by NZ Icons, The Topp Twins, based on the idea of connection to those you love through water. In an interview Lynda Topp said that to them when one twin has their feet in the rivers and the other in the sea it makes them feel closer to each other. The waiata honours the role music has played in our lives as well as the Topp’s. Written by Nicola Mitchell, Maegan Mitchell, Tami Neilson and translated by Kommi Tamati-Elliefe. This was the first time we had translated any of our own work into Māori and found that the idea of connection through water to be an idea that is reflected through the concept that wai or water is the source of life from a Māori spiritual point of view. Maegan also found it really interesting the different options when translating the waiata, and how a lot of the time things that make sense in English often don’t make a lot of sense if directly translated to Māori. Which is why it was so helpful to have Kommi TamatiElliefe (the translator for this project) involved to navigate this.

Nicola Mitchell (Tainui, Ngāti Māhuta)

“Their harmonies matched beautifully, flowing in and out of each other's lines like the finest woven material."

- Ambient Light

The artwork for the EP was illustrated by Rose Northey and the Graphic design was done by Micheala Jameson (Wellington locals). Recorded in Auckland with Tom Broome (Drums & Sound Engineer), Chet O’Connell (Electric & Acoustic Guitar), Chip Matthews (Bass Guitar), and Dave Khan (Strings & Banjo). This phenomenal team of musicians and project producer, industry heavyweight; Tami Neilson bought the 4 track EP to life.

Mihi Ko Hokonui te maunga

E karanga ana ki tōku ngākau

Filled with Tūīs and Bellbirds

Our mountain makes us strong

Ko Mataura te awa

E kawe ana ki tõku wairua

And she knows where she’s going

Our river helps us run

Nō Maruawai ahau

A river deep and a mountain strong

Kia mau te tokanga nui a noho

This is the place where we belong

Tami was also a co-writer for all the songs that were recorded on the EP. The process begun in a writing room with Tami where we crafted Margaret’s Song; which is the story of a family member with dementia looking through her own eyes, Reasons; an open letter written to those who make excuses time and time again, Alone Again; a sassy number about the joys of being single, and the title track of the EP – Find a River.

Just last week we released our first cover, a Topp Twins original no less, called Milestones recorded live at RNZ studios in Wellington. The song is about the journey that we are all on. The Topps wrote about the familiar stops or ‘Milestones’ we have in life like highways, cafes and airports. We think that with all the crazy things going on in our lives that the message to value the small and special is so important and is something that we can often overlook. We have just finished a national tour but outside of music Nicola is a first-year student studying industrial design at Massey in Wellington and Maegan is working as an outdoor adventure instructor at a camp just outside of Gore. Not living in the same place for the first time, has made our waiata Find a River mean a whole lot more to us.

Whāia te awa

E rere ana ki tai

Ō waewae ki te wai

Tere mai ki a au

Whāia te awa

Pūheke te wai

Mā te aroha koe e hoki mai

Mā te aroha koe e hoki mai

“...when one twin has their feet in the rivers and the other in the sea, it makes them feel closer to each other.”

&Ngā Puoro Tuawhenua ngā Waiata Māori

Ko te Mitchell Twins he rōpū waiata takirua o Nicola Mitchell (ahau) raua ko Maegan Mitchell (taku tuahine māhanga). I noho a Maegan kei Maruawai, tō mātou kainga, ā, kei Te Whanganui-a-Tara ahau e noho ana ahau ināianei, kāhore taku tuahine e tū tahi ana ki a au i te whakatere i taku tau tuatahi ki Te Whare Wānanga o Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa. I tipu ake mātou i tētahi whare i whiti ai ngā waiata o The Chicks, Dolly Parton, me Kacey Musgraves, tae atu ki ngā waiata a ā mātou papa, a Ron Mitchell, me tōna tuahine, a Jenny Mitchell.

Ko te waiata o te whenua kei roto i ō tātou ira, ā, i te tau 2023(rua mano rua tekau ma toru), ka whakahīhī mātou kua whakaputa tā mātou EP tuatahi e whakauru ana i ō tātou whenua me tō mātou aroha ki te tuhi waiata Māori.

Ka whakapapa a Maegan rāua ko ahau ki Waikato Tainui, ā, i whai wāhi tātou ki te tātai i ō tātou tīpuna i runga i te aroha o ngā whaea o te kura, ā, ko whaea Vanessa Whangaparita me ō mātou whaea keke ko Jill Mitchell-Larrivee i āwhina ki a mātou. Ko mātou ngā Rangatira o te rōpū kapa haka o tō mātou kura, kua mōhio mātou i tētahi wā roa e mahi tahi ana ki te waiata Māori hei whāinga mō tō mātou ao puoro ake.

