Rodney Whanga, Te Matatini Scholarship award winner

Mahia te mahi hei oranga whakatipu, hei oranga tuku iho mō te iwi, ahakoa ngā piere nuku o te wā. Ko Rodney Whanga o Tainui waka, nō ngā iwi o Ngāti Maniapoto me Waikato te whakatinanatanga o te kōrero nei.

I riro i a Rodney te karahipi nei a Te Matatini Society Inc. Kapa Haka Scholarship Year 2 hei whakatutuki i te tau tuarua o tōna tohu paerua e kīia nei ko He Waka Hiringa i Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

Ko tētahi wāhanga o ngā mahi o te tohu a Rodney, ko te hanga i tētahi taonga tuku iho hei oranga mō tōna iwi, mō tōna hapū, me ngā uri whakaheke.

Hei tā Rodney, "ko te ia o āku mahi ko te hautū, me te tito waiata mā te kapa haka o tōku hapū a Ngāti Pourāhui e kīia nei ko Toto Kiore, nō reira mā te karahipi nei e āwhina i ahau ki te rangahau me te hanga i tētahi taonga tuku iho, arā, he pukapuka o ngā titonga waiata nō roto i ngā tau nei.”

He mea hanga e Rodney rāua ko tōna tuakana he rautaki whakarauora i te reo o tōna hapū, nā konā i ara ake ai tāna kapa haka nei hei rautaki ”whakakīkī i ngā whāruarua o te pae.”

Hei tā Rodney, ”kei roto i ngā mahi o te haka te oranga o te paepae, whēnei i te karanga, i te whaikōrero, me te mōteatea.”

He mea wakatenatena a Rodney rātou ko ana hoa mahi tokorua e Te Kohanga Reo kia mahia tēnei tohu e āhei ai rātou ki te whakawhanake ake i tō Te Kohanga Reo tohu whakangungu kaiako mai i te tohu pōkairua ki te tohu paetahi. I whakamahia e Te Kohanga Reo ngā mahi o te paerua a Rodney ki te whakaaweawe i ngā kaimahi o Te Kohanga Reo ki te whai i te tohu nei.

Hei tā Rodney, ”ko tāku whāinga nui ko te whakatutuki i tōku tohu kairangi, e āhei ai taku whakatipu i tētahi kaupapa paerua i roto i te kaupapa whai mātauranga a Te Kohanga Reo.”

E ai ki a Rodney, ”ko te nuinga o tāku mahinga i tohu nei i māmā noa te haere o ngā mahi nā te pai o aku kaiako, arā, ko Ahorangi Agnes McFarland rāua ko Hohepa Tamehana ērā e ārahi ana i te taha ki te ao Māori, ā, ko Ahorangi Benita Simati-Kumar hoki tērā, waihoki nā Benita ahau akiaki ki te mahi i tōku tohu katoa ki te reo Māori".

Tērā tētahi wā i tata whakarērea e Rodney te tohu nei he pā mai nō ngā taumaha hārukiruki o te wā, arā, ka riro atu tōna pāpā ki tua o Paerau. Engari nā ngā manaakitanga a te kaiako o Rodney, arā, a Agnes McFarlane i ū ai a Rodney ki tōna tohu.

Hei tā Agnes, ”whakamahia tō tuhinga hei kaupapa whakaea i tō aroha ki tō pāpā ka whakauru ai ō kare ā-roto mōna ki ō tuhituhi."

Ko te pāpā o Rodney te iho pūmanawa nui katoa i tōna ao e whāia nei e ia te huarahi e takahi nei ia.

”E mau mahara ana ahau i taku taiohitanga, i Tūranga Waewae Marae mātou, ā, ko tōku pāpā tērā e mahi ana i ngā mahi o te rākau matataki me ngā mahi whakangahau i roto i ngā kapa haka huri i ngā Poukai, koirā tētahi maumaharatanga titi nei ki tōku ngākau e kore rawa e warearetia e ahau. Ko tōku pāpā te whakaaweawenga nui katoa o tōku ao.”

Whai mōhio anō ki He Waka Hiringa me Te Kōpuretanga o Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.