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Na taku rā noho tahi i a Billy Macfarlane me te whānau o Pūwhakamua i Rotokawa i wehi ai aku kanohi. Pāorooro kau te wairua ora i te papakāinga, ka whakaparanga ahau i te mana o te
haka me te pōwhiri hoki. Tutū te pūehu, rere te ihiihi.
Taku whakahīhī hoki. Kua pakeketia tētehi wāhanga ōku e kore a muri e hōkia, nā te noho i ēnei tāne te pūtake o tēnei whakahuringa.
Kare kau taku āwangawanga, he aroha kau tāku i rongo kē ai. Ko te tōtō mai i ngā tāne i te pōuriuri i te ao ture kōpikopiko te manawa pātukituki e toitū ai a Billy i te haerenga āna.
Ko Te Reo Māori, ko te tikanga, ko te aroha me te manaaki tangata ngā waka, kai te hōea e Billy hai pīkau i ngā tāne nō ngā hau e whā e kimi nei i te huarahi o te tika me te māramatanga.
Ka whakamanuwhiringia a Kāhu-ki-Rotorua e Billy mō te rā katoa. Nō Ngāti Whakaue rātou ko Ngāti Pikiao, ko Ngāti Uenukukopako a Billy Mac Farlane. He tangata i mauheretia mō te tekau mā whā o ngā tau, ā, ināianei ko ia te pou-mataaho o Pūwhakamua i Rotokawa. He kaupapa kawe i ngā tāne i te pōuritanga ki te māramatanga i te mate ki te ora.
He kaupapa Māori a Pūwhakamua – " Kai reira kē te whakahuringa o te wairua o ēnei tāne, kāre e take ana ki te whakahoki i a rātou ki te whare herehere, kua noa kē ēnei tangata ki te whare herehere he aha hoki te hua? kāre kau !".
"Ko te hokinga atu ki ngā mahi mōhiohio te tino raruraru engari kāore anō tēnā take kia whakatikangia. He nui te mana o te ahurea Māori kia rumakina ai te tangata ki tōna ao Māori ka tika tōna tuara. Kua mana te kaupapa. E hoki ana ngā maumaharatanga ki te hunga whakahē nei i a tātou i ngā rā ko tahā inaianei kai te kaha tautokongia e rātou tēnei kaupapa".
Ki tā Eraia Kiel, te tiamana o Tikanga Aroaro Charitable Trust, te waka kawe i te kaupapa, kai te tautokongia a Pūwhakamua e ngā whare whakatika o te kāwanatanga. Ko te Manatika tēnā, ko Te Kooti tēnā, ko te Manatu Whakahiato Ora tēnā waihoki te Whare Hīkina Whakatutuki.
Ka nui tana tautoko i tōna kiritata a Billy. " Ko te whakarumakitanga ki te ahurea Māori te whakaohonga ngākau. He mōhio nōku, kua rua tēkau tau ōku e mahi ana i te whare herehere, kāore au i te whakahāwea ngā whakaaro o te ao Pākehā engari me e kūare ana te tangata ki tōna ūkaipōtanga nō whea e taea ngā herehere o ōna ringaringa te wewete ?
"Kai te takiwā o te 14 ki te 17 o ngā tāne e noho nei i te papakāinga, e āuē ana te ngākau i tana whakakāhoretanga i te toru rau o ngā tāne e hiahiatia ai ki te whakakī i tētehi o ngā wāhi wātea i ngā mārama e toru kua pahemo nei. Ko te pae tawhiti he whakawhanake i te kaupapa me te papakāinga.
Nā te Provincial Growth Fund i whai huruhuru ai te kaupapa engari ka tōhohehohe a Billy i tāna whāki atu kai te tāria tonutia te pūtea nā te Crimes Act.
Kua mārō te tāhūhū o Pūwhakamua i ngā kōeke o Te Arawa i a Te Ariki Morehu rātou ko Tā Toby Curtis ko Paraone Pirika, ko Bob Te Aonui, ko Maria Oliver." Kua whakamanahia tātou e ngā koeke kia whakahokia mai a Ngai Te Arawa, tāne mai, wāhine mai ki te ūkaipō".
He ahakoa tēnā whakahau a ngā koeke, kāore anō kia tika tō tātou papakāinga hai whare manaaki wāhine engari he kaupapa kua titia ki te rae.
Nā ngā tāne ngā whare ririki i waihanga, ā, kai te whakahoungia ēnei whare, ka rua kai te whakawhānuihia. Ko te whare matua nō Vince Taylor koia te pūrenga o te papakāinga nei.
Ko te whare tuarua kai tahaki o ngā waiariki o Rotokawa ki kō atu. Hai tā Billy nō te ūnga mai o Pūwhakamua ki tēnei wāhi kua mutu te whakaparanga i ngā puna hōroi e ngā heahea.
Kua mātotoru ake ngā wini o ngā whare hou he kaupapa kai te kawea e Kohuora, he whare herehere tāne kai te tonga o Akarana e tu ana.
He mārō ngā tūre. Mai i te Mane ki te Paraire me noho ngā tāne ki ngā wānanga katoa. Mai i te karakia i te atapō tae noa ki te kai o te pō. Ko te Rāhoroi motuhake ki ngā whānau, ki ngā hoa wahine me ngā tamariki.