Ko tētahi ō mātou wā tino whakahīhī, i tēnei wā ko te whakaputanga ō tā mātou waiata ‘Mihi’. I whiriwhiri e mātou te tuhi i a ‘Mihi’ hei whakauru i a mātou me tō mātou kainga, ināianei ko tēnei te waiata whakatuwhera i tō mātou huinga ora. E tūhura ana mātou i te whakaaro o te mihi o nehe me ngā wāhanga matua katoa, engari ka whakatipu i te ataahua o te wahi i āhu mai ai tātou me te tikanga o aua tohu whenua nui ki a tātou. I tuhia tēnei waiata e mātou, a Tami Neilson me ō mātou kuia – a Jill Mitchell-Larrivee.

I runga i te rua tekau mā rima o Ākuhata, i tukuna e mātou he waiata reorua ko ‘Mihi’ - i hopukina oratia ki Ngā Whare Pāremata o Aotearoa i Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Ahakoa tō mātou whakapapa ki Waikato-Tainui, ki te hapū o Ngāti Māhuta, i tipu māua i Maruawai (Gore), koira te whāinga o tēnei waiata.

rakuraku kōura o Aotearoa i te wā nei. I whakamanahia mātou e ngā Topp Twins o Aotearoa i runga i te whakaaro o te hono ki te wai, e whakapau kaha ana ki te aroha i te hunga e arohaina ana e koe. I tētahi uiuinga, i whakamārama a Lynda Topp mō rātou, inā he waewae tētahi ki ngā awa me tētahi ki te moana, ka tata atu ki a raua.

Mihi

Ko Hokonui te maunga

E karanga ana ki tōku ngākau

Filled with Tūīs and Bellbirds

Our mountain makes us strong

Ko Mataura te awa

E kawe ana ki tõku wairua

And she knows where she’s going

Our river helps us run

Nō Maruawai ahau

A river deep and a mountain strong

Kia mau te tokanga nui a noho

This is the place where we belong

Ka whakanui te waiata i ngā mahi a te puoro i roto i ō tātou ao, me te ao o ngā Topp Twins. Na Nicola Mitchell, Maegan Mitchell, Tami Neilson i tuhi, me te whakamāori a Kommi Tamati-Elliefe.

I tukuna e mātou ā mātou EP tuatahi i te Pipiri. Ko te taitara, ‘Whāia te Awa,’ i tautapahia mō APRA Waiata Whenua pai rawa atu, me te waiata ano i eke ki te tuarua o ngā Tohu

Koinei te wā tuatahi i whakamāoritia e mātou ā mātou mahi ki te reo Māori, ā, kua kitea e mātou he whakaaro e whai hononga ana i te wai, mai i te tirohanga wairua Māori. I kitea e Maegan he maha ngā whiringa ka whakamāori i te waiata, me te āhua, he nui tonu ngā wāhi e whai whakararuraru ana i roto i te reo Ingarihi, kāore e whai hohenga nui mena ka whakamāori. Na reira, he maha te āwhina i tēnei i te whai i a Kommi Tamati-Elliefe (te kaiwhakamāori mō tēnei kaupapa) kia whakatere i ēnei āwangawanga.

“... inā he waewae tētahi ki ngā awa me tētahi ki te moana, ka tata atu ki a raua.”

Nicola Mitchell (Tainui, Ngāti Māhuta)

Na Rose Northey i whakatuhi te mahi toi mō te EP, a, nā Micheala Jameson te whakaahua rorohiko (no Te Whanganuia-Tara) te hoahoa whakairoiro.

I rekoata i Tāmaki Makaurau ki te taha o Tom Broome (perehi me te kaihāpai oro), a Chet O’Connell (whiringa whētare me te kitā), a Chip Matthews (tara kitā) me a Dave Khan (toi me te pūiri). Ko tēnei kapa whakatangi whakahirahira o ngā kaiwaiata me te kaihanga kaupapa i āwhina a Tami Neilson ki te whakarauora i te EP whātoro pūāhua e whā.

Ko Tami hoki tētahi kaitito mō nga waiata katoa i hopukina i te EP. Ka timata te mahi kaitito i roto i te ruma tuhituhi a Tami, ka hanga mātou i: Te Waiata a Margaret, he korero mō tētahi o te whanau e mate wareware ana e titiro atu i ōna karu anake; Ngā Take, he reta tūwhera ki te hunga e whakakore ana i nga whakapae taimaha; e noho Tahanga Anō, he tau sassy mō nga hari o te noho takakau; me te ingoa o te EP, Whāia te Awa.

