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Sterling Maxwell (she/her) | Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Konohi, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine Ko wai au? I have made many decisions in my lifetime. Twenty-two short years, yet so  many choices. Countless missteps, both minor and major, all of which cast shadows over my journey onwards. Like a map of mistakes, each one leaves its mark on the path ahead. I have driven straight ahead instead of turning right. I have chosen him over her. I have stepped on landmines and thrown wrenches in the work. I have built houses on sand and sailed off-course. I have opened Pandora's box and I have dropped the ball. I have spilt ink over white pages and laid seeds in a barren land. I have let opportunities slip away, wasted potential and fallen short. I have failed. I have failed. I have failed .  Ko wai au?  I am a failure.  They look at me and I smile, because what else am I to do? I am a hero to them. But to myself, I am my own worst villain. The weight of these failures is crushing at times. Like carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders—I can’t shake it off. My successes and accomplishments seem futile. The achievements feel hollow, tainted by the disappointment I   see in their eyes. “You’re not good enough”, “it was only by luck”, and “you don’t deserve it”, must sit on the tip of their tongues. I could have done better. I should have done better. I am not worthy. I am not worthy. I am not worthy. Ko wai au? I am worthless. I am trapped in a prison of my own making, a place both invisible and inescapable. The bars are made unbreakable, forged by my own self-doubt and strengthened by every negative thought and the overly critical voice floating in my mind. The walls, paper-thin, yet indestructible, are constructed from the constant lies I have accepted as the truth and the fears that have come to define me. In this prison, time stands still. The clock ticks slowly, each moment stretching into an eternity. The darkness is palpable, a heavy fog that obscures my vision and obscures my hope. The air is thick with the weight of my own self-criticism, making it hard to breathe, hard to think, and hard to escape.  Ko wai au? I am a prisoner to my own mind. Ko wai koe? You would never notice what they see. Only taking in the negatives and not the overwhelming positives. Their young minds have had a front-row seat at your game of life ever since they were born. A chance to watch and learn. Yet, you don’t notice what they see. Blinded by the bars of that damned prison that barricades you from seeing the truth. You don’t notice the way their eyes fill with admiration or the words of praise that fill their young vocabulary, because of you. They have watched you at your highest point from afar, but they have been right in front of you at your lowest. They have seen you stumble, trip and fall face forward into the path you’re weaving for yourself. They don’t fully understand the darkest part of your world yet and you can only pray they never have to find out.  Ko wai koe? You…you are still their hero.  They just hope one day you can be your own.  They do notice. They do see the truth. They see the good in you, the beauty and strength that breaks through the cracks of your self-doubt. They watched you love and care, both for them and others. They watched you inspire and they became inspired, because of you. Like a seed that has been nurtured and loved, they have watched you grow and blossom into the person you are today. They have watched you stand back up when you were knocked down. They have loved you, not in spite of your flaws, your failures, your disappointments and your worthiness, but because of them. They have loved you because you are real; because you are authentic. And as they envision their future and imagine the attention turning towards them, they love you because they realise that once upon a time, you were them and one day they will be you.  Ko wai koe? You are them. And they are you.  Ko wai tātou? We are the seed that will blossom. We are the sum of our experiences, a blend of our triumphs and our tribulations. Each misstep, each fall, has been a lesson, a stepping stone towards a greater understanding of ourselves. We are the seeds of change, planted in the soil of Papatūānuku. Our experiences, both joyful and challenging, are the nourishment we need to grow. We are not defined by our failures but by our ability to be resilient and learn from them. We will rise again, wiser and stronger, each time.  Ko wai tātou? We are wise. We are strong. We are the hopes and dreams of those who came before us, and we will be the inspiration for those who follow us. Our journey should not be one of solitary, lest we fall victim to the prison within our minds. The struggles of our tūpuna, and the victories they celebrated, all flow within us, woven into the tapestry of humanity. We carry their legacy, their wisdom and their spirit. As we continue to grow and blossom, we honour them and their contributions to our being. Ko wai tātou? We are their hopes. We are their dreams.  In the grand scheme of existence, we are interconnected, like the roots of a vast tree that spread out and intertwine beneath the earth. Each of us is a unique individual, yet part of a greater whole. Our collective experiences form the rich, diverse soil from which we draw strength and wisdom. Together, we face the storms of life, supporting one another, sheltering one another, and finding solace in our shared humanity. As we blossom, we not only reach towards the light, but we also cast seeds of our own, ensuring that the cycle of growth and renewal continues. Our actions, our choices, and our resilience will be the foundation upon which future generations stand. They will look to us, not for perfection, but for the courage to rise, to learn, and to thrive despite the challenges. In this interconnected journey, our individual stories merge into a collective narrative of hope, perseverance, and transformation. We are the embodiment of dreams realised and potentials unlocked. Our blossoming is a testament to the enduring spirit of humanity, an ever-unfolding promise that we are, indeed, the seed that will blossom, endlessly renewing and reaching for new heights. So when the question is asked—ko wai tātou? We will answer; we are the seeds that have blossomed.

