Jay Rerekura: Truly connect with the awa and you will understand why it’s important to look after it

Developing a deep relationship with the awa helps understand why it is important to look after it, writes Jay Rerekura. Photo / Bevan Conley

COMMENT:

I was privileged enough to accompany an organisation as they journeyed down Te Awa Tupua, the Whanganui River, this week.

Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time on the awa, but it almost felt like a “welcome home” as the last time I had been in the upper reaches was some time ago.

I get a lot from the awa whenever I get the chance to traverse it.

I feel re-energised physically, mentally and spiritually. Most people like to travel on top of the awa. I’m more inclined to enjoy the entirety of it by travelling on, in and under it. Sometimes intentionally and other times not. But either way, I am experiencing it with all of my being and love every moment, every stroke of the paddle, every spill and every splash.

“E rere kau mai te awa nui mai i Te Kāhui Maunga ki Tangaroa. Ko au te awa ko te awa ko au.”

So common is this whakataukī around here, sometimes I feel the deep meaning of it all can get lost.

“The great river flows from the mountains to the sea. I am the river and the river is me.”

I am the river and the river is me. I have always felt this deep in my soul and when I reconnect with the awa I feel like I am joining with the other parts of me. I feel like some kind of awa version of Voltron or Megazord and if that reference is lost on you I feel sorry for your childhood.

A friend of mine always says this when it rains, “Some people feel the rain and others just get wet.” And that is exactly how I feel when I am either on, in or under the awa. I feel its wairua, its essence, its mouri. Not to hold myself higher than anyone, but I notice when it’s “just water” to other people. We are not all blessed to have a deep and meaningful connection with our awa. That doesn’t mean that you can’t have one either. Anyone can connect with our environment. You don’t have to be Māori or a descendant of the awa to have that connection. I think you just have to be open to it.

Jay Rerekura loves to be in, on or under the awa. Photo / Supplied

I know plenty of people from other countries who connect in the same way as I and many of the awa do. It is a beautiful thing. I encourage people to connect, truly connect with our awa. It’s the best way to understand why it is important to look after the awa and why the awa is integral in looking after us and the ecosystem around it.

We got to see a bunch of endangered blue ducks on the awa this journey. We also got to see low water in the upper reaches and how that impacts different things from the flow of water through rapids and exposing trees. Down in the lower reaches we see the impact of silt, particularly at the new port redevelopment at Te Pūwaha.

Having that connection, for me, helps me to understand what is good for our awa and what is not. For more inspiration about how we can give mana to or at least understand the value of our awa we have four kawa (values) that I feel aptly and simply help us with our understanding of it all.

• Ko te Awa te mātāpuna o te ora - The river is the source of spiritual and physical sustenance
• E rere kau mai te Awa nui mai i te Kāhui Maunga ki Tangaroa - The great River flows from the mountains to the sea
• Ko au te Awa, ko te Awa ko au - I am the River and the River is me
• Ngā manga iti, ngā manga nui e honohono kau ana, ka tupu hei Awa Tupua - The small and large streams that flow into one another and form one River

To understand our awa is to understand these values. But to understand these values, one must have a deep connection to our awa. I encourage us all to build this bridge of understanding by forging a connection with the awa.