No tera wiki i tukuna mai, i whakaputa e mātou te putanga tuatahi, he Topp Twins te pūtake, ko Milestones te ingoa, i rekoata ki ngā kaitohu taiwhanga o RNZ i Pōneke. Ko te waiata nei e pa ana ki te haerenga e haere tonu ana tātou. Ko te korero i roto o Topps, ko ngā tūnga mōhio i roto i te ao, pēnei i ngā huarahi, ngā wharekai, me ngā tūnga waka rererangi, he mea whakararuraru nā mātou. Ki tā mātou whakaaro, me ngā mea porangi katoa e puta ana i roto i ō mātou ora, ko te whakanui i ngā mea iti me te motuhake he mea tino nui, he mea ka warewaretia e tātou.

Kātahi anō mātou ka mutu he haerenga ā-motu, engari kei waho i te puoro, he tau tuatahi a Nicola e ako ana i te hoahoa hangarau ki Te Whare Wānanga o Te Kūnenga ki Pūrehuroa, ā, kei te mahi a Maegan hei kaiako hīkoi ā-o-whiti i tētahi kura wānanga i waho atu o Maruawai. Na te mea, e kore maua i noho i te waahi kotahi, kua honoretia ake te mana o tō mātou waiata ‘Whāia te Awa’ ki a maua.

Find a river

That flows to the sea

Whāia te awa

E rere ana ki tai

Ō waewae ki te wai

Tere mai ki a au

Whāia te awa

Pūheke te wai

Mā te aroha koe e hoki mai

Mā te aroha koe e hoki mai

“He whakataurite ō rātou hononga, e rere ana i waenga i a rātou, ano he raranga hohonu.” - Ambient Light

Hine Tītama

Hine-Nui-Te-Pō

CW: Sexual Assault

In the early stories of our universe, following the separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku, Tāne Mahuta would fashion the first woman out of clay and bestow her the breath of life. With Hineahuone, the first woman, Tāne would create children that would populate their new world of light.

Hine Tītama was the dawn maiden and their eldest daughter. Hine Tītama lived in the world of light without the knowledge of who her father was and would become the wife of Tāne and bear his child. Hine Tītama did not know she was committing an act of incest. She was curious and longed to learn her whakapapa and the identity of her father. Tāne of course knew the truth but decided taking her as a wife was essential in populating the young Te Ao Mārama. Tāne eventually revealed the truth. Hine Tītama had been married to her father and was overcome by disgust, embarrassment, and shame.

Abandoning this world and becoming the goddess of the next, Hine Tītama transformed from the first dawn to the Goddess of Death, Hine-nui-te-pō. The transition from dawn to night. Te Ao Mārama becomes Te Pō. Light to darkness. The knowledge held in this pūrākau focuses on the themes of transformation, whakapapa, life, and death. It is hard to tell who the villain in this narrative truly is, but it is easy to see the true victim in this story. To Tāne, extending his whakapapa with his own daughter was essential and in Tāne’s world was not considered wrong. This new world needed to be populated and women were limited. But it could also be argued that a part of Tāne knew that what he was doing was an act of abuse towards his daughter as he decided to keep her from the knowledge of her own whakapapa which would one day come back to haunt him.

With the many interpretations of this story, we can see that in each version, it is Hine Tītama who is betrayed, embarrassed, violated, and ashamed. With the first act of harm towards women being the separation of his parents and the turning over of his mother Papatūānuku, we can see

that Tāne’s story with his daughter can show a whakapapa of abuse. His mother and then his daughter. These early acts against women were out of hope of transformation. Transforming a shadowy world into a world of light and life. Transforming an early, unpopulated world, to a world of whakapapa and people. But what comes with the abuse of the feminine, even out of necessity, are the consequences.

The consequences are Hine Tītama leaving her life and going forth to death. This could also be seen as an early explanation for suicide. The ancestors knew the hurt and shame that harming our women could cause but this pūrākau also sheds light on the transformation of how a hurt woman can use the pain to evolve into something with deeper mana.

Hine Tītama, in her shame and grief, transforms into the ever-loving mother of the night, Hine-nui-te-pō. To whom we will all one day go home to, forever and safe with her. In death, we are always loved and comforted by her, and in death, she reunites us and keeps us together forever. All this beauty was born out of pain, abuse, and deceit.

The ancestors use this story to discuss the importance of whakapapa and having the right to that knowledge as well as the consequences to the harm of women. And how the necessary thing can cause a great deal of harm anyway but lead to essential outcomes.