nā Sterling Maxwell | Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Konohi, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine Ko wai au? Ina ngā tini whakatau kua whakatauria e au i ōku nei rā. Rua tekau mā rua ngā tau, te huhua o ngā whiringa. Te tini o ngā hapa, iti rānei, nui rānei, ērā katoa e taumaru ana i te ara kei mua i te aroaro. Anō nei he mapi nui ōku hapa, ia te hapa e pātahi ana ki te ara kei mua. Kua kōtiti taku haere. Kua pēnei, atu i tēnā. Kua takahia e au ngā ara pahū, kua wāwāhia ngā tahā. Kua hē te tūāpapa o tōku whare, kua hapa te rere o tōku waka. Kua huakina e au te tatau o te pō, ā, kua taka hoki te pōro. Kua tawhiti anō te pae tata. Nā wai i hē, kua tino hē rawa atu. Kua ngere. Kua ngere. Kua ngere. Ko wai au? He mūhore. Ka titiro mai rātou, ā, ka mene atu au. He aha atu māku? Me he tuahangata ahau ki a rātou, heoi e rongo ana au i a Whiro e pupū ake ana i roto i au. E rangona ana te taumaha o aku hē i ētahi wā. Me ko te ao kei aku pokohiwi - tē tāea te whakataha. Me he huakore aku whakatutukinga. Me he whakatutukinga hāpua kua korowaitia e te ngere e kitea ana e au, i ō rātou karu. Ko ngā kupu, “Na te waimarie noa”, “Tō hamuti” E noho ana i te mata o ō rātou arero. I taea te whanake, me whanake. He taunga kore. He taunga kore. He taunga kore. Ko wai au? Ko hua kore. E mauheretia ana au e ōku ake whakaaro. He wāhi e kore e kitea, e kore hoki e rerea. Ko ngā here, tē motukia. Kua hangaia e tōku ake hopo, ā, ka whakakahatia e ōku ake whakaaro whakaparahako mōku anō. Mea rawa ake ka āta whakapono ki aua kupu whakaparahako. Ka tumu te wā. Ka pōturi te hāere. He mutunga kore. Ka tau mai ko Hinepūkohurangi, e rehurehu ai te whakakitenga ki te āpōpō. Tōna matatorutanga e kikī ana i tōku ake whakatakē. Ko wai au? He taurekareka ki ōkū ake whakaaro. Ko wai koe? E kore koe e kite i tā rātou e kite ai. E aro noa ana ki ngā hara, kaua ki ngā hua nui o roto. Nō to rātou whānautanga mai, kua kitea tō katoa. Nāu rātou i whakaako, heoi e kore tonu koe e mārama ki tō ake mīharo. Kua kāpō i ōu ake whakaaro e tāmi ana i te kitenga o te pono. Tē aro i a koe te kimo i ō rātou karu, te nui o te whakamānawa rānei o rātou, mōu. Kua kitea koe i te tihi o te maunga, heoi kua kitea hoki koe ki raro e putu ana. Kua mātaki rātou i a koe e totitoti haere ana, e whara ana i tō takahitanga i tō huarahi. E kore rawa rātou e mārama ki te pōuritanga o tō āo, ā, ko te wawata e kore rawa rātou e mārama. Ko wai koe? He tuahangata tonu ki a rātou. Ko tā rātou, he manako ka kite koe i tērā. E mataara ana, e kite ana rātou i te pono. Tō manawa roa, tō rerehua, me tō manawa tītī e whiti tonu ana ahakoa te taraongaonga. Kua kitea tō whakaaro nui, me te aroha nui ki te tangata ahakoa ko wai. Me he kākāno koe i āta poipoia, i āta arohaina, i kitea tō tipu, tō puawai ki tō momo o ināianei. I kitea tō takitū ahakoa ngā karawhiunga o te wā. Ka arohaina koe ahakoa ngā tini hapa o tō ao. He aroha i hua mai i tō momo, kōrero pono, ngākau motuhenga. Ā, i a rātou ka whakaaro mō tō rātou apōpō, ka whakaarohia ngā tini whēako ka pā ki a rātou, ā, ka whakaarohia koe hei whakakitenga mō rātou. Ko wai koe? Ko koe ko rātou, ko rātou ko koe. Ko wai tātou? He kākāno ka puāwai. Ko tātou ngā hua o ō tātou ake wheako, he whāranu o ngā piki me ngā heke. Ia hapa, ia hopo, he akoranga o roto hei māramatanga mā tātou. Ko tātou ngā kākano o te whanaketanga kua whakatōkia ki a Papatuanuku. Ko ngā wheako pai me ngā mea kino, ngā wheako e āhei ai tō tātou tipu. E kore tātou e whakawātia e ō tātou hē, engari kē mā tō tātou manawa roa ki te kaupapa. Ka tipu, ka whanake mō āke tonu atu. Ko wai tātou? He kaha. He tautōhito. Ko tātou ngā whakatinanatanga o ngā moemoeā o ō tātou tūpuna, ā, ko tātou hoki ngā tauira mō te hunga ka whai i a tātou. Me tapatahi te haere, kei taka ki te hē. Ko ngā uauatanga i pā ki ō tātou tūpuna, me ngā whakatutukinga hoki, e pā tonu ana ki a tātou, ngā uri whakahere. I a tātou e tipu ana, e puāwai ana, ka whakamānawa atu ki a rātou me ā rātou mahi e āhei ai tā tātou tū. Ko wai tātou? Ko ō rātou manako, ō rātou moemoeā. Ki te whakaarohia te horopaki whānui, kua tuituia tātou pērā i ngā akaaka o ngā rākau e tūhonohono ana i roto o Papatūānuku. Tātou katoa he motuhake, he nui te whakapapa. Nā o tātou katoa whēako tātou e mōhio ai, e mārama ai. Mā te kotahitanga tātou e ora ai kia hipa anō te ua. E tautoko ana, e whakamaru ana, e manaaki ana i a tātou anō. I a tātou ka puāwai, ka whakatō anō i ētehi atu kākano kia tipu anō he hua, ā, ko ā tātou mahi, ā tātou kōwhiringa, me tō tātou manawaroa, katoa ēnei he tūāpapa mō ngā uri whakaheke kei tua. Ka titiro rātou ki a mātou, kaua mo ngā whakautu katoa, heoi mō te kaha, ki te ako, kia mōhio ki te manawa kaha, ahakoa ngā uauatanga. I tēnei haerenga ā tātou, ko a tātou whēako katoa he mea Ko tātou ngā whakatinanatanga o ō tātou moemoea, kua kitea, kua mārama. Ko to tātou puawai, he mea i hua i te manawa roa, me te ngākau Nō reira i te wā ka tukuna te urupounamu - ko wai tātou? Ko te urupare atu; he kākano, kua puawai.

Lucy Schrader Manuera | Te Aupōuri Tēnā koutou e te hunga kaipānui,  Tau atu taku manu ki runga i te pinakinakitanga o maunga Tawhitirahi Tau ana te titiro ki ngā au moana, ki ngā mau o te whenua, ki ngā ara tawhito i ahu mai ai ngā tūpuna U ana ai te waka o Kurahaupo Tere whakarunga i nga wai rere o Te Awapoka Whatiwhati o parirau ki Pukemarama Tauhokai iho ki Te Kao Tatu atu ra ki Potahi e āhuru ai te iwi o Te Aupōuri I ōna pārae, ōna māniania, ōna awaawa, ōna maunga  Tāhorahora ana te huanui hei hīkoi mā tātou  Kei runga ko te whetū hei arataki  Kei raro ko te tapuwae hei whai  Pātōtō ana te manawa kia whiwhi  Ka puta ka ora, ki te whaiao ki Te Ao-Mārama! ‘Poipoia te kākano, kia puāwai’, a whakataukī that speaks to the importance of nurturing the seed, so it can blossom. A motif that is unmistakably embedded in te ao Māori, both in a literal sense of kaitiakitanga and in a metaphorical sense of whanaungatanga.  In 2020, the Ministry of Social Development released a report named “Poipoia te kākano kia puawai: Family structure, family change and the wellbeing of tamariki Māori”. Linking the whakataukī to the future prosperity o tō tātou tamariki. A key finding of the report was that “Diverse family trajectories are linked to poorer cognitive and socio-emotional outcomes of tamariki Māori, but they are not the main driver.” Rather, they recognised other factors to be more central to cognitive and socio-emotional outcomes of tamariki Māori. Arguably most importantly, greater cultural connectedness is associated with promoting socio-emotional childhood development. The authors of said report recommended “the value of researching and differentiating the links to family and child wellbeing experienced by tamariki Māori, since there are potentially unique dimensions of wellbeing that are more important to Māori which may be overlooked when we do not create Māori-led and Māori-centred policy.”  This notion of creating Māori-led and Māori-centered policy has been intentionally ignored, yet again, with the proposed changes to the Oranga Tamariki Act 7AA. I am terrified of the irreversible effects that this bill will have on our tamariki. I know that many of you will share this whakaaro or worry about the complete disregard of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its values. With the census data being released, we now know that the Māori population is now estimated to be at 904,100. As a young and fast-growing population, arguably now more than ever, we need to protect tō tātou tamariki. E ai ki ngā kupu a te māreikura a Whina Cooper, “Take care of our children. Take care of what they hear. Take care of what they see. For how the children grow, so will the shape of Aotearoa.” Koinei te wā hei tū tātou ki te kotahi. Growing up disconnected from my whenua has meant that a generation of my whānau have been without their reo, without diverse connections to te ao Māori, and without an opportunity to puāwai in their Māoritanga. That is not a future I envision for my tamariki and mokopuna, nō reira, me tūhono anō au ki tō mātou Te Aupōuritanga. Mō tātou, ā, mō ngā uri a muri ake nei.

