He kaiako reo Māori ahau ka 18 ngā tau e mahi ana. Ko te reo Māori he wāhanga ōku e whai oranga ai au i te ao nei otiia, te tuhi pakiwaiatara he wāhanga ōku e whakaea nei i ōku hiahia, hei kai mā tōku ngākau. Koia hoki pea hei koha māku ki te ao Māori, ā, i ia te tau e ako tonu ana i ōna āhuatanga, a, he ara ako mutunga kore. Ko te pae tawhiti ia, kia kounga ake ai tāku mahi tuhi pakiwaitara ki tētahi kē noa atu.
He aha koe i whai ai i te ara kaituhi?
Ko ngā kairapi o Amerika i whai whakaaweawenga nui mai ki a au i roto i tāku mahi whakairo kupu, me kī ki te tuhi pakiwaitara. Otiia, ko te orokohanga tīmatanga mai, hei mahi rauemi kau nāku mā āku ākonga i te Kāreti o Hato Pāora i te tau 2011 hei mahi whakarongo mā rātou. I taua wā rā ka tuhia e au he pakiwaitara hei whakarongotanga mā rātou ki tētahi reo auaha nei. Ka rata mai ai ngā tama ki taku pakiwaitara me taku tūmeke i tā rātou whakapaepae taringa mai i a au ka pānuihia atu. Nā konā whakaaro ai au kia whakauruhia taua pakiwaiatara tuatahi ake nei nāku ki te whakataetae o Pikihuia, ā, ka eke hei tuhinga pitomata nei. I taku korenga i tuatahi ai, i hiahiatia e au te whakauru atu anō ki te whakataetae e rua tau te whai ake, ā, i tuaruatia anōtia. I tērā ka tino whakaoreoretia nei tōku wairua whakataetae kia toa, me te aha, ko te whakataetae te haere ake i toa ai i a au. Tēnā, ko te whakaaweawenga nui mai ko tōku anō wairua whakataetae kia toa ake.
He aha ngā whakaritenga i whāia ai e koe i āu mahi tuhituhi?
Tuatahi ake, ka toka mai he whakaaro kātahi au ka tuhi taipitopito e pā ana ki taua whakaaro rā. Inā hoki, kotahi anake te pakiwaitara roa kua oti i a au, he rerekē anō ngā whakaritenga i tērā o te tuhi kōrero pakiwaitara poto. Ko te tuhinga roa nei, me āta whakatakoto he taipitopito, he anga, he mahere anō mō ngā āhua whanake haeretanga o ngā matakiri o roto, kia kaua hoki rā e kotiti matara haere atu i te iho o te kaupapa kei kore tōia mai ai te aro o te kaipānui.
Ka pēhea nei ngā whakaaro o ō tūpuna mō āu tuhinga?
E aua hoki otiia, ka manako tonu ia ka pai mai inā rā e hāngai ana ki a rātou mō te wā i a rātou e mahi māra kai ana. Ko te mea kē, e tahuri ai i tērā pōhēhētanga nuitanga ko te pakanga te mahi nui taioreore i te wā i a rātou, ko tāku ki tērā karekau. He mahi kai kē, he mahi waihanga, he wānanga, he whakangahau he aha, he aha. Ki te whakaōrauhia, ko taku whakapae, ka kore e nui atu i te 5% o te wā a o tātou iwi e pakanga ana huri i te tau. Nā reira, tā Allan Duff pukapuka a Once Were Warriors te pukapuka, kiriata tino kino nei te whakaahua i te Māori i runga i te whāititanga hē nei. Ko taku whakapae, ko tātau anō te Māori e whakapono whakahīhī ana ki tēnei heoi anō, he pēnā ngā iwi katoa i te ao.
Ka pēhea nei tō ngākau i te rongo ka tāia ai āu tuhinga?
Tino pā mai te tūmeke ki a au, tuatahi ake nōhea au i whakaaro ake he pukapuka ka whakaputaina e au. I a au i te kura he ngoikore nōku ki ngā mahi tuhituhi me te pānui, ā, me whai tautoko i tētahi kaimahi ngaio pānui o waho i te kura e eke ai tāku pānui ki te taumata e tika ana, he mea utu e tōku pāpā.
He aha rā ō wawata mō āu tuhinga?
Kia tū ai au hei kaituhi hei mahi māku huri i te tau, koia anahe tāku mahi. Waihoki, kia pā ai ngā karu mano nei ki āku pakiwaitara e whai kura huna anō pea mā rātou.
He aha rā ētahi ake hinonga e whāia ana e koe ināianei?
He tuhituhi rotarota, he whakapukapuka i aua rotarota rā, ā, i tēnei wā nei e kōrero tahi ana me tētahi kamupene tā pukapuka mā rātou pea tēnei pukapuka e whakaputa.
He aha ētahi tīwhiri kei a koe e whakawhanake ai te whakawhanaungatanga i te hapori Māori tuhituhi kōrero?
Mā tētahi rōpū whakahaere pēnei me Huia Tā Pukapuka hei whakarite hui ā-tau ki reira hui ai ngā kaituhi o te ao Māori, ahakoa reo Pākehā, reo Māori rānei te reo kawe. Ki reira whakawhitiwhiti whakaaro, kōrero ngā kaituhi Māori, ā, ka whai hoa, ka whai tautoko anō hoki.
He pukapuka reo Māori i ngākau pai ai ki a koe?
Ko te pukapuka whakamāori nā Hēmi Kelly mō te Ruānuku. Na te kounga o te reo otiia, te rere o te kaupapa kōrero i tōia mai ai tōku aro kia kai mai ngā whārangi. He kōrero e hāngai ana ki te rā nei, ahakoa rā nō ngā mano (rau) tau te horopaki e tū ana.
He kōrero akiaki āu mā te kaituhi Māori kei te ara ake nei?
Tā Hirini Moko Mead i mea ai ki a mātou ētahi o ngā kaituhi Māori i tētahi kaupapa ka mea ia, ‘kawe haere he pukapuka, ahakoa haere koe ki hea, ā, ki te toka ake he Whakaaro tuhia, kei puhia e te hau, wai ka mōhio ka ahatia me tēnā whakaaro.’ Nā reira, koia te mahi a taku waea pūkoro, nā ki te puta mai he whakaaro ka tuhia Ihio e au ki taku waea mei i kore ka tiki ake hei tuhituhi pakiwaitara māku mō tōna wā.
He aha rā ō pae tawhiti i tēnei te ao tuhituhi nei?
Ko te pae tawhiti ia kia tū ai au hei kaituhi koia tāku mahi o ia rā, o ia rā, huri i te tau. Heoi anō, i tēnei wā nei, kei te hiahia tonutia kia whakaako tamariki nōku tonu e hanga rangatahi tonu ana.