Brilie Monika Hoani (Ngāpuhi/Te Rarawa, Ngai Tūpoto/Ngāti Here)

If the separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku was the first act of evil done against a woman, then the story of Hine Tītama and her transformation could be seen as a narrative describing the first act of abuse towards a daughter, and how that act caused a great transformation.

“Heikona, e Tāne, hei kukume ake i a taua hua ki te Ao; kia haere au ki raro hei kukume iho i a taua hua ki te Pō.”

“Remain, o Tāne, to pull up our offspring to Day. While I go below to pull our offspring to Night.”

Hine’s story of abuse and the subsequent invasion of her vagina by Maui in later pūrākau is unfortunately not enough to stop what continues to be a massive issue in our modern society. Women and children across time and oceans seem to hold the mamae of domestic and sexual abuse, and as wāhine many of us seem to be born into a pattern that does not serve our feminine power but rather keeps us submissive, embarrassed, and scared.

When I tell the story of Hine Tītama, I am usually met with the reaction of “Ew, incest,” and sick cultural jokes of “The mattress room.” If I tell the story where I am in Naarm, sometimes the conversation will turn into a comparison of famous inbred people or incestuous cults. We see jokes about “Cuzbands” and some of us can even see it in our whakapapa. But no one ever argues the real question... When did the term ‘incest’ change to ‘sexual assault’? In history, women were punished for incestuous relationships and children born out of incest, but when did people start seeing it for what it was, sexual assault?

Hine Tītama, the first light in the sky, was a victim of sexual abuse by her father, who was considered a hero for many of his feats. When she became the mother of the night she was raped again, but this time by a mortal who was also considered a hero (to many iwi, but not all!). Isn’t that interesting? The ancestors were certainly aware of the fact many powerful men would just get away with doing what they wanted to women.

Figure: A Whakapapa of events. Source: ‘Hine Tītama’ Robyn Kahukiwa (1980). Whakapapa: Brilie Hoani (2023)

Hine Tītama, in her shame and grief, transforms into the ever-loving mother of the night, Hine-nui-te-pō. To whom we will all one day go home to, forever and safe with her. In death, we are always loved and comforted by her, and in death, she reunites us and keeps us together forever.

Ka huri a

Hine-Nui-Te-Pō ki a Hine Tītama

Mena ko te wehenga o Ranginui raua ko Papatūānuku te mahi kino tuatahi i mahia ki te wahine, kātahi ka kitea te kōrero o Hine Tītama me tana hurihanga, he whakamārama i te mahi kino tuatahi i mahia ki te tamahine, ā, i whaihua ai he huringa nui.

Whakatūpato: pāwhera

I roto i ngā kōrero i te tuatahi o tō tātou ao, whai mai i te wehenga o Ranginui raua ko Papatūānuku, ka hanga e Tāne Mahuta te wahine tuatahi mai i te oneone, ā, ki te wahine tuatahi ko Hineahuone tēnei, ka homai ki a ia te manawa o te ora. Ā, ka whakatāwhiti a Tāne Mahuta me Hineahuone ki ō rātou tamariki hei whakarauika i tō rātou ao hōu o te mārama.

Ko Hine Tītama te wahine atarangi, me tā rāua tamāhine mātāmua. I te ao hōu o te mārama ia e noho ana, kāore a ia e mōhio ko wai tōna matua, ā, ka whakawāhine ia ki a Tāne, hei whānau i ngā tamariki. Kaore i mōhio a Hine Tītama kei te mahi whanoke e ia. I tino hiahia ia ki te ako i tōna whakapapa me te tuakiri o tōna matua. E mārama ana a Tāne ki te pono, engari ko tana whakaaro ko te mea tino nui ki, ā, ia hei wahine mo Tāne ki te whānau i ngā tāngata o Te Ao Mārama. Meāke i te wā, i whakaputa te pono e Tāne. Kua moe a Hine Tītama ki tōna pāpā, ā, ka pā i te whakamā, te whakapau kaha, me te weriweri. Whaimai i mahue a Hine Tītama i te ao mārama, ka huri ia mai i te Ata tuatahi ki te Atua o Te Mate, ko Hine-nui-te-pō. Te huri i te ata ki te pō. Ka huri Te Ao Mārama ki Te Pō. Te mārama ki te pōuri. Kei roto i tēnei pūrākau ngā mōteatea e pā ana ki ngā kaupapa o te huri, te whakapapa, te ora, me te mate.