Nā Kimihi a Garcia-Grace Papaki ana ngā peka tārewa ki tā Ata kanohi i tana ngōki haere i te ngāhere e kapi ana i te hiwi. Kua mamae ana ringaringa, kua tīhaea ngā turi o ana tarau, ā, kua whero te tae o tana hāte mā. Ka unuhia e ia i tana hāte, mei kore ake te tao whawhati e wero ana i tana taha, e ngaukino ana i te pānga mai o te pūihi. Engari rā, e kaha pāmamae ana a Ata i te tae parauri o ana hū “Hau Tōpana” mā. Kātahi anō kia hoko i tērā wiki, kārē ia i te hoko kai o te rā nui mō ngā tini marama kia utua ngā hū rā. Moumou noa. Kātahi rā, ka papatahi haere te papa, ā, ka takahuri a Ata ki tana tuara, whai hā ai. I eke ia i te hiwi nei i tana whakapae he tirohanga pai ki te tihi, auare ake kei te kōwaowaotia katoatia ngā rākau i te rangi. Tē kite i te aha, hāunga ngā pīwakawaka tokorua i te peka pāpaku o te rewarewa. E kaha hia wai māori ana a Ata. He pia ngaungau rānei. I mua rā i whakamātauria e ia i te kai i tētahi rau kia aumoe ai, e kawa tonu ana taua ngao i tana waha. Ka huri te aro a Ata ki ngā nekehanga hou. Ki te mauī, e heke ana te hiwi ki raro. Kāore e kore ka māmā ake mō tōna tinana, ā, tērā pea ka tūpono ki tētahi awa ki raro rā. Engari, ki te hinga ia, ki te takaporepore ki raro i te hiwi, ka whara mārika ia i te wero o te tao ki ana whēkau. Ka whakawhiti ia ki ana turi, huri atu ai ki tētahi atu aronga, peka ake ai i tētahi hiwi hou. I te takanga o te ahipō i hura ngā kapua karaka nō muri i ngā rākau. Whai muri i tētahi wahanga paripari, i te tūmanako a Ata kua tae atu ia ki te tihi o te hiwi, me he maunga kē. I tana pātata haere ki te paranga, i kimikimi haere ia, ā, i mau i tētahi peka pērā te tāroa ki a ia. Ngau ana te mamae ki ana waewae i tana tū ake, whakawhirinaki ai ki te peka i tana totitoti haere. I tana putanga ki te paranga, i tae atu a Ata ki te tihi o te hiwi, tū kanohi ki te kanohi ai i tētahi wharepuni tahito. E pākarukaru ana ngā pakitara, e tītaha ana te taha matau ki rō papa, engari e whakamīharo ana a Ata i te tū tonu o te tuanui toetoe. “Mā hea mai koe ki konei?” i whakaaroaro ā-waha ia, hākuku ana tōna reo. Ka ngōki atu a Ata ki raro i te tomokanga, whanaia atu ai i ana hū paruparu ki muri i a ia. I pāpouri ia i tana kite i te papa oneone ō-roto, horekau he āhuru whakangā, moenga rau, whāriki harakeke rānei. Ka noho ake ia, whirinaki atu ai ki te pakitara mauī, tautau ana i tana māhunga. Kaha ana tōna hiahia kia moe 12 hāora te roa ki konei. Heoi, ka mau ia i tana peka, kōrari ai i ngā rārā me ngā kiri o te rākau. Ka whawhati ia i ngā wāhanga nō te taha whīroki o te peka, oti ana i tētahi peka rite te nui ki tana ringa. I te taha mātotoru o te peka, i keria e ia i te papa ki tana mauī, keri ai i tētahi rua pāpaku mō ngā rārā i tangohia. Kua aua atu tōna waea me tōna wareti, engari ka huraina a Ata i tana pūahi me ōna pepa hikareti nō tana pūkoro o muri. Taihoa ake ka tuku mihi ia ki ana warawara i mua i tana āta whakatakoto i ngā pepa ki te waenga i ngā rārā, whakamura ai. E roa ana ia e panapana ai i te ahi kia mura, taihoa te wā ka tō te rā, ka tau mai te pō, ā, ka whakawhetai a Ata mō te mahana me te mārama o te ahi. E tau haere ana te mamae o tana taha i tana noho ngū, whirinaki ai i ana pakahiwi me tōna māhunga ki te pakitara. I te hiahia a Ata ki te moe okioki, ā, i taua wā tonu i karanga atu tētahi reo tioro ki a ia, “Auē, te mamae hoki o tēnā.” Ka huri tana aro ki te tomokanga, kite ai i tētahi weka e whātere mai ana ki roto i te whare. I tungou te weka i ana ngutu ki a ia, takawhiti mai ana ki roto. Ko tā Ata he maremare noa i te whakaeke mai o te weka, tātari ana i tana mamae. “Kino mārika. E ohorere ana au i tō piki mai ki runga nei,” tana whakahua. Engari ehara i te whakahua, e rongo kē ana a Ata i te reo tioro i rō i tana hinengaro i te ketekete mai o te weka. Ka āta timo te weka i te wāhi e paokatia ana te tao i tana kiri, ā, ka auē a Ata i te ngau o te mamae e rere ana i tana tinana. “Mō taku hē, mō taku hē.” ka whakahua atu te manu, heoi ka peke ake ia ki te puku o Ata kia tātari i te tihi o te mamae, e ngau tonu ana te mamae i te pēhitanga paku rā. Ka uru te manu ki raro i tā Ata hāte. “Ae rā, he kino tēnā,” tana whakahua, hura ana i tana māhunga. Tē rongo a Ata i ngā tapuwae o te manu i te pikinga ki tana poho, tau ai. I ohorere ia i te māhana. “Nā, i aha tētahi tama purotu pērā ki a koe kia mamae pēnei ai?” i uia atu. “He...aha...kē...koe?” tā Ata whakahoki. Me he kī ana tana korokoro i ngā kuiki. “Nuh uh, nāku te pātai i tuku. Whakautu i taku ui, kaua e māharahara mōku.” “I...taka au...ki te raru.” E anipā ana a Ata i tana tiro atu ki ngā karu whākana o te weka, e pūkana mai ana ki a ia, tatari ana. “I tīmata he paku whawhai. Ko ētahi tama, e... whakaweti mai ana i a au.” I tītaha te weka i tana māhunga. “I karawhiua atu?” Ka maremare a Ata i tana kata. “I wepua taku kumu.” “Hmph,” ka timo te weka i tana uma, “i pōhēhē au ka kaha kē ō patu nā te nui o te poho nei.” “Kāre au i te tangata kaha whawhai. Ā, i a rātou tētahi tao” “Tika tonu. He mea tūkino tērā. Engari rā, kia kaua koe e whawhai atu ki ngā tama kaha pērā. Nā wai rā kua hinga koe. Ka aroha.” “Ae...” i tūpou atu a Ata. E tiro mākutu tonu