Led by the Tino Rangatiratanga flag the procession makes its way through Ohinemutu.
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See below for English translation
He karanga, he pōwhiri tēnei nā Ngāti Whakaue ki ngā maunga whakahī, ki ngā whakahaumi tangata, otīā ki te tāone o Rotorua ki a waihape mai te tangata ki te whakanui i te rā whakaharahara o Waitangi ki te Te Rua o Peka ki te ātea rangatira o Te Papa-i-Ouru ā te rā o Waitangi te ono o Pepuere.
‘Mo te aroha o te iwi’, koina te kaupapa mō tēnei hui. He whakanui ngā momo tangata katoa e noho iho i ngā rekereke o Ngongotahā maunga. E ai ki a Raukura Roberts, he uri nō te pā-taunaha, otīā kai te tūnga hoki ia o te Kōmiti whakahere;’ He kaupapa tēnei nā te iwi tonu i whakaaro. Mā tātau hoki e kawe, engari anō anei etehi o āna whāinga: He ako, he whakakotahi, he whakamaumahara, he whakaaroaro, he noho harikoa, ā, he manaaki.
Kua toru tau te pakeke o Whakanuia, nō te wā o te māuiui kōwheori/urutā i whakamoea tēnei kaupapa. ' He ahakoa ngā taumahatanga o ngā tau ko hori, kai te paepae o te ao marama tātau, ka nui te pirangi ki te whakarauora i tā tātau kaupapa, hai aha?
Hai whakakotahi, hai whakaminamina i te hāpori me ngā rangatira katoa’. Kai te whakaaro iho ko te whakakotahi me te whakamaumahara i te hainatanga o Waitangi te orokohanga mai o tēnei kaupapa. ' Nō mātau te whakaaro, ko te rā nei, he wā noho tahi ai tātau ki te whakarongo kōrero, ki te ako, ki te whakawhiti mōhiohio ā hāpori nei’.
' Ko te kura nui o tēnei kaupapa ko te kawe i te mana me te mauri ora o te tāone, me te whakamihi hoki ki te wehi, te ihi, te ngākau toa o ngā tūpuna e noho rangatira ai tātau i tēnei rā ake’. Ko te take tuarua i whakaara ake ai tēnei kaupapa, he whai whakaaro ai nō ētehi o mātau ki te hunga e pirangi ana ki te haere ki Waitangi engari e kore e taea e rātau nā runga i ā rātau ake taumahatanga, whaihoki e noho rāhui tonu ana tātau katoa nā te māuiui kowheori/urutā.
‘Ko ahau tētehi, engari kai te mōhio hoki taku ngākau, he ahakoa kāore a Te Arawa i whakamana i te tiriti, kai te whakapapa e mea ana kua herehere tātau katoa ki te mana o Waitangi. Nā runga i tēnei whakaaro ka whakarewangia te kaupapa ko Whakanuia. Hai waka e taea ai e tātau ki te tautoko tēnei kaupapa ā tātau ake. ' He ahakoa kāore tonu nei te Tiriti-o-Waitangi i hainatia e Te Arawa, kai te tāone nei te kaupapa, ‘Fentons Agreement’. Nā reira i tū ai tēnei tāone’.
He waimarie nō tātau i kauwhaungia tēnei kaupapa i tētehi o ngā rā whakaharahara o Whakanuia e Ben Manley.
' Nō reira he kaupapa mana nui tēnei. Nā tātau katoa te kaupapa ake, ka rua, ka whakarewangia ki tō tātau ake whenua, he mana hoki tēnā, koia ā mātau pirangi’. Tokowaru ngā mema o te Kōmiti whakahaere.
‘Katahi nei tā mātau ohu ka piki ki te tokowaru o ngā tangata. I ngā tau ko hori he tokorima anake.E tika ana te whakataukī, mā pango, mā whero e oti wawe ai te mahi. Atu i a mātau tokowaru nei ko ngā pā taunaha o te takiwā, te kaunihera, ngā kaumātua, me ētehi atu waka whakarei o te hāpori. Ko ngā manuao me ngā pahi hauora, e hoa mā ko ngā wehewehenga rahi ake o te hāpori.
Ko te uho whiwhita o tēnei kaupapa ko tātau ake te tangata. Me i kore te iwi, me i kore te aroha o te hāpori, kua pae noa tēnei waka ki uta hai tāwhao noa’. E whakapono nei a Raukura me te ohu ki te mana o Whakanuia. Ka nui hoki ngā whakaakoranga hai pou arahi i a tātau katoa. He manaaki, he aroha, he ako engari ko te mea matua o ēnei pou katoa ko te ngākau whakaiti. Mēnā e tika ana te ngākau, mēnā e pūare ana te wairua o te tangata ki te mauri o te kaupapa, ka rere te rā.
He whakamihi hoki nānā ki ngā pūkei pūtea, tēnā rā kotou katoa. Nō te tau, e rua mano mā whitu i timata ai tēnei kaupapa ki Te Whakarewarewa, ā, nō ngā e toru ko hori, kua kawea ake tēnei kaupapa ko Whakanuia e te pā taunaha o Ohinemutu. ' Ko te pae tawhiti ki a ora tonu nei te wairua o tēnei kaupapa. He whakaaro iti nā mātau, kia tukuna te mauri o Whakanuia ki ngā wāhi, ki ngā pā taunaha katoa o te takiwā, huri noa ngā pāpāringa o te moana o Kahumatamomoe’. Ko tētehi atu kaupapa o te rā, ko te tuku i ngā kara.
