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Ko te whakarenatanga o te ūpoko wāwahi o Rangitihi e puta ai a Te Arawa i ngā taumahatanga o te mate urutā kōwheori – te ikeiketanga o ngā mahi ko oti i a Te Papa Takaro
O Te Arawa i ngā mārama ko pahemo atu.
Ki tā te Tumuwhakarae o Te Papa Takaro O Te Arawa a Stephen Te Moni, ko te hononga-ā- whakapapa ki te taiao me te ao wairua te take e tino pōhutu ai tēnei mea te kōtahitanga ki te Māori tēnā i te tangata tū wao.
Whoi anō tēnei kitehanga āna a Stephen Te Moni he tangata whakapapa ki ngā hapū o Te Arawa ki a Ngāti Porou me NgaPuhi hoki.
Kua eke ki te tekau mā tahi o ngā tau a Stephen e mahi ana i Te Papa Takaro o Te Arawa, i ngā marama tekau mā rua kua pahemo atu kua riro māna te waka o Te Papa Takaro O Te Arawa e hautū.
Ko te aronga ki te oranga o te whānau te tūāpapa o te Taratī nei, me tā Stephen aronga motuhake ki te whakatoatanga o te tangata e noho puku ana.
Kua pakeketia tana kete mātauranga nā kōnā e mārama ai ia mā te kōtahitanga te Māori e koke whakamua ai, kia kōtahi kau te reo hāmama.
Ko te hinganga o ngā tupapaku iho pūmanawa tokorua i tētehi matenga e tāea ai ki te whakaora te tino ohonga o tōna māuri nana i whakapūare ai ōna kanohi ki te take me whakahuri e tātou te rautaki hauora Māori kia puta tātou i te pō-kerekere.
Kua kitea e ia ko te māuiui-ā-hinengaro i ngā tāne hei hoa haere ki te tāne noho kumu paru ana me he tangata noho kau noa, ka heke te kaha o tōna tinana, nā wai rā ka whāia rawatia tēnei ara pāhekeheke e te hinengaro o te tangata.
Ko ētehi o ā rātou kaupapa, he whakapakari tinana, he whakaora hinengaro me te wairua, mātua he kaupapa tuitui i te whānau kia kōtahi mai. E pūare ana te tatau ki te katoa, ki ngā hoa rangatira, ki ngā makau tata, ngā tamariki, ā tae rawa atu ki ngā tūpuna. Tu ana te tangata!
Huihuia ngā tangata katoa ko te rōpū nei he tata ki te hokotoru o ngā rangatira te rahi.
Ko to rātouna ingoa karanga ko Da Kaupapz. Whakawehea ai tēnei rōpū, ka taka iho ētehi
anō rōpū. Ko Da Broz tētehi, ko Da YVZ tētehi anō, ka toru mai ko RuCruoRA, he āhuatanga whakamihi na Stephen ki te wā nōna e Kura Kaupapa Māori ana ki Te Ruamata.
Ko te āhuatanga ki te whakapakari e pēnei ana.
Ka mā raro pakupaku ētehi tērā anō ētehi ka mā raro mō te hokowhā o ngā kiromita te tawhiti,hāunga tēnei he wā ki te whare pakari, he wā hoki ki te puna kaukau. Hai tā Stephen
"Kaua e patua te tangata kia hemo rānō te wairua, ko te painga kē atu he timotimo , kia tataku kau te kaupapa"
"Kai te manakohia kia huri mai te whānau katoa, kia kaha kē te whānau ki te karawhiu pahikara – ko te whakahonohono te whāinga nui".
Ko tētehi anō kaupapa e haere ngātahi ana me tā tātou rautaki, ko te whakarite i tētehi wero kia tekau wiki te roa, ā, hai tana otinga me he whakataetae rangatira e tino toa ai te tangata engari kāore anō kia tino kitea e mātou te whakataetae nā. Taihoa tēnā.
Nā tēnei kaupapa tonu kua puta mai ētehi wairua tino heahea nei hai tā Stephen, he wā hātēkēhi nui te mākohakoha. Rokohanga e te tangata ōna ake pou kaha – ka kitea! I tēnei wā o te mate urutā kōwheori me kaha kē e te tangata ki te whakakaha i a ia anō.
E whakamomori ana te tangata, e taumaha ana te noho takitahi e kai ana, ā, kai te teitei te puku hoki.
Tērā tonu ētehi o te hunga tangata kāore anō kia puta-ā-hinengaro i te rāhui tuatahi.
Kai te whakahaerehia e te taratī ngā karaehe pō e akongia ai ngā tangata ki te kai tika kia kāua rātou e hoki atu ki ngā tikanga whakangoikore tangata.
Ki te hamama popora te tangata e kore e mau te ika.
Working collectively to combat the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic is having flow-on beneficial effects at Te Papa Tākaro O Te Arawa.
Chief executive officer Stephen Te Moni says our whakapapa and connection to the taiāo and spiritual world mean we flourish as a collective rather than as individuals.
Mind you, it's taken some for Stephen (Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi) to come to that conclusion. He has worked for Te Papa Tākaro O Te Arawa for 11 years, the last 12 months as CEO.
The events planning trust has always been about whānau wellbeing but Stephen had focused on individual achievement, always in isolation.
Experience has taught him that for Māori, collective is the only way to go, to speak with one voice.
The untimely passing of two mentors from preventable health issues opened his eyes to the need for change, to move from a negative space.
This was because he has found that Māori men's mental problems show up in their physical health which deteriorates quickly.
Their programme emcompasses physical, hinengaro and wairua but includes all the whānau - wives, partners, children, nannies and koro.
And it's working.
In his group of about 60, as a collective on Da Kaupapz, are cohorts called the Da BroZ, Da YVZ and RūCruOra, which he says acknowledges his schooling and learning at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori O Ruamata.
Walks range from easy to a full-on 80km a week and there is also some gym time and swimming.
"We don't want to make things too hard. It's better to have regular and consistent exercise than to impose a heavy regime.
"We want it to be a whānau thing, take the tamariki for a bike ride. Engage with them."
As part of its kaupapa the trust is running a 10-week challenge leading to an event which is still under wraps.
The challenge has allowed different personalities to emerge and Stephen says the interactions can be amusing.
People are finding their own strengths and that is needed when dealing with Covid fallout.
The lockdowns meant a sedentary life, people struggling and putting on weight.
Many are still trying to cope with the effects of last year's lockdown and now have to deal with the fallout from this latest twist in the tail of the Delta virus.
The trust has been running night classes and trying to ensure proper nutrition is maintained and people did not regress to their former bad habits.
But it was hard for people to be motivated during lockdown.
Embracing the whole whānau seems to be working. Thanks to the support of the owners and management of Profiles gym and Te Papa Tākaro o Te Arawa, participants are getting professional attention and are thriving on it.
A petition for police body cameras has gained nearly 15,000 signatures.