ana te weka ki a ia. “Heoi, kāre au i te pōuri.” “Oh?” “Māku e kī i whawhai au ki te mutunga. I... tū kaha au mōku anō, mā te aha anō i tēna.” Ka rongo a Ata i tana poho e ngoikore haere ana, e papaku haere ana ōna hā. “E manu. Ka aha au ināianei?” “Hei aha noa iho, kua tata te wā. Kei ngaro te pārekareka.” Ka tū ake te weka, peke atu i te uma o Ata ki te papa. “Kauaka koe e tere ki te moe. Ka hoki horo mai au.” Ka mātaki atu a Ata i te tere atu o te weka i te tomokanga ki te pō o waho. E mimiti haere ana te mura o te ahi, engari kāre ia i te rongo i te makariri. E aro pū ana ia ki te whakapuare tonu i ana karu e kati haere ana. I pai ai, i hoki tere mai te weka, e mau ana i tētahi anga wōnati ki ana ngutu. Ka piki ake ia ki tā Ata poho, e kī ana te anga i tētahi momo wai, ka tuku te manu i te anga ki tana waha. “Huakina mai, kaua e horomi,” tana kī atu. Ka whai a Ata i ngā tohutohu, ā, ka tau te wai ki tana waha. E rongo ana ia i te rongo rīwai o te wai. Ka karawhiua te weka i te anga ki te papa, noho tau ana ki te uma o Ata. “I tae tōmua mai koe ki te wāhi nei. Engari kua tae tau mai koe i ō kōwhiringa i taki mai i a koe ki konei. E whakaaro ana ētahi he heahea ō mahi. E kite ana au i tō māia,” tā te weka. “Tuwhaina ināianei.” Ka āta whakarērea a Ata i te wai i tōna waha. “Ngā mihi, manu,” tana whakahua. E mātorutoru haere ana tana waha, ā, e whatungarongaro ana ngā pakitara o te whare ahakoa te paku mura o te ahi e toe ana. Tē rongo ia i te ngau o te mamae o ōna taotūtanga, o ōna uaua rānei. Ko te mea anake e rongo tonu ana ko te mahana o te weka i tana mātakitaki i ngā karu o Ata e kati haere ana. “Moe okioki,” tana whakahua.

Words by Kimihia Garcia-Grace Low-hanging branches brush into Ata’s face as he crawls up through the forest that covers the hills. By this point, his forearms are sore, his pants are torn at the knees, and his nice white flannel shirt is stained red. He’d take it off if not for the snapped tao sticking out of his midsection, catching on the brush and causing more jolts of pain. As if it hadn’t done enough. Worst of all, Ata’s white Air Forces may as well be brown now. He’d just got them last week and hadn’t bought lunch for months, just to afford them. What a waste. Finally, the ground starts to even out a little, and Ata rolls onto his back to breathe. He started up this hill because he thought he’d be able to see his surroundings from the top, but the trees totally choke out the sky. Nothing to be seen but two pīwakawaka flirting on the lower branch of a rewarewa. Ata really wishes he had some water. Or a pack of gum. He tried to eat a random leaf earlier just to distract himself and the bitter taste still swirls around his mouth. Ata considers where to go next. On his left the hill seems to go back down. It’d probably be easier on his body, and odds are there’s a stream somewhere down there. But if he slips and starts rolling downhill, the end of the tao lodged in his guts somewhere is probably gonna fuck him up even more. He gets back to his hands and knees and heads in the other direction, up yet another hill. It’s approaching evening when the trees start giving way to the orange-tinted clouds. After a particularly steep section, it feels like Ata’s reached the crest of the hill that seems more like a mountain. Approaching the edge of a clearing, he fumbles around and finds an old branch about as big as he is. Standing is a pain with his roughed-up legs, but he manages to limp forward using the branch as a support. When, at last, he breaks free of the treeline, Ata comes face to face with an ancient wharepuni sticking out of the hilltop. The wood is battered, and the right side seems to sag into the ground, but Ata is amazed to find the thatch roof intact. “How the hell did you get here?” he wonders aloud, his voice ragged. Ata has to crawl again to get through the low entrance, kicking his muddy shoes off behind him. He’s disappointed to find the interior is just a floor of packed dirt, not even a woven mat or leafy bedding to rest on. He sits with his back to the left wall and hangs his head. He’d love nothing more than to sleep for about 12 hours right here. Instead, he reluctantly brings the old branch to his side, stripping it of its twigs and bark. He manages to snap pieces from the thinner end of the branch, leaving it around the size of his arm. With the other end, he digs into the floor on his left side, making a shallow pit where he deposits all the bits of branch. His phone and wallet are long gone, but from his back pocket, Ata takes a lighter and a packet of rolling papers. He takes a second to thank his vices before carefully spreading the papers at the bottom of the woodpile and setting them alight. It takes quite a bit of prodding to get the fire going, but as the remaining twilight gives way to night, Ata’s grateful for the small bit of warmth and light. The pain in his torso seems to lessen as he sits completely still, leaning his shoulders and head against the wall.  