02 May Te Anau
Ka noho mātāmua te taiao ki a tātou te tangata. Me hoki anō a Ngāi Māori ki tōna anō taiao, ako ai. Anei a Tapuwaekura e hanake nei, kia hikitia, kia hāpaitia ki te pae o whiti.
I te 17-19 o Āperira tū ai te wānanga tuatahi o Mātaiao ki te taha o Tapuwaekura. Kāore he wāhi, kāore he taiao i tua atu i te whitinga mai o te rā, i roto tonu i te iwi o tō mātou ruānuku, a Wayne Ngata, arā, Te Aitanga a Hauiti. Te ātaahua me te maha hoki o ngā taiao rerekē hei mātai ake ki te wāhi kotahi.
I tīmata ki te tipuna maunga, a Titirangi. I reira takitaki ai ngā kōrero me ngā hītori o te wāhi rā. Pērā tonu ki tōna anō ingoa, e titi ana te tihi ki ngā rangi, me pakari ai tō piki, kia purea ai e ngā hau o te iwi. I rere rā te kōrero “Toitū te whenua, whatungarongaro te tangata.” He tikanga nā Mātaiao, ka noho teina te ira tangata ki te taiao.. I konei tuatahi rā ko ngā tamariki a Ranginui rāua ko Papatūānuku, ka mutu, puta mai ana te tangata ki te taiao. “Kei konei ahau me taku iti me iti.”
Ka hōkai atu rā ki ngā wai tūhonohono o Uawa, ki reira waka ama ai. Me te mīharo hoki i whai wāhi atu tēnei tukemata o Ngāti Kahungunu ki Mangakūkū, ki te wāhi i tū ai te wānanga motuhake a Te Mātorohanga mā, arā, ko Te Rāwheoro. He mea whakatū nā Hingangaroa, te matua o Hauiti te tangata, Hauiti te tipuna. Waimarie katoa ana mātou te iwi Māori i te whare wānanga nei, me mihi ka tika. He nui tonu ngā kōrero hītori o te wāhi nei mō te taenga mai o te Pākehā,koinei hoki tētahi o ngā wāhi tuatahi i tae mai ai a Kāpene Kuki.
I pahikara atu mātou ki Ōpoutama, ko Cooks Cove ki te manene. I reira mātai ai te hononga o ngā whakapapa o te rangi, o te maunga, o te awa, tae noa ki ngā tai moana. Ka taea rānei te kī atu i mātai i ngā whakapapa o ngā atua, a Tūkapua, a Te Ihorangi, a Tuparimaunga, a Parawhenuamea ka puta atu rā ki a Kiwa te moana nui. Koianei ngā mātauranga e whāia ana e te kaupapa nei. Hei te 9-11 o Hūrae ki Tūrangi tū ai te wānanga tuarua. Nau mai, haere mai.
Koianake Yates
Endowed with the blessings of Tūmatauenga from birth, Koianake was instilled with traits of humility and resilience and continues to uphold the ancient lores and narratives that foster a deep connection to ngā atua Māori.