He pūrongo tēnei i whakaputa tuatahitia e Te Raungatanga Whakaara o Taiuru News.
Neke atu i te 500 uki i huihui ki Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tupoho mō Te Toi Ahurea o Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi, he whakanuinga ka tū ia rua tau, e whakakotahi ana i ngā whānau nō ngā marae ngahuru mā rua puta noa i te iwi.
Nā te tauheke, nā Mike Neho, tēnei kaupapa i whakatū i te tau 2013. He kaupapa tēnei e whai wāhi ai ngā uki o Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi ki te whakanui i tō rātou tuakiri mā roto i ngā hākinakina, ngā whakataetae tunu kai, ngā wānanga me te kapa haka.
I a ia e hoki mahara ana ki te tīmatanga o te kaupapa, i kōrero a Neho mō te whai whakaaro ki ngā kaupapa a ētahi atu iwi hei whakakaha ake i te reo me ngā tikanga o tō rātou ake rohe.
“I a au e whakahaere ana i ngā mahi hei whakaora ake i te reo, i ngā tikanga me ērā atu āhuatanga o te Ngaa Rauru Kiitahitanga, i āta whakaaro au ki ngā kaupapa a Tūhoe. I kite au i te nui o te whanaketanga me te kaha ake o taua iwi i roto i ngā tau tekau.”
Ki te tokomaha o te hunga i tae atu, ko te aronga matua o te kaupapa, he whakakotahi i te iwi, he hoki anō ki ngā pūtake me ngā taura here o te whānau. I whakapuaki a Rena Silipa, māngai o Te Aroha Pā, i te hōhonutanga o ngā kare ā-roto i puta i tana kitenga i te huihui mai o ngā whānau i runga i te rahi.
“Ka tino whakakī tēnei kaupapa i taku ngākau i tēnei rā. He mea whakamīharo te kite i ngā marae katoa e huihui mai ana. He ātaahua rawa atu te whai wāhitanga ki te whakanui i tō tātou tuakiri Māori, hei Te Kāhui o Rauru,” tā Silipa.
I kōrero hoki a Renee Bradley, Pou Tumuaki o Te Kāhui o Rauru, mō te hiranga o tēnei ahurea nui ki ngā whānau e pukumahi ana, kia whai wā rātou ki te whakatā, ki te whakahou i te mauri, me te hono anō ki a rātou anō.
“Ko Te Toi Ahurea te hui ahurea kotahi o te iwi e āhei ai tātou katoa te hoki ki te kāinga,” tā Bradley. “He mea nui te whai wā ki te whakatā, ki te pārekareka ki te noho tahi, ki te whakakī anō i tō puna waiora, kātahi ka hoki atu ki te ao me taua kaha hou. Ki ahau nei, he tino kaupapa tēnei.”
I whakapuaki hoki ngā reanga rangatahi i tō rātou ngākau nui ki tēnei kaupapa ka tū ia rua tau. I kōrero a Te Rua o Raukawa Katene Gray, nō Tauranga Ika Marae, mō tētahi whakaaro e rangona whānuitia ana e te hunga taiohi.
“Kei te tino harikoa ahau nā te mea ka tū tēnei kaupapa ia rua tau. He tino hiahia nōku kia whai wāhi atu ki tēnei kaupapa ia marama.”
I te katinga o tēnei huihuinga ka tū ia rua tau, kua anga whakamua te titiro a te iwi ki te whakataetae nui ake o ngā iwi o Taranaki, arā, ko Taranaki Tū Mai. Mā Te Ātiawa, kei te raki o Taranaki, e manaaki ā te 2027.
