Te Hītori o Whakapūmau

Te Hītori o Te Kura Whakapūmau i Te Reo Tūturu ki Waitaha

(Nā Whaea Tania Taitoko rāua ko Whaea Raiha Manahi ēnei kōrero.)

I a mātou i Te Kōhanga Reo, ka uru mai te āwangawanga, i te korenga o ngā Kura Māori, ahakoa pea, he kura reo rua i roto i te porowini o Ōtautahi, e whai wāhi ai ā mātou tamariki ki te whakaū ki te paihere ki te whakawhānui i te reo, i ngā taonga i ākona ki a rātou, mai i ngā kōhanga reo.

I te tau 1987, te marama o Mahuru, ka tīmata Te Kura Kaupapa Māori ki Ōtautahi, otirā ko tēnei kura i whakaritea mō ngā tamariki mokopuna e puta mai ana i ngā kōhanga reo, ko rātou a mātou tamariki ahakoa kua ākona, ā, kua mōhio ki te reo, kua noho pakapaka i runga i ngā whakarite a tauiwi, karekau he huringa ake mō rātou , arā, e hoki anō ki ngā kura kiritea. Ka tangi mātou ngā mātua o ēnei tamariki, ā, me ō mātou whakapono. He wā a o mātou tamariki e āmenetia mai ai o mātou tūmanako, e kī rā hoki te kōrero, mehemea he whakapono tōu, ka taea e koe ngā mea katoa.

I a mātou i Te Kōhanga Reo, ka uru mai te āwangawanga, i te korenga o ngā Kura Māori, ahakoa pea, he kura reo rua i roto i te porowini o Ōtautahi, e whai wāhi ai ā mātou tamariki ki te whakaū ki te paihere ki te whakawhānui i te reo, i ngā taonga i ākona ki a rātou, mai i ngā kōhanga reo.

I te tau 1987, te marama o Mahuru, ka tīmata Te Kura Kaupapa Māori ki Ōtautahi, otirā ko tēnei kura i whakaritea mō ngā tamariki mokopuna e puta mai ana i ngā kōhanga reo, ko rātou a mātou tamariki ahakoa kua ākona, ā, kua mōhio ki te reo, kua noho pakapaka i runga i ngā whakarite a tauiwi, karekau he huringa ake mō rātou , arā, e hoki anō ki ngā kura kiritea. Ka tangi mātou ngā mātua o ēnei tamariki, ā, me ō mātou whakapono. He wā a o mātou tamariki e āmenetia mai ai o mātou tūmanako, e kī rā hoki te kōrero, mehemea he whakapono tōu, ka taea e koe ngā mea katoa.

I roto i ngā rā i muri mai, ka tae mai tēnei wahine whaea a Maraea Waaka me āna tamariki e rua a Manu rāua ko Rati. He tama a Rati e whā ngā tau, he kōtiro a Manu e rima ōna tau. I haere mai rātou i Matawaia i roto o te Taitokerau. I nuku mai a Maraea me āna tamariki ki Ōtautahi kia tata mai kia piri ki ōna tuākana ki a Tihi Puanaki rāua ko Mate Wihongi, kia hia nei tau e noho ana i roto i a Ōtautahi mai.

Ka tae mai a Maraea ka takahia e ia ngā kura o Ōtautahi, ki te kimi kura Māori mō āna tamariki, kapi katoa i a ia ngā kura katoa, kore rawa he kura e ako ana i te reo. Kore rawa hoki ia e whakaae ki ngā kura o konei i te mea, ko āna tamariki i whānau mai i roto i te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Matawaia. Nō tēnei wā, ka pupu ake te whakaaro o te wahine nei, ka kōrero ki tana tuakana, ki a Tihi, “Pēhea o whakaaro mehemea ka timata i ahau tētahi Kura Māori mō aku tamariki me ētahi atu tamariki e hiahia ana ki te uru mai i roto i tōna ake kāinga”? Whakaae tonu atu a Tihi ki tēnei whakaaro ataahua a tōna teina. Ka tīmata i a Maraea tāna kaupapa arai. I tīmata ngā tamariki e rua i tōna taha. I roa, kua kite a ia kua kore katoa e uru ki roto i tōna whare, ka tonoa a ia me ngā tamariki me tōna whakaae hoki kia nuku ki Te Whatumanawa Māoritanga o Rehua. He whare nohotia e ngā tauira whai i te mātauranga mō ngā momo mahi katoa o te ao Pākēhā engari kua wātea taua whare i taua wā.

I kōnei, ka timata tūturu te Kura Kaupapa a Maraea Waaka. Ka pātai a Tihi ki ngā mātua o ngā tamariki, “E pēhea ana o koutou whakaaro mō te kura nei”? Hei whakahoki i te pātai, “Ka whakaurua e mātou a mātou nei tamariki a Ngakura Manahi, ko Ngapo King, ko Tuatahi King, ko Te Raurea Mana ki tēnei kura”. I runga i te harikoa i te whakamihi ki a Maraea i runga i tōna kaha ngakau hihiko ki ngā taonga tuku whakarere iho e ngā mātua tūpuna. Nō tēnei wā, ka haere ngā mātua ki te rapu ki te kimi taonga mō te Kura Kaupapa. I whiwhi i ētahi turu noho me ngā tēpu me ētahi atu utauta, i arohatia e Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Rangimarie. I mau mai ētahi atu utauta nō Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Hohepa. He taonga nō Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Reo Tuatahi. Nā Tihi me tōna whānau i mau mai ētahi utauta o tōna kura o Aranui.

Nā te whānau whānu o Ngā Puhi, te Taitokerau, te koha putea tuatahi mō te kura, hei awhi, hei manaaki, hei tautoko i te kaupapa o te kura. He nui ake i te kōtahi mano taara. E kore te puna o te aroha e mimiti ki a rātou, ka pūmau ki tērā whakaaro rangatira mō ake tonu atu.

Ko ngā hunga tauotoko i ngā whakahaere i ngā kaupapa o te kura, ko Hohua Tutengaehe, Ko Roberta Arahanga, ko Mate Wihongi – King, Ko Lynne Te Aika, ko Wiremu Puanaki.