Published in: Kokiri Issue 25 - Hui-tanguru - Poutū-te-rangi 2012
“Kotahi tonu te hiringa i kake ai a Tane ki Tikitiki-ō-Rangi, ko te hiringa i te mahara”
Nā te kaupapa ‘Growing Māori Assets through Targeted Education and Training’ a Te Puni Kōkiri te waka i tūwhera, nā Te Kuratini o te Tai Poutini i whakatinana, ā, nā Competency International Limited i waha ngā mahi. Ko tōna otinga, 37 ngā Māori i tutuki i a rātau te tohu ‘National Diploma in Business’.
He rā whakahirahira ka toi ake i roto i ngā mahara. I tū te hui whakanui i te hunga i riro i a rātau te tohu nei i te 7 o ngā rā o Oketopa. Ā, rauika katoa mai ngā tauira me o rātau whānau ki Turanganui-ā-Kiwa. He hōnore nui hoki te taenga atu a te Minita Tuarua mō ngā Take Māori a Hon Georgina Te Heuheu. Nā Owen Lloyd ngā mihi whakatau i ngā manuhiri tuārangi, otirā ki te minenga katoa i tae ki te hui nei.
He maha ngā kōrero whaikiko i puta, ā, hei tā Patsie Karauria: “Ko te whāinga matua, ko te whanake i ngā pūkenga mahi, i ngā mātauranga pākihi hoki a te iwi Māori. Waimārie hoki te Tairāwhiti, inā ko te rahinga o ngā tauira i pae ki uta i heke hāngai mai i ngā iwi o te Rāwhiti.”
Ko te mihi me ngā kupu arataki a te Minita ki ngā tauira i pēnei: “Kei whea mai te rirohanga o te tohu nei. Me te mīharo o te āwhina atu a ngā whānau maha. Heoi kaua rā e tuku kia noho tārewa i kōnei, kia kaha te whai i ngā taumata kei tua.”
Kātahi hoki te putanga mīharo ko tērā i tukuna e te kaiwhakamātautau a Jack Doherty e mea ana: “Toru wiki a ia e noho ana i rō waka tōtō i Ruatōria, me tōna mīharo ki te iti o te tāone nei. Heoi, ko te manaakitanga i ūhia e ngā tauira o taua takiwā ki runga i a ia e kore rawa e warewaretia. Me te pukumahi hoki o ngā tauira katoa.”
Ahakoa tōna rahi, ko ngā kōrero i puta he kīnaki noa i ngā tohu. Ā, tū katoa mai ngā tauira ki te whiwhi i wā rātau tohu. Ihu ki te ihu, paparinga ki te ngutu, ka hongi ngā tauira me te Minita, nāna hoki ngā tohu i tuku. I whakanuia hoki a Hon Georgina e Mere Pohatu mō ngā mahi nunui i oti i te Minita te mahi i roto i ngā tau maha. Koianei hoki te tau whakamutunga o te Minita i roto i ngā mahi o te Pāremata.