Then, the very moment Ata starts to consider falling asleep, a shrill voice calls out to him, “Boy, that looks nasty.” His eyes jump to the entrance, where he finds a weka peeking its head into the whare. It tilts its beak at him and scurries on inside. Ata can only cough as the weka comes up close to him and starts eyeing up his wound. “Nasty indeed. I’m impressed you climbed all the way up here,” it says. Or not that it says, but rather that Ata hears that shrill voice in his head speaking to him as the weka chitters. The weka gives a cautious peck to the area where the tao pierces his skin, and Ata yelps as a jolt of pain runs through him. “Sorry, sorry.” It says, though it proceeds to hop on Ata’s stomach to inspect the top of the wound, the light pressure still causing a throbbing pain. It pokes its head under Ata’s shirt. “Yup, that’s nasty alright,” it says, its head popping back out. Ata hardly registers the feeling of its small feet as it treads up to his chest, where it settles down. It’s surprisingly warm. “Now, how did a nice-looking boy like you get in this state?” it asks. “What... even... are you?” Ata replies. His throat feels like it’s filled with thorns. “Nuh uh, I asked first. You answer my question, don’t worry about me.” “I... ran into... some trouble.” Ata feels uneasy as he looks into the weka’s beady eyes, which stare back into him expectantly. “Picked a little fight. Some guys, they liked to... mess with me.” The weka cocks its head. “And did you get back at them?” Ata coughs out a chuckle. “Got my ass beat.” “Hmph,” the weka pecks at his pecs, “with a chest like this, I thought you would’ve got some good hits in.” “I never really fought before. And they had a spear.” “Right. That does seem unfair. Still, you can’t go roughhousing with some tough guys like that. Now look at you. What a shame.” “Yeah...” Ata hangs his head. The weka still stares at him. “But I don’t regret it.” “Oh?” “I can say I went out swinging. I actually... stood up for myself, at least.” Ata feels his body loosen as he speaks, his chest easing as he takes ever shallower breaths. “Hey, bird. What’s gonna happen to me now?” “Well, you’re almost there anyway. Why spoil the fun?” The weka gets up and hops off Ata’s chest. “Don’t drift off yet though. I’ll be right back.” Ata watches as the weka scurries out of the whare into the night. The fire beside him has already started to dwindle away, yet he doesn’t feel it getting any colder. His entire focus is on keeping his eyelids from shutting completely. Thankfully, the weka returns quickly, with a walnut shell clutched in its beak. It climbs up to Ata’s collarbone and sticks out the shell, filled with some sort of liquid, towards his mouth. “Open up, but don’t swallow,” it says. Ata does as he’s told, letting the liquid sit in his open mouth. The liquid tastes faintly like a potato. The weka tosses aside the shell and sits back down on Ata’s chest. “You came to this place a little sooner than you should’ve. And yet, you find yourself at peace with the choices that led you here. Some of us would consider it foolish. I see that as noble,” says the weka. “You can spit it out now.” Ata manages to let the liquid dribble from his mouth. “Thanks, bird,” he says. He feels his mind-numbing, the walls of the whare seeming to disappear despite the remaining firelight. He no longer registers the pain from his wounds or the ache of his muscles. Just the soothing warmth of the weka as it looks deep into his drooping eyes. “Rest easy,” it says.

Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai He Whakaputanga kua ētita e Te Rātā Campbell He uri tēnei nō Te Rarawa me Te Aupōuri. I tipu ake i te Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa. Tuituia ngā taura kahika Tuituia ngā taura tangata Tuituia ngā taura o Te Tumu Herenga Waka Kei ngā karangaranga maha, kei ngā mana nui, kei ngā mauri tiketike o te motu, tēnā koutou. Ka paoro taku karanga pōwhiri mai i te maunga o Whakakoro ki Ahumairangi, nei he mokopuna o te Nōta e tuku reo matakuikui atu ki a koutou katoa. Kia puāwai ai te pā harakeke whānui, me rangaranga ngā tini rau o te motu e tātou, kia matomato ai. Kia matomato te reo Māori. Kia matomato te iwi Māori. Kia matomato te ao Māori. Kia matomato Te Tumu Herenga Waka Kia ora! E hīkaka ana au i tō kōwhiri i tēnei pukapuka! Ko Te Rātā Campbell ahau, ko au te Āpiha Tūmatanui o Ngāi Tauira, te Rōpu Tauira Māori o Te Herenga Waka. Nā tēnei, kua tau mai ki au te marenga nui o te turanga kaiētita manuhiri mō tētahi whakaputanga Salient mō te Wiki o te Reo Māori. He tino kuru pounamu tēnei whakaputanga, koia ko Te Ao Mārama . He mea kua tapa nā te orokohanga o tō tātou ao. I te tuatahi ko te whakaaro, nā, ko te mauri, nā ko te āhua. Mai i tēnei ka hua ko te Kore, te Pō, ka puta ki te Wheiao, ki te Ao Mārama. Ka hua mai tēnei kōrero i te whakataukī, “Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai.” Ko te huahuataunga o te whakapapa mai i te kore ki te ao mārama. Mo te whakaputanga Salient o tēnei wiki, ko te ingoa “Te Ao Mārama” e tohu ana i te whakatairanga o ngā tauira Māori ki te Herenga Waka. E tohu ana i te hokianga mai o tō tātou reo, o ō tātou tikanga ki te wheiao, ki te ao mārama. Te Ao Mārama, Poipoia te Kākano kia Puāwai . Ki tōku nei whakaaro, he