‘Mā tō tātau ika-a-Whiro mā Tā Robert Gillies, he toa whakamutunga nō te pakanga nui tuarua o te ao, he toa matakaikutu nā te rua tekau mā waru o Tūmatauwenga, māna, hai te kōtihi o te ata, ngā kara o te ope taua rongonui nei e whakairi ki runga o Muruika. Kia noho tata tonu nei te wairua o o tātau kaumātua katoa i mate atu i tāwāhi i ngā pakanga o te ao, kia kāua ō rātau wairua e mimiti i ngā tai whakaaro o te tangata.
Nā reira tēnei pōwhiri, tēnei karanga atu ki ngā hau e whā o te takere waka, otīā te motu hoki. Nau mai ki Whakanuia. He kore utu, he rā harikoa, he rā māoriori, he rā whakarangatira i a tātau katoa.
Rānei, haere ki tā mātau whārangi pukamata mō te roanga atu o ngā kōrero. Engari rā ko tēnei kaupapa, he kai nui, he kai rangatira, haere mai ki te tūtakitaki ki ngā tini whanaunga, ki te porohianga, ki te whāroaroa i ngā wāhanga pakeke o te tinana, ki te waiata ngātahi me ngā rōpū kapa haka ka tū ki te whakangāhau mai ki te hunga tangata.
E kare mā, kāua e rite ki te waka pae ki uta, whakahaua ō waewae ki te korikori, ki te kanikani ki te kawe i a koe ki te pā taunaha o Ohinemutu ā te rā whakanui o Waitangi. Me ko te wairua o Hinemoa tātau.
Ngati Whakaue are pulling out all stops to encourage the Rotorua community to participate in Waitangi Day commemorations at Ohinemutu on Monday.
Waitangi Day Whakanuia mo te aroha o te iwi is to celebrate the love of the people.
A member of the komiti whakahaere, Raukura, said the whānau community event is for the people, by the people that aims to achieve the following outcomes – a day of: Learning, Unity, Remembrance, reflection, fun, and Sharing.
Whakanuia at Ohinemutu has been running for three years but in 2022 was cancelled because of Covid. “Given that the country and borders have opened up and our town is starting to become lively again, the decision to bring the event back for the community was made.”
The event was started as a day of Rotorua coming together as an iwi to acknowledge, commemorate, and remember our tupuna and those who signed and did not sign Te Tiriti.
“I wouldn’t call it a celebration of Waitangi Day because it is not that, it is a time to educate, and talk about and share with our community as one community.”
What Raukura would call a celebration is how unique the people of Rotorua are and the amazing achievements over the generations. “So that is the Kaupapa, celebrating the Uniqueness of Rotorua on this day, and commemorating our Ancestors who fought for us to have rights and sovereignty over our whenua. We should acknowledge that out of respect for iwi maori.”
Another reason the whakanuia was started was to provide an event for whanau who would usually travel to Waitangi for the commemorations but for whatever reason were unable to get up there.
“I myself was of those people, even though we are Te Arawa, and we did not sign Te Tiriti, Te Arawa still has uri of those very lineages that did sign.
“As Maori we should acknowledge that. So, the whakaaro was ‘let’s bring back whakanuia, and give our town the chance to offer our acknowledgement from here in Te Arawa as iwi maori’.
“One important thing to know is that although we did not sign te tiriti we do have the Fentons Agreement which talks about the establishment of the township during those times.” Raukura said her whanaunga, Ben Manley was kind enough to share some hitori on that very subject at the last Waitangi Day (whakanuia).
“So, the kaupapa is quite important, and if we can make it happen here at home in our own backyard for our people, then that’s exactly what we will endeavour to do.”
The organising committee has eight members.
“In previous years there were only five of us, we have since grown which is great as more hands make lighter work and we each come with our own strengths in different areas.
“Also involved from outside the komiti, are local marae, marae boards, our local council, our Kaumatua, our multi-cultural council and communities.
“As well, there are our teams who come in to help out with infrastructure, our health and safety teams.
“It is a community event that involves just about every service you could think of.
“The main thing for me is our people. Without our people and our local support there wouldn’t be an event.”
Raukura said the whole community would benefit as whakanuia teaches something our tupuna have practised for generations, manaakitanga, aroha, and learning, and mostly what it means to show humility.
To fully embrace whakanuia people need to be open minded, having good intentions, and a good heart. No training is required, just a willingness to connect.
Raukura said the komiti was grateful it had a number of funding streams as it wouldn’t be able to function without the support of so many organisations.
The first Te Arawa Whakanuia was at Whakarewarewa in 2007 and the last three years at Ohinemutu.
“A long-term goal would be to see it carry on, and maybe move it around the Waiariki District one day, or share this event around our lake to our different hapu.”
Raukura makes special mention of an addition to Waitangi Whakanuia — the presentation of a special commemorative flag.
“The 28th Maori Battalion Battle Honours Memorial Flag will be presented at Muruika on morning of the Whakanuia by our last remaining member of the 28th Maori Battalion, Tā Robert Gillies who served in B company (World War II 1942-1945) kia maumahara tatou ia rātou nga hoia.”
The komiti urges anyone who will be in Rotorua on Monday to pack up the whanau and head down to Ohinemutu. Entry is free and programmes will be provided at one of the information booths on the way into the pa.
Alternatively, head to our Facebook page for more info.
There will be kai stalls to check out from our different cultures, activities for the kids, from bouncy castles to train rides around the pa, performing arts, visual arts, kapahaka, music, sports and games hosted by some of our local teams here, so much happening, you have to be there, so nau mai haere mai. Nga mihi nui nō te komiti