Ko te pūtauakitanga o te mātauranga Māori kua ekea e ngā pia o Te Wānanga o Aotearoa ki Kawerau, i te hui whakapōtaetanga, He Puāwaitanga, i tū ki Rautahi Marae i te Paraire.
Neke atu i te 50 ngā tauira i whakawhiwhia ki ō rātou tohu puta noa i ngā kaupapa huhua a te wānanga, otirā ko ngā kaupapa e hāngai tonu ana ki te reo Māori, te mātauranga Māori me te oranga o te tangata.
E ai ki a Martin Rakuraku, pouako o Te Ara Reo Māori, ahakoa ngā uauatanga kua pā ki te tāone i ngā tau kua pahure, kei te kaha tonu te ngākau o te hapori ki te whai i te mātauranga Māori.
“Ko tā mātou he hoki atu anō ki te reo o te whenua,” hei tāna.
“He nui anō ngā tāngata kei konei kāre i te mau i te reo.”
Ko Tarnya Te Riini (Ngāti Awa, Tūwharetoa) tētahi o aua tāngata, i whakawhirinaki atu ki tōna tuahine ki a Kataraina, kia whai rāua tahi i te tohu o Te Ara Reo Māori - He Pī Ka Pao.
Ko te paetawhiti e whāia ana kia tata, ko te whakahoki i te ira reo Māori ki ō rāua whānau, kua rua whakatipuranga e tamō ana.
“Ko taku wawata, kia noho hei wāhanga o tōku ao i ia rā - mōku, mō āku tamariki hoki,” te whakatau a Te Riini.
Ko Bryce Marsh hoki, he tauira nō te hōtaka Manaaki Tangata i whakapōtaehia. I kōrero whānui ia mō tana hīkoi i te ara whai oranga i muri i tana mauherenga mō ngā hara taraiwa haurangi i te tau 2024.
Hei tā Bryce, he panonitanga nui ki tōna ao i mahuta ake i tērā wā.
“That time was a catalyst for many changes I knew I had to make,” hei tāna.
“The programme was recommended to me, and I quickly knew it aligned with my kaupapa, learning who I am and giving back to my community.”
He takatāpui a Bryce, i kōrero mō tana mokemoke, mō ngā taumahatanga hoki i tana noho i roto i te pūnaha ture, nā te iti o ngā ratonga āwhina e mārama ana ki ngā āhuatanga o te hunga takatāpui Māori.
Nā taua wheako i whakakaha ake ai tana hiahia kia taki tū mai hei pou tautoko i ētahi atu e hanga rite ana ki a ia.
“The essence to why I choose to study Manaaki Tangata was to be a pou for our takatāpui whānau,” hei tā Bryce.
“It was lonely. There’s a real gap in that space.”
Ko tāna e wawata ana ināianei, ko te uru atu ki ngā ratonga hauora ā-rohe hei tautoko i ngā whānau Māori me ngā whānau takatāpui Māori e pāngia ana e ngā mate waranga me ngā mate hinengaro.
Hei tā Bryce, nā te hōtaka Manaaki Tangata ia i āwhina ki te whakapakari i tōna ake rangatiratanga.
“The programme gave me the right tools to build my own rangatiratanga and not just shine for myself, but shine for others too.”
Kei te haere tonu ia ki Te Wānanga o Aotearoa i tēnei wā, ki te whai i te tohu He Puāwai – Certificate in Adult and Tertiary Teaching ki Kawerau tonu.
Tokorima o te whānau Wheto hoki i whakanuia i tēnei whakapōtaetanga. Ā, i pupū ake ngā kare ā-roto o Barbara Wheto, i tēnei whakatutukinga nui a rātou.
“School was not their strong point, so for them to grow and continue to grow and for them to decide that education is for them is just unbelievable,” hei tāna.
E ai ki a ia, he tauira rātou ki ētahi atu ka hopo ki te whai i te mātauranga, ki te ako.
“Don’t doubt yourself,” te whakahau a Wheto.
“There are so many people walking the same journey.”
Nā Mahina Perenara rāua ko Piripi Taylor nō Pūkāea