Ki a au nei, whēuaua ana ko wai te tangata kino i roto i tēnei korero, heoi, he ngawari ke, ki te kitea kowai, te tangata harakore i tēnei pūrākau. E ai ki ngā whakaaro a Tāne, ko te mea nui ake, te whakawhānui atu i tōna whakapapa ki i roto i te ao ki te taha o tana tamahine. I te wa o Tāne, kīhai i hē. I whai hua te ao hōu nei me whakatāwhiti, ā, he iti noa ngā wahine. Engari, ka taea e koe te kī i mohio a Tāne, he mahi tukino ki tana tamahine. no te mea ka mau i a ia te mohiotanga te whakapapa o tōna tamāhine, he mahi e whakautu ai i a ia i te wā e patu ana i a ia.

Na te mahanga o ngā whakamārama o tēnei pūrākau, ka kitea e tātou he mea whakapau kaha i roto i ia wāhanga, ko Hine Tītama te tangata i whakararuraru, i whakamā, i whakararu, i whakamāhia, i whakapau kaha. Ko te mahi kino tuatahi ki ngā wahine ko te wehenga o ōna mātua me te whakapau whakamuri i tōna whaea a Papatūānuku, ka kitea e tātou he whakapapa mahi whakamā i te pūrākau a Tāne me tana tamāhine. Tōna whaea, ā, i muri iho ko tana tamāhine.

Ko ana mahi tuatahi ki ngā wahine he tumanako ki te whakarereke. E whakatāwhiti ana i te ao pōuri ki te ao mārama me te ora. E whakatāwhiti ana i te ao tuatahi, i te ao kore tāngata, ki te ao whakapapa me te iwi. Engari ko ngā whiu o te whakamā, ahakoa te āhei, he whiu anō tēnei.

“Heikona, e Tāne, hei kukume ake i a taua hua ki te Ao; kia haere au ki raro hei kukume iho i a taua hua ki te Pō.”

“Remain, o Tāne, to pull up our offspring to Day. While I go below to pull our offspring to Night.”

Koirā ka wehe atu a Hine Tītama i tōna oranga, e huri whakamua ana ki te mate. Ka taea hoki tēnei te kite hei whakamārama i te whakamāutanga i te whakamate. I mōhio ngā tīpuna i te mamae me te whakamā ka pa mai ki a tātou wāhine, engari ka whakapau kaha tēnei pūrākau, o te wahine ki te whakamahi i te mamae ki te whanake ki tētahi mea hohonu ake te mana.

Brilie Monika Hoani (Ngāpuhi/Te Rarawa, Ngai Tūpoto/Ngāti Here)

I roto i tōna whakamā me tōna mamae, ka huri a Hine Tītama ki te whaea aroha nui o te pō, ko Hine-nui-te-pō. Ki a ia ka haere tonu tātou katoa ki te kāinga i tētahi rā, hei whakarongo ake i a ia, hei haumanu tonu hoki i a ia i te mate, ā, i te mate, ka whakakotahi ano i ia i a tātou me te whai haere tonu. I puta mai tēnei ataahua katoa i te mamae, te whakararuraru, me te tūkino.

Ka whakamahi ngā tīpuna i tēnei pūrākau hei kōrero mō te whaihua o te whakapapa me te tika ki taua mātauranga, tae atu ki ngā hua whiwhi i aua whakararuraru i ngā wāhine. Me te āhua o te mea e hiahia ana ka taea te whakararuraru nui, engari ka puta ngā hua tino nui.

Ko te pūrākau o Hine e whakarongo ai i te whakararuraru me te whakapau kaha o tōna kōpū e Māui i roto i ngā pūrākau i whai muri, ā, engari ehara tēnei take i te pouri, heoi anō, ki te whakakapi i ngā whakararuraru i haere ana i tō tātou hāpori o ināianei. Mai i ngā whakatipuranga o te ao, ka mau tonu ngā tino whakamamae i roto ko te wahine me ngā tamariki hoki, ā, hei wāhine e raru ana tātou, e whakamā ana, e āwangawanga ana.

Ināianei, i ngā wā ka kōrero ahau i te pūrākau o Hine Tītama, ka whakautu mai te whakautu, “Ugh, Kai whiore,” me nga kōrero paki o te ao Māori “Te rūma whare moenga.” Mēnā ka kōrero ahau i te kōrero pūrākau, ki roto i te wāhi e noho ana au kei Naarm/ Poipiripi, ka huri te kōrero ki tētahi whakataurite o ngā tangata kai whiore, me ngā karakia whanoke rānei

Inawhea ka tīni te kupu “Kai whiore” ki “Pāwhera”?

