Te Repo (The Mires), nā Tina Makereti i tuhi

Panuitia tenei i te reo Ingarihi Me tīmata i te tīmatanga, arā, i te wai. Ko te wai, ko tō tātou hauora, tō tātou waiora. Ko te wai, ko ā tātou waiata. Ko te wai, ko ngā whetū, arā, ko Waitī me Waitā. Ko te wai, ko ō tātou iho, arā, ko ngā tātai hono, ko ngā whakapapa, ki ngā whenua me ngā ao. Ko te wai, ko ō tātou wairua. Kia ui koe, “Ko wai koe?” E ui ana koe mō te tuakiri o te tangata. Kia kī koe, “Ko wai koe?” E meatia ana koe, he wai. Nō reira, ko te wai te urupounamu me te urupare, he āhuatanga taketake nō te ao, nō roto hoki i a tātou. Waihoki, ko te wai te tino ngako o Te Repo, o te pukapuka hou nā te kaituhi rongonui, nā Tina Makereti (nō Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Rangatahi-Matakore, he Pākehā hoki).

He haerenga tēnei ki tētehi ao kei ngā wā o mua, o nāianei, o anamata anō hoki. Ko muri mai i te rāhui te wā e takoto nei ngā kōrero o Te Repo, kāore e tino tawhiti atu ana, he wā anō tēnei ka tūpono heke mai anō pea. Kua tika tana whiriwhiri i ngā aho o te whānau, te hononga, te rangatiratanga, te kāwai, te iwi me te ira tangata. Ka āta tirohia te āta whakangaro mārire me te wareware tīpako i ngā hītori (o tētehi iwi, o tētehi whānau, o tētehi tangata anō hoki), ā, ka tirohia hoki te haurokurokutanga ā-pūtea, ā-aha atu anō hoki. E kaha ana te pā mai o te pōnānātanga, me te aha, tē ai he tānga manawa i te ohiti me te pau o te hau. He kōrero tēnei mō te noho i te kāinga: i tēnei ao nei, i tēnei whenua, i tēnei wai. Ā, he kōrero anō hoki mō te mōhio me te mārama o te tangata ki a ia anō.

Ko te tāhu o ngā kōrero o Te Repo, ko ngā whaea tokowhā, ā, tokotoru rātou he kiritata i tētehi huinga whare ririki nō te kaunihera i Kāpiti. E tū ana ngā whare i runga i ngā whenua he wai i mua rā, ā, he puna kai, he hononga hoki ki ētahi atu arawai, ki ētahi atu pā, me ētahi atu tāngata. Ko te nuinga o ēnei hononga kua ngaro, kua wareware. 

He whaea takitahi a Keri nō Walty, e whā ōna tau, rāua ko Wai, he taiohi. Kua hoki mai ia ki Aotearoa i Ahitereiria, ā, e hia tau i reira. Kua puta tōna ihu i te haupatu a tōna hoa tūkino. Ka kīia tāna tamāhine, a Wai, e ētahi “he mōhio”, arā, he matakite. Ka kite, ka rongo hoki ia i te whānui, te whāroa, me te whāiti o te ao me ōna mea katoa. Kei tua iti atu o te wāhi ka taea e tātou te toro a Wai e noho ana, ā, pēnei i ngā wai e tino mōhio nei ia, ko ia te whakatinanatanga o te wai marino me te wai hūkerikeri. 

Kei te whare e pātata ana a Sera e noho ana, i te taha o tōna hoa rangatira, o Adam, me tā rāua tamāhine, me Aliana. Kātahi anō rātou ka tau mai ki Aotearoa, he rerenga rātou nō tētehi wāhi kāore e whakahuatia, ā, kua puta mai rātou i tētehi tūmomo haupatu anō, arā, i te tūkinotanga ā-taiao. E tau haere ana a Adam i runga i te whakaihiihi i tō rātou ao hou, engari anō a Sera, e tīrangi haere nei, i te roa ōna e herea ana, i te kaha hoki o tana aro kia ora noa.

Tērā hoki a Janet, he rite nei ki te momo i a Mrs B. A Nell Mangel, e whātaretare nei i te matapihi, he māia, he whakatoatoa. Hei tā Keri, “he whakatoihara, heoi he āhua pai tonu”, engari he mea atu anō ka kite e Wai i roto i a Janet “he mea kāore nei e pai, ā, e āhua matakawa ana”. Ko Janet hoki, kua puta i ōna anō āhuatanga tūkino, nō reira, he nui kē atu ōna ritenga ki ōna kiritata, i tērā e mōhio nei ia, e pīrangi rānei ia ki te mōhio. Ko te āhua nei, he rite tonu tana whakawā i ētahi atu nā tōna wairua pākiki, ā, kāore ia e whai kia mārama ki a rātou, ki a ia anō hoki. E mamae ana ia, waihoki, he whakamamae tāna i ētahi atu.

Ko Janet te whaea o Connor, ā, e whai ana ia ki te whakamauru i tana rongo i tōna kore e āhei, i tōna tūhāhātanga, me te pānga kaha o te whakatuanui kirimā. Kei te ‘ngana ia ki te kimi i te ara e whai pānga ai ia, e pai ake ai ia…kia kitea ai ia hei ihumanea,’ ā, e whakaatu ana ia i tētehi akoranga mō te āhua, te wāhi, me te take e tipu ai te angahāruki me te tau ki te tūkino.

