Kaitiaki
Nā Kura Wehipeihana
He kaitiaki tō tēnā, tō tēnā. He mea pai, hei whakatūpato i te tangata. He kaitiaki oranga tangata, he matakite, he whakatūpato i te tangata. Mō tātau te Māori, ō tātau kaitiaki he maha. He poaka, he kurī, he tuna, he manu, he ruru ētahi. Rite tonu ki te anahera nā Te Atua nei i hōmai hei tiaki i a tātau. Kāore tātau e mōhio no hea. Nō neherā, nō rātou mā nō ō tātau tīpuna.
He kēhua, he kaitiaki rānei?
Tā māua haere he whakamōhio atu, he tono ki taku kuia, kei te hiahia māua ki te moe i a māua. Whakaaea pai noa iho mai a ia. "Tāhau e pīrangi ai kei te pai. He tangata hūmarire, he tangata kaha ki te mahi, māhau e atawhai tēnei tangata aroha ki a koe. Mahia mai ngā moenga. Anā a ia ki te rūma o mua moe ai," tana kōrero. Ā kāti, ko taua rūma, hāngai atu ki tō mātau urupā. Ko waia kē mātau. Ko māua ko taku kuia ki roto i te rūma tua atu i te kīhini. Mahia e au ngā moenga.
Nō te roanga ake o te pō, ka haere mātau ki te moe. I taua pō, ka maranga mai taku kuia, ka haere māua ki te wharepaku o waho. Ka tangitangi mai ngā ruru, e whā rawa. Ka kī taku tīpuna, "E whā rawa. Te mea tuawhā, he manuhiri nā tāua. Ngā mea e toru kai te tiaki i a tāua, kai te pai tāua."
Kāore au i āro ake ki ana kōrero i taua wā. Ka hoki māua ki rō whare. Ka haere te wā, ka karanga ake a ia, "Kai te kainga ahau e te kēhua. Tikina tō hoa ki roto ki tō tāua rūma, i runga i tērā moenga."
Ka haere au ki te tiki, ā, ka kōrero atu i ngā kōrero. "Kai te pai, he kaitiaki tēnā nōku. Kaua e māharahara. Kai te pai. Ki te kite koe, he mea pai. He whakatūpato kai konei a ia kai te tiaki i ahau." Ka whakamōhio atu ki taku kuia.
I a māua i Te Rāhui marae i Tikitiki, i tētahi tangihanga, ka rongo māua i te ruru nei e tangitangi ana. I te matenga o tōna kōkā, ka kite au e noho ana i waho, i runga i te wini. Taku kītanga atu ki taku hoa, ko tāna whakautu mai, "Kai te pai, he tangata haere, ko taku kōkā kai i a koe ināianei." I kua mate tōna kōkā. He kaitiaki, he whakatūpato i te whānau o tēnei rohe.
Te kupu nei a te kaitiaki
I haere māua ko tētahi wahine ko Topsy te ingoa ki te whakatūtū Kōhanga Reo mō ngā mokopuna i roto i te rohe o Wairarapa. Te tono mai ki a māua kia whitu ngā Kōhanga Reo, ā, e rua marama te wā. Pō, ao, koinei tā māua mahi. Tētahi ki Frasertown, e rua ki Papawai, tētahi ki Carterton, e toru ki Te Oreore. He hui, he hui i ngā wā katoa.
I tētahi o ngā hui, ka pātai tētahi kuia, "He tapu ā tātau mokopuna. He tapu tēnei kupu a te kaitiaki. He aha koutou i tapa ai te ingoa ko 'Kaitiaki', pēhea kē a kaiāwhina, a kaiako rānei?"
Ko taku pīrangi mā taku hoa e whakahoki. Ka kī mai a ia, "Kāore, māhau e whakahoki."
Ka noho puku ahau. Nō te roanga ake, anei taku whakahoki.
"He tika tō kōrero e kui, he tapu tēnei kupu a te kaitiaki. He tapu anō ā tātau mokopuna. Kai te mōhio tēnā, tēnā, he kaitiaki tōna. Mehemea he kurī, he manu, he poaka, e mōhio ana. He mea ngaro ki tēnā, ki tēnā. Nā reira, ka tapaina e mātau he Kaitiaki. Nā Te Atua te mokopuna i hōmai ki a tātau hai manaaki, hai tiaki mā tātau. Nō reira he tapu ngā mokopuna, he tapu te kupu nei a Kaitiaki. Ka kī mai taua kuia, "Kai te tika e hine, he tapu ā tātau mokopuna."