tika rawa tēnei kaupapa mō te whakaputanga o tēnei tau i te mea e whai pānga ana ki a tātou katoa. Kua hua ngā mea katoa mai i tētahi kākano i ruia mai i Rangiatea. I ahu mai tātou katoa i te kākano i roto i te whare tangata, ō tātou whānau kua poipoia e ō tātou tūpuna nō ngā kākano o ō tātou māra, ō tātou tamariki nō te aroha kua tupu i rō ngākau. Ka puāwai ō tātou tikanga, tō tātou reo ki roto i a tātou i a mātou e whakahiapo ana i a tātou anō mō tō tātou Māoritanga. Ki a au nei, ko te Ao Mārama he hua e whāngai ana te hononga o mātou ngā tauira Māori ki te Ao Māori. He tohu whakatupu, he tohu hauora a te Ao Mārama mo ngā tauira Māori o Te Herenga Waka. He wāhi kia whakaputaina, kia whakaāhua ngā tauira Māori i a rātou anō, reo Pākeha mai, reo Māori mai. Nā tēnei, ka kitea te puāwaitanga o ngā tikanga, o te Reo. E toro mai ana tōku ringa ki a koutou ngā tauira Māori o te Herenga Waka - nau mai, haere mai ki tēnei Ao Mārama, hākoa te roa o tō noho. Nei rā te mihi ki te hāpai ō mua, ō muri, nā koutou te kaupapa i tutuki. E mihi pau te kaha ana ki te rōpu Salient me te Komiti Whakahaere mō te hāpai, mo te aroha mutungakore. Ki a koutou, ngā kaituhi, ngā ringatoi, ngā kaiwhakamāori (inā te tautāwhi a Vini Olsen-Reeder), e kore te puna mihi e mimiti, e kore te aroha e maroke i te rā. Ki a koutou, te hunga pānui, nei rā te mihi nui - tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Nāu i hāpai te poipoitanga o te kākano, tēnā, kia puāwai tahi tātou katoa. Slay, Te Rātā

Nā nā Shay McEwan | Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki, Te Whanau a Kai, Ngāti Pāhauwera Ko te whakaako reo, ehara mō te kupu noa - engari ko tāna mahi he tuiui i tētahi hononga hōhonu ake ki te ahurea, ki te tuakiri, ki te anamata anō hoki. Ki a māua ko Tom, ko te reo Māori taua reo. I tīmataria hei pākiki noa, heoi kua titikaha te ngākau kia matatau te arero, e āngia ana e te hiahia ki te kōrero otirā e te moemoeā kia tukuna iho tēnei kurupounamu ki ā māua tamariki ā tōna wā. He tāne Pākehā tōku hoa, a Tom, e mahi ana ia ki Whakamaru ā-ipurangi, ā, he wahine Māori au e ako ana i te Mātauranga me te Hītori. Kāore māua i tino mārama, i tino mōhio rānei ki te reo Māori nō māua e pakeke mai ana. Mōna, nā ōna rā i Ashhurst, i pērā ai—he tino Pākehā te āhua o te wāhi rā. Engari, mōku nei, he tipu ake nā tōku whānau i te wā kāhore i whakaaengia te kōrero Māori, koia rātou i kore ai e tuku iho i te reo, e whakamātau rānei ki te ako i muri iho. I tīmata tō māua haerenga reo Māori me te hiahia kia tata ake au ki taku ahurea, ā, kia tautoko tōku hoa i a au me tōku haerenga. I tīmata māua ki ngā mihi māmā me ngā kīwaha—he paku “Kia ora!” me te “Kei te pēhea koe?” E hīkaka ana a Tom ki te ako, ki te hopu anō hoki i ngā kupu hou, nā tōna ngākaunui ki te reo i tahuna ai tōku ake. Ka hōhonu ake tā māua ruku, ka kitea ngā taonga ahurea i roto i te reo. Mai i ngā tohu i roto i ngā whakataukī ki ngā tikanga rētō i tuituia i roto i te pepeha, kua kore te akoranga i tū noaiho hei ngohe wetereo, engari kē, i huri hei tūhuratanga o te tuakiri, o te noho huānga hoki. Nā tōna kanohi hōmiromiro i tere mau i a Tom ngā āhuatanga whāiti o te reo, me tana mōhio, ehara noa te reo i te reo kōrero, engari he kauwaka kē hei kawe i te mātauranga me ngā tikanga a tēnā reanga, a tēnā reanga. I ekengia tēnei haerenga me ōna taupā. E whīwhiwhi ana te arero i te whakahua, E kanikani ana te wetereo ki tōna ake manawataki, me te moana pīpipi o ngā kupu—katoa ēnei i tū hei wero kia whakamātauria tō māua manawanui. Kua mātātoa tā māua ako tahi, he haerenga tūhura—nāna i kaha ai tō māua hononga, nāna i hōhonu ake ai tō māua takohanga ki a māua anō, otirā ki tō māua anamata. Ki te titiro whakamua, ka tukuna iho tō māua aroha me tō māua manawanui ki te reo Māori, ki ā māua tamariki. E moemoeā ana māua mō te rā, ka pānui māua ki a rātou i ngā pūrākau Māori, ka waiata i ngā waiata e pāoro ana i te wairua o te whenua, ā, ka tuku iho i ngā tikanga Māori. Ehara mō māua anake tēnei haerenga reo—engari mō te whakamana i te whakareretanga e honohono ana i ngā reanga o mua, o nāianei, o āpōpō anō hoki koia kē te take. Kua whānui ake tāku whakaako i te reo ki a Tom, tēnā i te wetereo noa; kua whakaaturia te mana o te aroha, te pākiki, te aroha ki te ahurea anō hoki. Kei te tautokona tētahi reo e whakatinana ana i te manawaroa, i te tautetanga, i te tauutuutu anō hoki, tētahi reo e whakangako ai i a tātou me ō tātou hononga o tētahi ki tētahi, otirā ki tō tātou hapori. I te mutunga iho, ko tō tātou haerenga ki te matataunga o te reo Māori, ko tētahi haerenga i runga i te wawata —mā te manawanui ki te kaupapa, ka whānau mai he whānau kōrero Māori, he whānau e mārama ana, e matatau ana ki te reo, ā tōna wā. Ko ia kupu hou ka ākona, ka whāia ko te pae tawhiti kia tata, kia tata ake ki te whakatinanatanga o te whakatipu tamariki e matatau ana ki te reo Māori, otirā e kawe ana i ngā uara me ngā tikanga e mana tonu ai tēnei taonga ā tātou, ko te reo. Ka haere kōtui tātou i a tātou e eke tonu ana i tēnei waka reo—e ārahia ana e te aroha, e whakaohoohohia ana e te ahurea, ka mutu e tū kotahi ana i tō tātou manawanui ki te reo Māori.