I ngā rā o mua, i whiwhi whiu ai ngā wāhine mō ngā ngau whiore, me ngā tamariki i whānau i roto i ngā whanaungatanga, engari i hea ka kitea e te tangata i te whakararuraru i te kai whiore?

I roto i tōna whakamā me tōna mamae, ka huri a Hine

Tītama ki te whaea aroha

nui o te pō, ko Hine-nui-te- pō. Ki a ia ka haere tonu tātou

katoa ki te kāinga i tētahi

rā, hei whakarongo ake i a ia, hei haumanu tonu hoki i a ia i te mate, ā, i te mate, ka whakakotahi ano i ia i a tātou me te whai haere tonu.

Hine Tītama, te whetū tuatahi i te rangi, te kaiwhiwhi o te kai whiore o tōna pāpā, te tangata kua kitea te ao hei tuahangata mō tana mahi katoa. I te wā ka huri a Hine Tītama ki a Hine-nui-te-pō, ko taua āhua kē anō, ko ia te kaiwhiwhi o te kai whiore a Māui, he tangata tāne, i kitia te ao hei tuahangata (ki ētahi iwi, engari kāore ki te katoa!) ehara i te whakaohorere? I tino mōhio ngā tīpuna i te mea e whakawāhia ana te kaha o ētahi tino tangata, ki te mahi i tā rātou e hiahia ai ki ngā wāhine.

Pikitia whakaari: Tui Lou Christie

The Importance of Kōrero Māori in Education

Autumn Newsome (Ngāti Kahungungu)

Kia ora. Ko Autumn tōku ingoa. Ko Ngāti Kahungungu tōku iwi. I am a Massey student studying to be a primary school teacher. I can confidently say that my reo Māori lecturer has significantly supported me through what has honestly been the hardest year of my life. His support, knowledge, and lack of judgement has meant the world to me and my colleagues. It is worth mentioning how important it is to have guidance from those who have substantial experience, in a field in which you feel you are essentially faking it until you make it…

Despite this unwavering support, it is VERY unfortunate to witness extremely low attendance in his classes. These lectures are rich in lesson ideas, pedagogy, and just general good vibes. It’s just the right relief I need after a long week of stressing over nerve-wracking assignments.

secondary to te ao Pākēha, or worse, refuse to teach any part of it altogether. In one of my previous jobs, I overheard a teacher tell their students not to speak reo Māori to their peers, that they are at school to learn English and will never learn if they don’t speak it. This reminds me of the idea that learning reo Māori was deemed ‘not useful’ in schools. According to whom?

Don’t even get me started on the ‘silly-little-white-politicianuses-made-up-statistics-to-push-racist-policy-that-thendisenfranchises-and-marginalises’ idea.

As prospective primary teachers, I really thought we were better than this!!!! I thought it was a space that more teachers were passionate about. And to my dismay, I’ve discovered it only gets worse! There is a prevalence of educators who explicitly or implicitly view te ao Māori as

Throughout the diploma, my lecturers have highly emphasised the importance of affirming Māori and Pasifika students by embracing their culture explicitly in learning experiences. This makes sense, right? Because the curriculum is still highly Eurocentric. And of course, the devastating history Aotearoa holds where te ao Māori was erased from schools. For these reasons, I KNOW that this class is essential to providing an equitable, authentic, and welcoming education community for those who the system tends to fail. Covid-19 and severe weather events aside, low achievement is not seen in kura kaupapa Māori, so refusing to engage in this knowledge will inevitably fail our learners. It must also be acknowledged that improving outcomes for marginalised communities requires… listening. to. teachers’. strike. demands! It seems the solutions to equity issues are clear, but are we ready to implement them?

It is incredibly disappointing to witness highly significant

“As prospective primary teachers, I really thought we were better than this... ”

levels of ignorance and racism outside of these spaces. It’s so outside of my understanding to allow oneself to be so afraid of NOTHING and perpetuate such dangerous propaganda. This is seen with respect to the anti-cogovernance tour led by Julian Bachelor (WHO WAS A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL BTW….LITERALLY HOW????). Denying one’s tino rangatiratanga should not be up for discussion - especially if you don’t know what those words even mean. As someone who has felt the direct impacts of internalised colonisation, I know for sure that our Tamariki desperately need the reconnection with their tūpuna. I think it is sometimes easy to discredit the way in which education can sometimes be the only entry point into te ao Māori for our tamariki. They absolutely deserve it, and educators have an obligation to provide that. Furthermore, as educators I think it is easy to forget how essential we are as agents for change. Our values and influence have rippling effects into the community. When we erase or diminish our classrooms’ cultural diversity, we risk jeopardising an essential part of our community. Language is an essential avenue to connect with one another, with our ancestors, with our whenua. It is not a political football.

