Waimarama Taumaunu: wahine toa mō te tākaro poitarawhiti
Nā Wiremu Kaa i whakamaori te kohi korero a Claudette Hauiti
Ka tiro makutu, titiro mīharo atu te kōtiro nohinohi rā me tana pounamu inu i ngā toa tino pai ki a ia, i a rātou e huritere ana, e pekepeke ana, e porowhiu ngāwariwari ana i te pōro. Koia nei hoki ngā tohu ātaahua o te toa tākaro poitarawhiti. Ka mea te kotiro iti rā ki a ia anō, "Ā te wā, ko ahau tētahi ka pērā. "
I roto i te tekau tau i muri mai ka uru taua kōtiro nohinohi i pupuri wai inu rā ki roto ki Te Tīma Poitarawhiti o Aotearoa, me te piri o te rau ponga ki tana poho. Ka puāwai hoki ko ia te wahine rongonui o Aotearoa ki te ao whānui.
Whānau ana a ia ka puta ōna tohu toa mō te poitarawhiti. Otirā he wahine māia ki ngā mahi tākaro, ā, ko ngā mōhio me te hūmārie i roto i a ia hei ārahi i ōna hoa i heke mai i ōna tīpuna.
I whānau mai a ia i Waipawa i te tau 1962, ā, i tīmata mai tōna mahi whakapakari i a ia ki te tākaro poitarawhiti i te kura tuatahi i Uawa.
I te tīmatanga, wehi atu ki a ia tēnei tū momo tākaro. "Ko te mate kē, ko taku tino mahi he whaiwhai haere i te pōro, uaua ana ahau ki te whiwhi. " Koia nei ngā mea i maumahara atu ia.
He wā pōnānā tēnei mō Waimarama, engari nā ngā toto kaha o ōna tīpuna, me tōna kaha tonu ki te whakapakari i a ia, ka uru a ia ki roto i te tīma toa o tōna rohe i te wā tekau noa iho ōna tau.
Nō te nekenga o tana whānau ki Ōtautahi ka uru a ia ki roto o te tīma o taua rohe mō ngā kōtiro roa ake i te rima putu.
Ka hoki whakamuri ōna mahara ki tēnei wā ka pakiri te kata, nōtemea ko tēnei whakataetae mō ngā tīma i roto anake i te Hāhi Mihinare.
I kōrero a Waimarama, "I ngā Katorika tonu tā rātou ake whakataetae. Āhua pai ake rātou i a mātou, ā, nā konei tonu pea rātou e kore e pīrangi ki te piri mai ki a mātou. "
I ekengia e Waimarama ngā taumata teitei katoa o te kura. I whiwhi a ia ki te tohu mātauranga mō ngā kōrero nehe i Te Whare Wānanga o Ōtautahi. I tīmata tana mahi whakaako i te reo Māori me ngā kōrero nehe, ā, i muri mai ka tahuri a ia ki te whakaako i te ohaoha, ka hua i Te Kura Tuarua o te Whanganui a Tara.
E rua rawa ōna haerenga ki rāwāhi ki te ārahi i te tīma o Aotearoa ki Ngā Whakataetae o te Ao i Tīamana i te tau 1989, ā, ki Ahitereiria i te tau 1991.
Ko 1991 te tau i heke mai a ia hei kaitaki mō Aotearoa. Ahakoa noa, kāore i tutuki pai ōna wawata mō tēnei tau. Tuatahi, kāre i taea e tōna tīma e Smoke Free PIC te pupuri i te tohu toa o te whakataetae o Bendon. Tuarua i wikitōria kē ko Ahitereiria ki Te Kapu o te Ao ka riro i a rātou te karauna mō te poitarawhiti.
I tukuna e te iwi Māori Te Taonga Rongomaraeroa ki a ia mō tōna toa, me tōna māia, ki te tākaro poitarawhiti i te tau 1991. Ko ia te wahine Māori tuatahi ki te whiwhi i tēnei taonga. Ko te taonga a te ao Pākehā kei a ia he MBE.
Kei Te Komihana o Hillary a ia e mahi ana. Ko tana mahi he tuitui haere i ngā tākaro katoa mō ngā Māori. Otirā ko tana tino kaupapa he tautoko i ngā wāhine Māori me te hunga taitama Māori hoki.
"I taku tīmatanga, āhua wiriwiri ana ahau ahakoa noa he ātaahua tōku kaupapa. Kua roa kē ahau e whakaaro ana mō te āhua o te noho a te rangatahi, me ngā tohu kua takoto mō te iwi Māori. Kei tēnei mahi ētahi tikanga hei whakapai i aua āhuatanga. Mō ngā mea e hiahia ana ki te whai te tākaro poitarawhiti, he oranga tinana kei roto, engari kia whai whakaaro anō hoki koe kia mataara anō te hinengaro. E kore e taea paitia e koe mēna he wahine mahara kore koe. Kia koi tonu te hinengaro ki te whakatakoto kaupapa tika hei painga mō tō rōpū. Ko te mātau o te hinengaro te hoa o te tinana pakari mō tēnei tākaro. "