Huirapa hora nui, Huirapa
Nei rā te tai o mihi manamanahau ki a koutou i tēnei wā, ko tēnei te rā tuarima o ēnei kōrero pārekareka ki au nei, ko ēnei kōrero anō he kōrero kia whakamōhio tatou katoa te tūāpapa o ērā wāhi nō kōnei. Inanahi, ahakoa tino māku kei waho rā, tino mahana kei rō i ngā Kete Wānanga o Ōtautahi kia whakanui Te mahi a Tāne Rore. Kei Te Kete Wānanga o Ihutai mātou i tēnei rā mō te kaupapa, Tāne Rore, Hine Rehia, maranga mai me te mātaki hoki I te kiriata huna e pā ana ki ngā kaiwhakatere. Welcoming us all into day 5 of our celebrations for Te wiki o te reo Māori 2026. The hope is that over the last couple of days, the kōrero and different parts to connect with have intrigued you the reader. I've highlighted some of the stepping stones and foundations that I have been fortunate to grow up immersed in over the last 26 years.
Yesterday, although it was a wet day outside, the warmth was felt as we celebrated yet again another round of After School programmes across our Christchurch City Libraries in bringing life to the mahi of Tāne Rore through making our own tītī tōrea. We found ourselves down at Linwood Library to also celebrate Tāne Rore and Hine Rehia with poi making and tītī tōrea making which was followed up by watching a secret movie about navigation. If you haven’t seen this kiriata, you’re missing out! We still have e rua ngā rā e toe ana, still 2 more days left of celebrating Te wiki o te reo Māori for 2026 so stay tuned e te whānau.
Papatipu Talks
Ko Maungatere te maunga
Ko Rakahuri te awa
Ko Tūāhuriri te tangata
Ko Tuahiwi te marae
Ko Maahunui II te whare tupuna
Ko Te Ao Marama te whare kai
‘E rite ana mātou ki te kauwau e noho ana ki runga i te toka; ka pari te tai ka ngaro te kōhatu, ka rere te manu. Mau anō matou e whakanoho ki te wāhi maroke ki a ora ai mātou’
Today we take another tipi haere (trip) back to the Northern Corridor where we find ourselves walking down good old Pā Road onto the whenua of Tuahiwi marae. Tuahiwi extends its arms from Hurunui to the Hakatere River and inland to the Main Divide. Growing up, we would hear the stories of Tuahiwi being the resting home of Ngāi Tūāhuriri and the stories that would come about from the various battles and travellers through Kaiapoi Pā. ‘Kaiapoi Pā was established by the first Ngāi Tahu ancestors when they had settled here in Te Waipounamu.’ was the hot spot, the capital as well as a major trading centre of Mahika kai (traditional resources and practices). The eldest brother of Moki known as Tūrākautahi was the second son to Tūāhuriri hence the naming of the hapū of the area. The whenua surrounding the marae brings life to our oral hītori accounts and whakapapa in relation to our Ngāi Tahu kōrero. My aunty once told me if you drew a line from Kaiapoi to Hokitika that it would directly cross over as Kaiapoi Pā was situated as the access route to the West Coast as well as a gateway for exporting pounamu.
The Rūnanga Hall was opened in 1922 and named Mahaanui after the kōrero surrounding Te waka o Maui where he fished up Te Ika a Maui the North Island. The name Mahaanui also refers to the tides running and flowing off the nearby East Coast. The hall stands in representation of all Ngāi Tahu whānui which the name encompasses the concept of binding people together. In December 2012, after many of years planning with the various wānanga in between as the old Rūnanga Hall began to decay, Maahunui tuarua emerged with a more modern feel to it, this allows for an important base for hapori to utilise in the years to come. I also cannot forget to mention the most stunning view of Maungatere (Mt Grey) over the paddock, it’s a sight you’ll most likely get lost in if you haven’t already. E mihi kau atu ana ki a Taua Aroha, I know she’d be impressed with the colour palette the big kid Justice has now.
I remember my last stunt as a high schooler (I swear it was only last year!) it was our first time standing as Ko Haea Te Pūata as a kura at Te Whakataetae o te Kapa Haka o Ngā Kura Tuarua 2017. Our whānau from Haeata took that stage with open arms, a memory for us to all look back on and now to see our next Haeata babies coming through to adorn that stage just means the world, ka pū te rūhā ka hao te rakatahi! In our bracket, we sung a waiata relating to our wāhine who sat in Kaiapoi Pā utilising the beauty found within our wāhine to charm and entice parts of Ngāti Toa warriors into their final moments here.
He kai kei āku rika
Waiata tautoko – the waiata tautoko is a supporting waiata (song) that acts to uplift the kai kōrero (formal orator that is doing the speech) and the kōrero they have shared. If you ever get the chance to be a part of this formality, some of our more generic waiata tautoko that may come out could be ‘e toru ngā mea … te aroha, te whakapono, me te rangimārie …’ and ranging into more iwi and hapū specific waiata, the list could go on. I remember once we were hosting a Scottish team as they were over for a tournament and they shared a chant from their homelands to us, so waiata tautoko can vary. I’ve put Ngāi Tūāhuriri with our waiata tautoko as our songbirds Dame Aroha and many more from out of this space. Sounds and notes that hit beyond the imagination and tones that could move you to sleep. It is from here that I’d like to think some of the taonga from off the Ruahikihiki line has translated into my passion for playing around on the notes now.
Te waiata tukuna mai ki te ao
Today’s waiata is one that I could get lost in so many times, and if you were a tamaiti growing up here in Ōtautahi, you can’t hide away from the fact that we all tried to hit these high notes from a young age, I definitely was a lip syncher for this one, Tahu Pōtiki is one for the vocal cords to be stretched and worked.
Maramataka o te rā
Ko Tamatea-a-aio te marama o te rā nei. Today’s marama phase tells us that the tuna (eels), the ika (fish) and kumara are abundant but small, so take what you need not what you want! A productive day for shellfish so if you’re down gathering pipi’s today, what a treat! The energy vibes are low as well so if you are feeling it like me today, hā ki roto (breathe in) and tukuuuu (send it).
Kupu o te rā
Today our kupu is one that is a bit of cheeky one to play around with. We have all been there when we forget the name of that ‘thing’ we are trying to show or talk about, so today’s kupu is mea which refers to a thing! ‘Hey what’s that mea over there? That’s my lunchbox and no there is no kai in it for you!’ A fun a cheeky one but then one that can be toned up for a level of seriousness, ‘Hey have you completed that mea? I need your help with something else!’ So have a try using this kupu with your friends and whānau today.
'Ko te toa I a tini I a mano o te tangata.’
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