I could absolutely feel the wairua. That support I very much hope you find this week, and throughout the year. Please celebrate this week, please do what you need to keep your sanity. Especially if you find yourself amongst people who insist on being ignorant. Even worse, amongst those who insert every microaggression, stereotype, or racially motivated comment into every conversation or Facebook post. Someone tell me how these people are so unapologetically racist… in a way that assumes everyone else in the room will share the same beliefs as them???? Get a hobby!!!

I think this week is about loving the journey we are on, and being excited for the knowledge yet to be discovered. It’s about giving ourselves grace if we are beginning a reconnection. For you may not know te reo Māori, but reo Māori knows you.

Mauri ora koutou - Kia kaha te reo Māori - each and every week xox

“For you may not know te reo Māori, but reo Māori knows you.

Te Hira o te Kōrero Māori i roto i ngā Mātauranga

Autumn Newsome (Ngāti Kahungungu)

Kia ora. Ko Autumn tōku ingoa. Ko Ngāti Kahungungu tōku iwi. He tauira ahau o Te Whare Wānanga o Te Kūnenga ki Pūrehuroa e ako ana kia kaiako kura tuatahi. Ka taea e au te kī, kua tautokohia ahau e taku kaikōrero reo Māori i te tau tino uaua o taku ao, i tino whakapau kaha i ahau i te tau whakahirahira rawa o taku ora. Ko tōna tautoko, mātauranga, me tōna kore whakaaro i te mea whakapau kaha rawa ki ahau me aku hoa mahi, he mea nui ki a au. He whakamārama hoki te whakamahinga i te whakaaro nui ki te whai aroaro ki a rātou e whai wheako nui ana i te ao mahi, i tētahi taha ki a koe e whakaaro ana he whakamahara noa iho koe, kia eke ai ki a koe…

Ahakoa te tautoko kaha, he pouri te kite i te iti rawa o te hunga e haere ana ki ōna akoranga. He whakapau kaha te whakaaturanga nei i ngā whakaaro akoranga, te whakaako, me te ora pai o ngā korero. Koirā te whakamārama tika e hiahia ana e au i muri i te wiki roa o te taumahatanga i runga i ngā mahi whakapau uaua, he ōrite tonu ki te whakarewa tika ka whai ahau i a mātou.

Hei kaiako kura tuatahi, e ākonga mō te mahi, i tino whakaaro ahau he pai ake mātou i tenei, kua whakapono ahau nā te mea ko tātau e whakapau kaha ana i konei, ko tāku whakaaro ko tēnei he wāhi e aro nui ai te nuinga o ngā kaiako. Ā ka ki, ki taku pouri, kua kitea e au ka kino noa atu! He maha tonu nga kaiwhakaako e kī ana i te ao Māori he mea tuarua ki te ao Pākēha, he kino rawa atu rānei, kāore ki te whakaako i tētahi wāhanga katoa.

I tētahi o ōku mahi o mua, i rongo ahau i te kaiako e kī ana ki ōna ākonga kia kaua rātou e kōrero i te reo Māori ki ō rātou hoa, kei te kura rātou ki te ako i te reo Pākehā, kāore rātou e ako ki te kore e kōrero. Ka huri whakamuri ahau ki tētahi whakaaro e whakakore ana te ako i te reo Māori i roto i ngā kura ‘kare e whai hua,’ e ai ki a wai?

Kaua rawa e timata ahau i runga i te: ‘tino-pōturi-pākehākaipōtitiko-whakamahi-i-ngā-rara-mahinga-enga-i-te-ātamahere-ka whakapau-whawhati-nga-iwi-ka whakatutuki-inga-iwi-ka whakawhāngai-hoki’ whakaaro.

Puta noa i toku tītohu, i whakahōnoretia toku pūkenga kua tino whakanui aku kaikōrero i te hiranga o te whakakoi i ngā tauira Māori me Pasifika, ma te awhi i o rātou tikanga ki roto i ngā wheako, ki te whakapuaki i te whaihua o te Māori me te Pasifika. E whakapono ana i tēnei, e hoa mā? Nā, kei te ūnga tonu te marau i te Ūropi me te whakamana haere nei i te whakararuraru o Aotearoa, e whakakore ana i te ao Māori i ngā kura.

“Hei kaiako kura tuatahi, e ākonga mō te mahi, i tino whakaaro ahau he pai ake mātou i tenei...”

