Kāhu ki Rotorua: Self-healing journey blossoms into career

Original Article NZ Herald

By Roimata Mihinui
Kāhu ki Rotorua
NZ Herald – 2 Dec 2022

English Version

Te ara o Tānetewaiora he kaupapa miharo

Ko te ara o Tānetewaiora te take e pupū ana te hauora o tētehi wahine kua roa e whakapono nei ki te rongoā me te puna mātauranga motuhake o tūāukiuki, mātua ko tana aronga nui ki te romiromi me te whitiwhiti kōrero.

Kua herea te ngākau o Wikitoria Oman ki tēnei kaupapa whakamīharo, ara ko te wānanga o te ao tawhito, ko tāna hoki he ako, he tuku i te wānanga kia kāua e rite ki te iwi o Maruiwi. Nō te e rua mano mā tahi ka tīmatangia tana akoako. Ka pau i a ia e whitu tau e noho tauira ana i ngā whare wānanga o Tamakai Makaurau. Ko ngā wānanga ēnei e whakahaerehia nā e Papa Hohepa Delamere. Nō te tau e rua mano mā ono ka mate a Papa Hohepa Delamere nā reira ka whakahope atu a Wikitoia ki a Ruatau Perez. Nō te tau e rua mano tekau ka puta a Wikitoria ki Rotorua he kawe i tana mahi te take.

Nō taua wā tonu ka whakapūarengia e ia tana wāhi mahi.’ Ka toko ake te whakaaro ki roto ki ahau, ki te hoki ahau ki taku turangawaewae, ka kaha atawhaingia ahau e taku hapū me aku whanaunga’. Tūturu he mokopuna tēnei nā Rt Rev Pererika Bennett te Pihopa Māori tuatahi o te hāhi Mihinare o Aotearoa. Otīā he Ngai Te Arawa he Te Ati Awa ia.

‘ Ko Pihopa Pererika Bennett tōku tūpuna. Ka moe i tana makau rangatira, ko Hana Te Unuhi Paaka nō Te Ati Awa.( Kai Muruika ia e takoto ana). Ko Rawinia tōku kuia, wheoi anō koia te mātāmua o a rāua tamariki kotahi tekau mā iwa’.

E ora tonu nei tōna kuia. E waru tekau mā whitu ngā tau. He ahakoa kua mate mate katoa ōna tuakana me ōna taina, ko tōna matua tāne me tana tamaiti hoki. He nāhi tana tamāhine kai te whenua o Ahietereiria, kai Perth e mahi ana. Kua moe tāne, whaihoki tokorua ā rāua tamariki tāne.

Kāti, i whānau ia i Tūranga nui a Kiwa engari i pakekengia i Tamaki Makaurau. ‘ E hoki ana ngā māharatanga kia rua tau ki muri e tū ana te kāwanatanga o Reipa ka whakaarangia e rātau tētehi kaupapa ako rongoā Māori ka tāpiringia tēnei kaupapa ki ACC nā reira i pūare ai ngā whatitoka mahi ki te tini ngerongero’. Ko Cran Cage, tētehi nāhi rēhita tana hoa mahi. Kai Te Roro-o-te-rangi ki Te Kuiarau ki te pā taunaha o Ōhinemutu rāua e mahi ana.

E pūare ana te wāhi ki ngā tauira nō ngā hau e whā. He ahakoa he Pākehā he aha noa atu. E nau mai ana māua ki te hunga hiahia ki te ako. Nō te tau e rua mano kotahi tekau mā tahi timata ai tana kawe wānanga. Ka pōwhiringia ia e ngā hau o te ao, nā reira kua tae ia ki Ahitereiria, ki Hawai’i, ki te whenua o Tiamana me Kotimana hoki.

Ko te pae tawhiti manako te tuku mātauranga ki ngā whakatupuranga o te ao hou. ‘ Ko tēnei wānanga nō te Orokohanga mai o te ao ehara i ahau tēnei waka mātauranga. Nā Papa Hohepa te whakahau kia horahia atu ngā kura o tēnei wānanga ki te waha tieke o te ao kikokiko, nā reira e pūare kau ana ngā wānanga ki te iti, ki te nui, ki te poto ki te rahi.

‘Kua tūhia kētia te huarahi o te tangata. Ko ngā mahi kua mahia e te tangata nōna e ora ana, kāpuia katoatia hai kete wānanga māu. Ka rongo ana te tangata ki te karangatanga wairua ka tutū te pūehu ka parahutihuti te haere, kātahi ia ka mana nui hai pou wānanga, hai poutokomanawa mā te iwi otīā mō tātau katoa te tangata’. Kia hokia ki te whakataukī a Papa Hohepa e mea nā e ia, ‘ Tihei ki te Maaurea a te Mauri ee’

Ko te huarahi ki mua o Wikitoria inaianei ko te huarahi o te reo. Nōku e taitamāhine ana nō te rau tau e whitu tekau ka whakahope atu ahau ki Nga Tamatoa. Ko taku mahi he whakahaere i te tari o Pōneke. He tino ho tata māua ko Hana Te Hemara.

Kātahi nei ka whakanuia te rima tekau o ngā tau te roa tātau e pakanga ana, me te mea hoki kua oti i a tātau te tuku i tētehi pepa mana nui he mea i mokoa e te toru tekau mano tangata e mea nei whakamanangia te reo ki ngā kura katoa o tēnei motu. ‘ Ko taku mātāmua ko Hemi tētehi o ngā tamariki tuatahi o te kōhanga reo’.