Ko te ao Māori te poutoko o tō Billy manawa. Māna hoki tētehi wāhanga ki te reo Māori engari anō ko te tātari me te mātai i ngā rāweketanga o mua kia kāua anō tērā hiahia e hoki mai.
Hai tāna kua mana tō tātou whare i ngā pou o Te Arawa. Ko tā Anaha Hiini kaupapa ko te reo rangatira, ko tā Jade Kameta ko te māramataka, ko tā Ray Timihou kaupapa ko te waka ama, ko tā Raimona Inia he mau taiaha, ko tā Anaru Grant he mamau, ko tā Randal Leach ko te mahi toi.
Ko Selwyn Rogers hoki tētehi o ngā pou hāpai koia ēnei ētehi o ngā pouako ka puta mai i ia wiki, i ia wiki. Toko-ono ngā tangata i whakapōtaengia i te mārama ko hori me te mea kua hoki mārie ki te hāpori nui.
Mā te whakahua pepehā me te waiata kia tekau o ngā waiata-a-ringa, kia rima hoki ngā mōteatea me te haka e rangatira ai ngā tangata. E mea ana te kōrero tangata ākona i te kāinga tū ana ki te marae tau ana.
He mōhio hoki nō rātou ki te manaaki tupapaku. Tērā tētehi tangihanga i te korenga waka o tētehi ka utaina te tupapaku ki tō Billy wēne hai whakangāwari i te korenga pūtea o te whānau pani. Nā te mana o tēnei kaupapa kua tū ngā pewa o ētehi i Peratiamu me Hōrana.
I wāuna hoki e hoa mā nā te ahurea Māori kē e mana ai tēnei kaupapa.
A day spent with Billy Macfarlane and his Pūwhakamua cohort at Rotokawa proved an eye-opener for me.
The positive vibes that echoed around their papakāinga and the resounding haka pohiri made me humble and proud. I will never be the same again after hearing just a little of their life stories and their transition from hardened criminals to men with whom I felt safe and respected.
Bringing men back from the darkness into which a skewed justice system forced them drives Billy Macfarlane on his life's journey.
Te Reo Māori, Tikanga, Aroha and Manaaki tangata are the vehicles Billy uses to support men from ngā hau e whā looking to move on in a positive direction.
Kāhu ki Rotorua team spent a day with Billy (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Rangiwewehi) who served 14 years in prison. He now runs Pūwhakamua (a Māori conceptual living programme) from Rotokawa, transitioning out of a life of crime.
Pūwhakamua is total immersion in the Māori culture — shooting forward into a new life.
"That's what changes people — not throwing people in jail. These men have spent most of the lives in jail and that didn't work.
"Recidivism among Māori is huge because the problem was not being addressed.
"Our culture works — immersing them in our reo, tikanga, whanaungatanga — gets results. We have proved that and now the agencies that previously incarcerated us are on board."
Eraia Kiel, chairman of Tikanga Aroro Charitable Trust which runs the living concept, said Pūwhakamua had the support of the crown agencies Corrections, Justice, Courts, Social Development, and Business and Innovation.
He supports his whanaunga Billy 100 per cent.
"Cultural immersion, that's what changes people. I know that because I worked in the prison system for about 20 years. I don't discount western philosophies but if you don't know who you are, how can you know where you are going."
The programme has 14-17 participants at a time and Billy has turned away over 300 hopefuls this year although expansion is on the horizon.
The trust has received funding from the Provincial Growth Fund and is awaiting funds from the Proceeds of Crimes Act. Billy chuckles.
Pūwhakamua also has the backing of Te Arawa koeke led by Te Ariki Morehu, Ta Toby Curtis, Paraone Pirika, Bob Te Aonui and Maria Oliver.
"They have given us the mandate to bring our Te Arawa men and women home."
At the moment the papakāinga is not set up for women and that will take some major planning.
The original cabins on the compound were built by the men but are being replaced and upgraded. The house on the first plot of land, owned by Vince Taylor, is the communal area for the men.
The second plot is just down the track near the Rotokawa Bath. Billy says since they moved in, vandalism at the bath has stopped.
The new cabins are double glazed and built by Kohuora Auckland South men's prison.
Rules are strict. From Monday to Friday all must attend wānanga from morning karakia to dinner time.
Saturdays are for family time.
Billy teaches Te Reo to the men and also facilitates the cognitive intervention to address their past criminal offending. He is assisted by some of Te Arawa's finest Cultural facilitators including Anaha Hiini (Tikanga, Kawa), Jade Kameta (maramataka), Ray Timihou (waka ama), Raimona Inia (mau rakau), Anaru Grant Junior (jiu jitsu) and Randal Leach ( mahi toi) who take regular wānanga each week. Selwyn Rogers is on board also as a kaihāpai.
Six men have graduated in the past month, moving back into the wider community.
To graduate they must know their pepeha, at least ten waiata-ā-ringa, five moteatea, as well as haka. They learn to stand confidently on a marae.
They are also available to help out at tangihanga. Billy has even transported tupāpaku in his van because whānau could not afford an undertaker.
Billy and Pūwhakamua have created a living concept that works and has even attracted interest from Belgium and the Netherlands.
Unfortunately for the Europeans, it's tikanga Māori that works.
'[We are] just as staunch and ferocious in saying we hold sovereignty over our own.'