Te koha me ōna tikanga
Nā Roka Paora nō Te Whānau-a-Apanui
Nā David Burke ngā pikitia
He nui tonu ngā whakamāramatanga mō te koha. He aroha, he whakaaro, he roimata, he āwhina, he taonga, he kai. He āhua ōrite tonu ngā koha aroha, whakaaro, roimata me te āwhina. Mā te kaituku tonu e pānui he aha tana koha. Ko ēnei momo koha ināianei he moni, ā, tukua ai ki runga i te marae ahakoa he aha te hui, he tangihanga, he rā whānau, he mārena, he hura kōhatu, he whakatuwhera whare, he aha, he aha.
Ko ngā koha o neherā he kai, he taonga. Ka haere ana ngā tāngata o te tuawhenua ki te takutai, ka mauria ā rātau nā kai, te huahua, te tuna, te huarākau, te rauaruhe; pērā anō o te takutai, te kūmara, te kaimoana.
Ka mate ana he tangata rongonui ka tukua e tana whānau me ana whanaunga ngā taonga pēnei i te heitiki, i te patu pounamu, i te korowai. Nā reira, i tēnei wā kua kore kē he taonga Māori o tēnei takiwā, kua tukua katoatia ki a rātau mā.
E whitu tau taku pakeke ka mate to mātau koroua, ka tapahia e taku kuia me āna tamāhine pakeke o rātou makawe. Koia nei a rātau taonga ki tō mātau koroua. I taua wā, tukuna ai e ngā wāhine anake o rātau makawe kia tipu hei taonga mō ō rātau tūpāpaku. Kua kore noa tēnei momo tikanga ināianei.
Ko te koha e tukuna ana ki runga i te marae, mō te marae ake, arā, mō ngā raruraru o te marae. Ko ngā koha e hoatu ā tinana ana ki te tangata nāna te hui, ka haere hei āwhina i ngā raruraru o taua hui. Tuhia rawatia ai ngā ingoa o ngā kaituku o ēnei momo koha. Ina taka ngā kaituku ki te raruraru, ka whakatō hui rānei, ka whakahokia atu aua koha.
Pērā anō ngā hui nunui, te whakatuwhera wharenui, wharekai rānei. Ka tukua he koha, ā, a tōna wā ka whakahokia, ahakoa e hia tau ki muri. I aua hui nunui ka whakatakotoria e te tangata whenua tā rātau tahua. Karangatia ai tēnei tahua, "Ko te papa o te pereti." Ka taetae mai ngā manuhiri ki te hui, ka rongo e hia te tahua a te tangata whenua, anā ka tuku i a rātau koha kia ōrite, kia nui ake rānei i te papa o te pereti. Ko te pereti nei, he kupu Pākehā, he paepae. Tuhia katoatia ai ngā koha o te hui, a, ka pānuitia ki te whakaminenga i taua rā tonu pēhea te kaute o te tahua. Ko ētahi o ngā koroua tuku koha i aua hui, makamaka ai i ngā moni pepa kia puhia haeretia e te hau ki runga i te marae. He mahi whakangahau tāngata tēnei. Ka pōnānā katoa te tangata whenua ki te kohikohi i nga moni e rērere ana i runga i te marae.
I ēnei rā, he moni anake te nuinga o ngā koha. Kohikohi ai te manuhiri i mua i te whakaeketanga i te marae, ka whakaemi i te koha ki rō kōpaki, ka hoatu mā tētahi o ngā kaikōrero e tuku. Engari, mehemea i pōhiritia e te tangata whenua tētahi manuhiri tūārangi, ka tukua he taonga, he kete whakairo, he tautau, he pū putiputi mehemea he wahine, ā, he tautau, he tokotoko, mehemea he tāne.
Ko te koha tino whakahirahira i homai ki a tātau, ko te reo Māori. Na te Atua i hōmai hei koha māna ki a tātau. Nō reira kia kaha tonu tātau ki te ako, ki te pupuri mō ake tonu atu.