Ko te whaea tuawhā, ko Swamp Mother, ko ia te reo o te repo me ngā wai taketake o te repo, ā, nāna nei i kawe te kōrero, ā, ko ia hoki te komititanga o ngā ara kōrero. He reo tēnei nō tua whakarere, he reo mātauranga, he reo whakamaumahara, pēnei tonu i tō te kaituhi.

Me i riro mā ringa kē e tuhi, kua tohutohu kē pea te āhua o tēnei kōrero. Engari, he tautōhito a Makereti ki te whakatere i ngā wai uaua, ā, ka takoto i a ia tētehi whakaaio wairua, me tētehi wero mō te tuakiri, te whanaungatanga, me ngā hononga, ā, mō tā tātou e whakaaro nei ki ngā mea e pūmau ana, me ngā mea e pāhekeheke ana, me te tere o te ngahoro, ā-tinana, ā-whakaaro rānei, o te whenua kei raro i a tātou. He kōrero tēnei mō ngā mahi atawhai me te huatau, arā, mō te āhua o tā tātou (o tā te tangata me ngā whakahaere anō hoki) whakanui, whakaiti rānei i ēnei mea. He kōrero tēnei mō te āhua o tā tātou urupare ki ngā whakaparahako mai, ki ngā kare ā-roto anō hoki ka pā i te noho taratahi. I a Keri rāua ko Sera e taunga haere nei ki ngā pūnaha aparau, ka whakahahakitia ngā whakaparahako huhua kua oti te hoahoa, me te taupatupatu ā-hanga o ngā kupu e whakamahia ana hei whakamārama i ngā mahi nei. Arā, ko te welfare: ko te āwhina i tētehi ki te fare well. Ko te benefit: ko te takenga mai o tēnei kupu “to do good”, engari me uaua kē ka pērā te whakaaro. Ko te refugee: ko te hunga e kimi refuge ana, engari ka mahara ētahi, ko tātou kē me kimi wāhi kāore e tata ana ki a rātou, tē tuku kē ai i tētehi wāhi mō rātou. (He rite tonu tā tātou whakamahi i ngā kupu, arā kē te aronga, engari ko te tauaro tā tātou e mārama nei). 

Mārama ana tā te kaituhi whakaatu i ngā kiripuaki me te kōrero whānui, rumaki tonu atu te kaipānui ki roto, nā runga i te hiranga o te tuhituhi a Makereti. I a koe e pānui ana i Te Repo ka rongo koe i te kōrero, ka pā ki te tinana, he kōrero e titiro whakawaho ana, engari ka pā ki roto anō, he pānga tino hōhonu. He māmā, he koi hoki te tuhinga – ka kuhu ki roto i a koe. Ka pā pea te mānukanuka i te pānuitanga: I rongo ahau i te raru e puea ake ana i roto i aku wai; i mate au ki te whakamahara i a au anō kia hā. Engari koinei te take. E tohu ana te āwangawanga i te momotutanga – i te whenua hei whenua, hei ewe, i tērā e whāngai ana i a tātou. He kōrero tēnei mō tō tātou hiahia kia hoki ki tō tātou taiao, ki a tātou anō hoki. I te whakangaronga o ngā wai maha – i Kāpiti, i wāhi kē atu hoki – ka ngaro ngā wāhi hononga tangata me ngā wāhi ā-hapori. Ko te whanaungatanga i waenga i a Keri rāua ko Sera, i ahu mai i te whanaungatanga i waenga i ā rāua tamariki, i a Aliana rāua ko Walty, ā, he tānga manawa tēnei.

Kua homai e Makereti tētehi kōrero ki a tātou, he whakatete, he aroha, he whakamīharo, he hōhonutanga kei roto, katoa i runga i te huatau, me te mātauranga ka whaitake, āke ake ake. I te pānuitanga, ka nui taku rongo i te reo o te hautipua, o Moana Jackson, e kōmuhu mai ana, e tohutohu ana i a tātou kia whaiwhakaaro atu tātou ki te hanganga me te tiakanga o “tētehi wāhi nō tātou katoa, o tētehi wāhi hei tūranga mō tātou katoa”. Ka nui taku rongo i a ia, ānō i te rūma ia i te taha o te kaituhi i te tuhinga o te kōrero nei.

Ko tā te kaituhi i kī ai mō te mātātuhi, “e rua ōna āheinga. Ko tāna e homai ai, he kāinga mō tātou, he āhuru mōwai, ā, ka kawea hoki tātou ki tawhiti, kei a koe te āhua o taua tawhiti, me te aha, ka whakawhānuihia tō tātou ao ki tua atu i tā tātou i mōhio ai ka taea.” I Te Repo, koirā tā Makereti i mahi ai, ā, ka neke atu hoki i tērā. He karanga tēnei, he wero hoki. He whakamahara i a tātou, kāore nei he oranga, he whanaketanga rānei i te whakatuanuitanga, engari kei roto kē i te kaitiakitanga, te manaakitanga me te hapori, ā, e hono ana anō hoki ki tā tātou tiaki i ngā wai, i ngā whenua, i a tātou anō hoki.

Ka nui taku mihi ki te kaituhi i tēnei taonga.