He Pitopito kōrero

Ahorangi Te Wharehuia Milroy 1937-2019

“Ko te whakaiti te whare o te whakaaro nui”

Kei te kōkō tātākī, Te Wharehuia, tēnei mātou tō pōkai manu e tangi nei mōu. He kaiārahi me he manu taupua i āta tiaki i a mātou kia mau tonu ki te whakaaro nui. He huia tangata tahi, ko tō momo e whakatinanatia mai rā e ō kupu arataki, e ō whakaaro whakaohooho, whakakipakipa anō hoki.

E wairutu ana ngā kamo i te kaha o te pouri kua pā ki runga i a mātou i tēnei wā. Kāore anō kia eke te kotahi tau i ngaro atu ai a Te Murumāra, ka whai atu koe i a ia. Kotahi wiki e toe ana ka eke te tau o tō hoa, ka hoki ngā mahara ki ō kupu whakamutunga ki a ia – kua mana, e koro, kua mana.

Nāu tō tātou ohu i tapa ai ko Te Ipukarea, hei puna mātauranga mō te rangahau i te oranga tonutanga o tō tātou reo rangatira. Ka mutu, nō kōrua ko Tīmoti te whakaaro kia ū tēnei tira ki te rangahau, me kore noa e kite he hua mō te iwi Māori whānui. I roto i ngā piki me ngā heke o Te Ipukarea, i reira koe hei taringa whakarongo ki ō mātou whakaaro, ō mātou nawe, o mātou whakanui. I ētahi wā he iti kupu i tukuna mai engari ia he kupu i puta i te puna o te kī.

E kore e warewaretia tō pukuhohe, me te aha he pūmanawa nō te mahana o te tangata. Te mutunga kē mai nei o te koroua nanakia i hinga ai te tini me te mano, me pēhea e kore ai e pakiri ngā niho. He akoranga hoki ēnei taeatanga ōu kia kitea, kia rangona hoki te ātaahua o te reo Māori, ka mutu, he taonga tuku iho nā rātou mā.

I ēnei tau whakamutunga, ka hoki ngā mahara ki tā tātou whakarite mai i tā kōrua ko Tīmoti pukapuka, He Kupu Tuku Iho. Tētahi tangata pūmahara ko koe. Ko tō ōhākī tēnei ki tō iwi Māori, e mahue mai nei. Ko ngā nohonga tahitanga, ko ngā kōrero hangareka i puta, ko ngā taonga wheako katoa o tēnei kaupapa, ka mau ki te whatumanawa hei whakakoakoa i te ngākau.

Ko te aroha ō mihi ka tuku ki te whānau pani ka noho nei ki muri i a koe. E mihi ana ki ngā whanaungatanga, ki ngā whakahoahoa, ki te mahana o te tangata i rite tonu te uwhi mai ki runga i a mātou i ngā tau tini kua pahure ake nei. Tēnei ka mihi ki a rātou i tuku i tō rātou pāpā hei koroheke mō te motu whānui, he puna mihi, he puna aroha e kore e mimiti.

Nō reira e koro, okioki atu rā ki tua o Paerau, ki ngā manu taupua o te pō. Haere atu rā ki ō hoa, ki a Rangihau, ki a Hirini, ki a Te Murumāra. Kia tau iho rā anō ki te kauawhiawhiranga o tō makau, o Niwa – te manu tīoriori i hinga ai te toa manu. Ka tangi ki tō reo kua mū, me he maire huia e kore e rangona anō i te mata o te whenua. Ko te utu o te aroha, he mamae, e koro e.