Harris Puanaki-Devon | Te Arawa Whānui, Tūwharetoa, Te Rohe Pōtae, Te Awa Tupua, Ngāti Toa, Kāi Tahu Tāne te wānanga Nāu rā te karanga Mā te hiringa i te mahara E tūtuki ai Engari i mahue Atu nei rā ai e koe Ko ngā whakawhiunga o wehe A tauiwi e Ka rewa ko ngā Toa Te ope tauā o ngā hoa Nāna te reo i ora I puāwai ai I hanga i ngā whare O te mana motuhake Te Huinga Rangatahi E mihi nei e Nō reira e ngā rahi  Hāpai ake ngā mahi Kua whakatauirahia mai E ngā iho pūmanawa Tomo mai ki te whare O mana, ō ākonga mate Anei Te Huinga Tauira E mihi nei e Ka huri ki ngā Api, ngā Kapu, ngā Ruka, ngā Rangi Te Ngoi o te manawa Te Haenga o te marama Te Ata-i-ngā-rangi-kaahu Hei whakaRata i te Matiu Kei ngāi wānanga  Tēnā koutou Hutia te rito o te harakeke, kei whea te kōmako e kō? Kī mai ki ahau, he aha te mea nui o te ao? Māku e kī atu, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata. (Pull out the shoot of the flax bush, where will the bellbird sing? Say to me what is the greatest thing in the world? I will say the people, the people, the people. From the rope that hauled up the North Island, to the piupiu adorning our kaihaka, to the woven walls of our wharenui, our pā harakeke symbolise the unequivocal strength of Ngāi Māori. The shoots represent our youth, the inner leaves represent our parents, the outer leaves represent our elders and the roots represent our whakapapa. With roots older than the footsteps of our tīpuna and whakapapa longer than that of our uri whakaheke, the intergenerational knowledge intertwined within our pā harakeke represent not only our past, but also directs us into our future. The tumultuous upheaval of our social, political and cultural landscapes in 2024 have had detrimental consequences which continue to perforate our Māori communities, our pā harakeke. However, as Māori it is important to remember that we are more than our colonisation, and the adjudications and statistics that have been superimposed over us through foreign laws. Therefore, this piece is a celebration of Māori tertiary education, a reflection on the legacies of those who paved the way for Te Mana Ākonga, and the importance of pā harakeketanga. Titiro whakamuri kia haere whakamua (Looking backwards into the past, to go forwards into the future). Te Mana Ākonga is an outcome of the international protest movements of the 1960s, a decade that saw mass movements for feminism and black liberation, and against US wars. This period signalled an era of societal change in the wake of the world wars. These movements permeated throughout the Pacific and eventually arrived in Aotearoa. Universities are supposed to be the critics of society, however, as Māori, we were often the victims of said critique. Universities and tertiary education were powerful tools of colonisation, employed to disseminate racist propaganda in order to further perpetuate Māori oppression. From universities came racist literature which published that Māori were unintelligent, unmotivated, unhealthy and unsuccessful. However, they failed to see that Māori were unwavering, unforgettable and most importantly, undefeatable. The reign of colonial education systems and colonial supremacy began to erode as Māori entered into tertiary education. This was the birth of the pā harakeke of Te Mana Ākonga. Ko te waka hei hoehoenga mō koutou i muri i a ahau, ko te ture. Mā te ture anō te ture e āki.  (The canoe for you to paddle after me is the law. Only the law can fight the law). This whakatauāki is from Te Kooti Arikirangi, and notes that Māori need to utilise the tools and systems which were weaponised against us in order to benefit our own. This was recognised by our predecessors, who fought for the right of Māori to succeed in higher education. The Te Mana Ākonga anthem, written by former Tumuaki Te Wehi Wright, acknowledges some of the iho pūmanwa who have contributed to Māori culture such as Tā Apiriana Ngata, Ruka Rangiāhuta Broughton, Kuini Te Atairangikaahu and Matiu Rata. The gateway to tertiary education for Māori was the polytechnics, as they offered an alternative route to tertiary education other than universities. Polytechnics specialised in skills-based teaching, which benefitted Māori as they migrated into the cities during mass-urbanisation, in order to support the labour backbone of the economy. However, this exposed the poverty of Māori education in the tertiary curriculum, as Māori content was not taught at the time. As Māori eventually progressed from the polytechnics and into the universities, this movement ignited a wave of decolonisation within tertiary education. The fight for equality led to the establishment of our Māori tertiary protest groups, namely Ngā Tamatoa and the Reo Māori Society. Succeeded by them were our Māori Students’ Associations from each university. Te Rōpū Māori from the University of Otago, Te Akatoki from the University of Canterbury, Te Āwhioraki from Lincoln University, Ngāi Tauira from Victoria University, Te Waiora from University of Waikato, Tītahi ki Tua from Auckland University of Technology and Ngā Tauira Māori from University of Auckland and Te Tira Ahu Pae from Massey University. Our ancestors fought for a language they did not get to speak, for classes they did not get to attend, for us to attend the very universities which persecuted and excluded them. They did not get to reap the fruits of the seeds which they planted, they missed out on the flourishing of their own pā harakeke. Therefore, the fight for our pā harakeke is a never-ending journey, and it is our role as members of our pā harakeke to ensure that it continues to flourish. Ki te kāhore he whakakitenga ka ngaro te iwi  (Without foresight or vision, the people will be lost). The importance of a collective vision was highlighted by Kingi Tāwhiao, our second Māori King. In the same way that our mats are woven, many individual strands combine together to form a collective. The collective vision of Te Mana Ākonga is a decolonised, barrier-free tertiary education system which honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi. At the end of last year, we were presented with a question from a kaumātua: what happened to the protesting tauira Māori?  What happened to the marches from the top of the North to Paremata? What happened to those who collected 30,000 signatures for te reo Māori? Are we too comfortable conforming to Pākehā paradigms of consultation, limiting ourselves to boardrooms, offices and council chambers? Te Mana Ākonga comes from grassroots activism; therefore, to honour our history, we have returned to our roots: Māori protest. Unapologetically we have stood in support of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Palestine and all other indigenous students throughout the world. We have targeted Māori student housing, Māori homelessness and the winter energy subsidy, as well as the public transport subsidy. And we continue to advocate against all judicial and legislative avenues of the Government, which continue to undermine our mana Māori motuhake. The theme of our Te Huinga Tauira this year is ‘Toitū Te Tauira Māori’. Our theme recognises the inherent strength required by Māori students to contribute to a system which has taken so much from us, in order to ensure that our future generations do not endure the same struggles that we face—just as our ancestors did for us. For too long, generations of Māori families have been deprived of the right to tertiary education, a perceived public good that purports to support all. Our future pā harakeke will boast lineages of Māori scholarship that are so deeply entrenched that the first in-family graduate will be the exception, not the norm.  