Wharekura students take out rangatahi award at Ngā Tohu Reo Māori 2024

You can find the English language version of this story at the bottom of the page.

Kua whakatōpūhia te reo me te mātauranga Māori e tētahi Wharekura o Te Whanganui a Tara hei rauemi tiaki tūwāhi, whakako i te hunga manuhiri i tō rātau takiwā.

Koinei te ito o tē pakihi motuhake i whakarewaina e ngā tauira o Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o ngā Mokopuna hei ārahi tōtika i te hunga manuhiri, hei tohatoha hoki i ngā hītori, tūwāhi o Maraenui (Seatoun).

I riro te pakihi nei, a Ngā Tapuwae a-Taraika i te tohu rangatahi i Ngā Tohu Reo Māori 2024, ko ētahi ō ā rātau manuhiri he tauira kura kaupapa, kura aunoa, ko ngā Kaimahi ō Wētā FX hoki.

I a rāua e tū ana ki tātahi o te kura, ko Kirikiri tatangi te ingoa o te onepū nei, ka tohutohu ngā tauira tuakana a Raukura Chankee-Paea rāua ko Meadow Hussey ki ngā tūwāhi o te rohe.

Tata mai ana ki te kura ko tētahi toka, ko Te Tūranga o Kupe te ingoa, koina te wāhi tuatahi i tau ai te rangatira a Kupe ki te Whanganui a Tara.

I tapaina te pakihi ki te ingoa o te tūpuna a Taraika engari hei tā Meadow ko Kupe kē te tūpuna e kōrerohia nuitia.

"Ko te tūpuna ka kōrerohia nuitia e mātau i roto i tā mātau pakihi ko Kupe, i te mea nāna ngā ingoa o tēnei wāhi i tapa."

Nā Kupe i tapaina i ngā moutere o Te Whanganui a Tara, ko Matiu, ko Mākaro ko Mokopuna anō hoki.

Ka tohutohu a Raukura ki te tētahi puke kei reira a Worser Bay School, i ngā wā ō mua koia te tūranga o te Pā nui o te rohe, a Whetukairangi.

Ko tā Raukura tino kōrero i roto i te hīkoi ko tērā e hangai ana ki te te wāhi i tahuri ai te kaipuke Wahine.

"O roto i tēnei hīkoi ka tau atu mātau ki tētahi wāhanga koia te wāhi i tuki te kaipuke, ko Te Tangihanga a Kupe (Barrett Reef) tērā, nō reira e taea ana te kite i te wāhi i raru ai the kaipuke a he ingoa hoki ki aua toka."

Hei tā Meadow mā ngā tauira ngā kōrero o rātau mā e kōrerohia kia kaua e wareware.

"Rata ahau ki te kite i ngā kanohi o ā mātau manuhiri e tino mārama ana ki ngā kōrero, e rongo ana i ngā kōrero hou. E taea ana mātau ki te tuku i tā mātau mātauranga hei kai mā rātau."

Hei tā Raukura kāre e tino mōhio te hunga manuhiri i ēnei hītori ēngari he painga ō roto i te mea ka āhei rātau te kōrero ki ā rātau ake tamariki mō ēnei hītori.

"Kua kaha kōrero mai ēnei manuhiri 'kua noho au ki Pōneke mo tetahi wā roa engari kāre aku mohiotanga mō ēnei tūwāhi, kāre mō ēnei momo hītori,' nō reira he hōnore nui ki te kōrerohia me te whangai i ō mātau mohiotanga ki a rātau."

I te rironga o te tohu rangatahi kei a Raukura ētahi kupu hei akiaki i a Māori mā puta noa i Aotearoa.

"Kia whaikaha tātau te iwi Māori kia waipuketia tō tātau ao i te reo Māori, i ngā tikanga Māori hoki."

English language version:

Wharekura students in Wellington are combining te reo and mātauranga Māori to help protect sites of significance and educate visiting manuhiri in their rohe.

The unique business launched by students of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o ngā Mokopuna in 2021 guides manuhiri around the Maraenui area (Seatoun), giving them the kōrero and history of the areas along the moana.

Ngā Tapuwae a-Taraika picked up the rangatahi award at Ngā Tohu Reo Māori 2024 and boasts an array of manuhiri including students from other schools and members of the Wētā FX Team.

Standing on the sand at Kirikiri tatangi, the beach in front of their kura, senior students Raukura Chankee-Paea and Meadow Hussey point out some of the historic sites in the area.

Nearby was Te Tūranga o Kupe a rock marking the first place the legendary explorer Kupe set foot in the region.

Their business was named after the tūpuna Taraika but Meadow said Kupe was the ancestor who came up most often in their kōrero.

"Ko te tūpuna ka kōrerohia nuitia e mātau i roto i tā mātau pakihi ko Kupe, i te mea nāna ngā ingoa o tēnei wāhi i tapa."

"Kupe is the ancestor who we talk about the most often in our business, because he was the one who named these places."

It was Kupe who named the islands in Wellington harbour, Matiu (Somes Island), Mākaro (Ward Island) and Mokopuna.

Raukura points out the site of what was once the largest Pā in the area, Whetukairangi, on the site of what was now Worser Bay School.

She said her favourite kōrero from the tour comes near the end of the hīkoi when they take manuhiri to view where the Wahine struck Te Tangihanga a Kupe (Barrett Reef).

"O roto i tēnei hīkoi ka tau atu mātau ki tētahi wahanga koia te wāhi i tuki te kaipuke, ko Te Tangihanga a Kupe tērā, nō reira e taea ana te kite i te wāhi i raru ai the kaipuke a he ingoa hoki ki aua toka."

"Near the end of this tour we stop at a place where you can see where the ship hit the reef, it's name is Te Tangihanga a Kupe. So not only can you see where the ship got into trouble but those rocks have their own name."

Meadow said they have a responsibility to ensure these histories were not forgotten, which was why she loves to see when their manuhiri were learning something new.

"Rata ahau ki te kite i ngā kanohi o ā mātau manuhiri e tino mārama ana ki ngā kōrero, e rongo ana i ngā kōrero hou. E taea ana mātau ki te tuku i tā mātau mātauranga hei kai mā rātau."

"I love seeing the looks on our guests faces when they really understand the history, or when they hear something new. We are able to share our knowledge with them."

Raukura said for many of their manuhiri, even those who grew up in Wellington, this was the first time they had heard of these places. But she said that meant they could pass the kōrero on to their own whānau and friends.

"Kua kaha kōrero mai ēnei manuhiri 'kua noho au ki Pōneke mo tetahi wā roa engari kāre aku mohiotanga mō ēnei tūwāhi, kāre mō ēnei momo hītori,' nō reira he hōnore nui ki te kōrerohia me te whangai i ō mātau mohiotanga ki a rātau."

"A lot of our guests say 'I've lived in Wellington for a long time but I had no idea about these places and their history', so it's a great honour to share what we know with them."

After winning the award Raukura has some words of encouragement for Māori across Aotearoa.

"Kia whaikaha tātau te iwi Māori kia waipuketia tō tātau ao i te reo Māori, i ngā tikanga Māori hoki," she said.

"We need to find the strength to flood our world with te reo Māori and with our customs."