Mō ēnei take, E MŌHIO ANA AHAU he mea nui tēnei akomanga ki te whakarato i te hapori mātauranga tika, pono, me te manaaki mō te hunga e raru ana i te punaha, e whakapaukaha ana i tēnei akoranga. I whakawhiwhia hoki e te Covid-19 me ngā whakararu hau kōpata, kāore i kitea te whakawhiwhinga iti i roto i ngā kura kaupapa Māori, nā reira, kei te paheke i te mahi whai mātauranga nei ka whakararuraru te ako.

Me whakamana ano hoki i te mea ka whakapai ake i ngā whakaritenga mō ngā hapori i whakatetēa, he mea e whakarongo ana ki ngā inihua o te whakawa e whiwhi ana! Me mārama kei te whakatau ngā raruraru o te tika, engari kua riri tātou ki te whakatinana?

He tino pouri ki ahau te kite i ngā taumata o te kore māramatanga me te rēhita i waho i ēnei wāhi tino nui o te kuare me te kaikiri. Kāore ahau e whakaae ki te whakawehi i te MEA KORE, me te whakapau kaha i te rongoā kino i tēnei whakapāho. Ka kitea tēnei i te haerenga whakahē i te mana whakahaere tahi, i arahina e Julian Bachelor (I KITEAHU IA I TE TUMUAKI KURA NEI....HEA ANŌ????).

Ki taku whakaaro he mea ngawari i ētahi wā ki te whakahē i te huarahi e taea ai e te mātauranga anake te urunga ki roto i te ao Māori mō a tatou tamariki. E tika ana tēnei, ā, e herenga ana ngā kaiwhakaako ki te whakarato i ēnei.

Waihoki, hei kaiako, he āheitanga nui o mātou hei kaiwhakararu i te wareware i te mea nui o tātou hei kaihoko mō te huringa. He whaihua ō mātou uara me te whakapau hāngai ki te hapori. Ina whakakore, ina whakaiti i te rerekētanga o te ahurea i roto i ō mātou akomanga, ka ūkui, ka whakaiti rānei te rerekētanga o tētahi wāhi whakahirahira o te hapori.

Ko te reo he huarahi whakahirahira hei hono i a tātou ki ō tātou tīpuna me ō tātou whenua, kāore i te whutupaoro

E hara i te kī kua horapa whānui tēnei whakatete, kāore he whakaiti i te nui o te whakararuraru nei, engari ka maumahara ahau ki te tautoko nui, te awhi, me te aroha i roto i ō tātou hapori. Ko tētahi tauira whakamutunga rawa atu i tēnei, i te wā i huihui tātou i te pōhiri mō te tōrangapū korewhana (Te Papaioea) o ngā wāhi katoa i tino whakararuraru ai. Tino ohooho te aroha i roto i te kotahitanga mō Rāngitane, ahakoa te mate kino ki te matakitaki i nga tangata mā pakira e whakarongo ana ki te tangata kaikiri mō te rima hāora i te pō o te Hatarei - Engari ka tangihia ake e ahau te wairua. Tēnei kaupapa ka tautoko tino tū ahau! Ka pirangi au ki te kite i a koe kia haumaru i tēnei wiki, ā, puta noa i te tau. Whakanuia tēnei wiki, mahia nga mea e tika ana kia haumaru ai ō whakaaro. Inā koa ka kitea koe i waenganui i ngā tāngata e whakapau kaha ana ki te kore māramatanga. Āhea ana, i waenganui i ērā e tāngia ana ngā whakararuraru iti, ngā whakaaro whakararuraru, whakapau kupu ā-ahurea rānei ki ia whakapōhihi i runga i Pukamata rānei. Ka mea tētahi ki ahau pēnei tonu, ngā tangata nei e whakararuraru ana, i tētahi āhua e whakapono ana, ka tino rite ētahi atu i te whare katoa i a rātou i a rātou? Whiwhi i

Ki taku whakaaro, ko tēnei wiki e pa ana ki te aroha ki te haerenga e tātou ana, me te whakatau hoki ki ngā mātauranga kāore anō kia kitea. Mena kei te timata tātou ki te hono anō, me whakapau kaha hoki. Ahakoa kaore koe e mōhio ki te reo Māori, ko te reo Māori e mōhio ana ki a koe, me te tuku aroha noa ki a tātou.

Mauri ora koutou - Kia kaha te reo Māori - ia wiki nei xox

“Ahakoa kaore koe e mōhio ki te reo Māori, ko te reo Māori e mōhio ana ki a koe, me te tuku aroha noa ki a tātou. ”