The end goal of Te Mana Ākonga is to not exist anymore. To have empowered our students so greatly that there is no need for advocacy because tertiary is truly equitable. One day, there will be cohorts of Māori students entering Universities unaware of an exterminated predetermined fate, with the only worry that they carry being which of the plethora of degrees will they choose to flourish in. Stand strong te reo Māori, stand strong Te Tiriti o Waitangi, stand strong te iwi Māori, And forever and always, Free Palestine Kia tau iho te tōmairangi a te wāhi ngaro ki runga i a tātou katoa

He kaha tā tātou whakaaro ake ki te ako i te reo Māori, engari tēnei mea te ako – he wāhi kotahi noa iho tērā o te huhua o ngā kaupapa me whakatutuki e ora ai te reo Māori o te tangata. I tua atu i te ako, me mahi te tangata e tahuri ai te reo o ōna rā, kia mimiti ai te kōrerotia o te reo Pākehā, kia tīkina atu ko te reo Māori hei kawe i ngā mahi o ia rā, o ia rā. Me pēhea kē hoki e taea ai te pērā? Ko te haere ki te karaihe te whakahoki i te reo Māori ki te pene, āe rānei mā te karaihe e whakahoki te reo Māori ki te arero?   Tahuri mai ki tētahi kaupapa hou nei ko Mind Your Tongue! te ingoa. He kaupapa i whakaarahia ake e Vini Olsen-Reeder hei āwhina i te tangata kia tahuri ngā tikanga reo o te kāinga. Nau mai a tini, a mano, ki tēnei kaupapa e whakahoki nei i te reo Māori ki te mata o te arero! tinyurl.com/Mind-Your-Tongue @mind.yourtongue on insta

Kei ngā mana, kei ngā reo, kei ngā ihorei o Te Ao Māori, tēnā tātau katoa! Nō te tau 2006 whakarewahia ai a Ngā Taura Umanga hei whakatenatena, hei tautoko, hei hāpai/taunaki hoki i ngā hiahia o ngā tauira Māori e whai ana i ngā pepa tauhokohoko – kao, ehara i te mea me mahi koe i te BCOM e whai wāhi ai koe ki a NTU :)  I ōna wa i whakarite mātou i ngā kaupapa tūmatanui me ngā kaupapa ringa ngaio hei tautoko i ngā tauira i tōna wā ki Te Herenga Waka, ka mutu hei whakareri i a rātou mō te ao mahi. Kua tae atu mātou ki Ngā Kaitatau Māori o Aotearoa (The National Māori Accountants Network) kua whakatūria ngā wānanga mahi, ngā karaihe reo māori, ngā awheawhe tātai pūmanawa, otirā tā mātou kaupapa taiea nei ko Tātai Hono. He pō mātanga whakangahau a Tātai Hono kī ana i te kai, te inu me ngā kōrero whakaihiihi e whai wāhi ai te tauira te hono atu me te whakarongo ki ngā mātanga Māori nō ngā umanga maha e kōrerorero nei i ā rātou wheako o te kaipākihi Māori.  I ngā tau tata kua pahemo, e āhua moe nei tā mātou rōpū, e kore e tino kitea te tauira e whakapā mai ana. Nā te hiranga o ngā tōpūtanga Māori katoa ki Te Herenga Waka me te hitori huarau o te orokohanga mai o ēnei rōpū, he hiahia nā mātou kia tahuna anō te matataua nei ko Ngā Taura Umanga, hei kaitaunaki tonu i ngā tauira māori o te kura tauhokohoko. Hono mai ki ta mātou pae papori mena koe e pirangi ana ki te whakapiri ki te NTU hou nei. Kaore e roa e tuku ai ngā taipitopito pānui mō te hono mai ki a mātou, mo te tū rānei hei mema o te kōmiti whakahaere! kia mau tonu mai!  Whakapā mai: Pukamata (Facebook): Ngā Taura Umanga - VUW Māori Commerce Student's Association Īmēra (Email) : ngatauraumanga@gmail.com Nāku noa NGĀ TAURA UMANGA Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington Māori Students' Commerce Association

I te tau 1969 i whakaritea ngā tauira o Te Whare Wānanga o Wikitōria he rōpū e tautoko ana, e whakawhanake ana i te reo Māori ki te whare wānanga, ā, ko Te Reo Māori Society tērā.    I te takiwā o te tau 1971, ka puta te kōrero a te kaumātua o te Kotahitanga a te Ouenuku (Joe) Rene o Ngāti Toa Rangatira, mō te reo ki āna tauira. He kaumātua ngākau nui ana ki te reo Māori o Te Whare Wānanga o Wikitōria, ka wero atu ia ki ngā tauira.     “E tama mā, e hine mā. Tērā te atua e pātai mai ki a koutou, I pēwhea e koutou te reo rangatira i hoatungia nā e au, ki a koutou”    E ai ki a Te Kapunga Dewes, nō muri mai i tō rātou rangona i te wero, ka heke te werawera i āna tauira kia tū pakari te rōpū o Te Reo Māori Society, te rōpū ā-motu rongonui. Ko ngā tauira o Te Whare Wānanga o Wikitōria ngā kaiwhakahaere, ā, ma rātou te kaupapa nei e whanake. Ka noho te kōmiti hei matakahi mō ngā kōkiritanga kia ākona whānuitia, kia puritia, kia whakamanaia hoki te reo Māori i ngā tauira o te whare wānanga me te motu whānui.    I te tau 1972, ka hui tahi Te Reo Māori Society me Ngā Tamatoa, ngā ropū reo Māori o Te Whare Wānanga o Wikitōria me Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau ki te wānanga mō te reo Māori ki ngā kura. I te marama o Mahuru ka whakatakoto te petihana ki te whare paremata kia whakamanatia te reo Māori ki ngā kura. Ka neke atu i te 30,000 ngā ingoa i haina i te petihana.

Ko wai mātou: Ko Ngā Rangahautira te rōpū mō ngā tauira Māori o te ture ki Te Herenga Waka. Ko tā Te Kooti Arikirangi kōrero e ārahi nei i a mātou, 'mā te ture anō te ture e āki”. Ko te whāinga matua o Ngā Rangahautira, ko te poipoi, me te raupī i ngā tauira Māori o Te Kauhanganui Tātai Ture ki Te Herenga Waka. Ka tutuki ēnei whāinga mā te whakaoho, me te whakaara mai anō i ngā tikanga a kui mā, a koro mā e noho muna ana ki roto i wā tātou tauira mohoa nei. Ko te manako ia, mā ēnei tikanga te rangatiratanga o te tauira e whitawhita mai anō, ā, kawea ai ērā pūmanawa me ērā āhuatanga puta noa ki ngāi Māori whānui, te haere ake ne Te whakapapa o Ngā Rangahatira: Ngā Rangahautira’s beginning was in the small number of Māori law students that would informally come together before there were enough students to create a group. As the number of tauira Māori at the law school increased in the early 1980s, so did the formality and organisation of the group that would later come to be known as Ngā Rangahautira. The Māori law students’ study group was established in 1982 by Tā Justice Joe Williams, Ani Mikaere, and Toni Waho. They ran formal weekly study groups at Te Herenga Waka for stage- one Māori law students. This occurred every year, which increased the student pass rate incredibly. In 1988, Pā Moana Jackson, then working at Te Herenga Waka, acted on a request by tauira at the time and approached one of the kaumātua at Ngā Kaiwhakamārama i Ngā Ture (Māori Legal Service) for help with a name for the Māori Law Students’ rōpū. The kaumātua who gifted the name was Hōhua Tūtengaehe from Matakana (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi te Rangi). On a surface level, ‘Ngā Rangahautira’ means a group in pursuit of knowledge. The deeper meaning of our ingoa is about empowering ourselves within a system which fundamentally disempowers Māori. This is a reflection of our commitment to uplift te ao Māori within the kāwanatanga legal system.