E ngā pononga o te kī, e ngā ringawera a te kupu, nau mai ki te wiki nei e hāpai ana i tō tātou nei reo Māori – mā te reo e whāngai te tangata nāna nei i tākiri te kai a te rangatira ki runga i tana tēpu kōrero. He hiakai nō ō tātou pou manaaki ākonga, arā nō Ngāi Tauira, kia tuhia tētahi paku kōrero e honohono ana i tēnei mea te kai, ki te reo Māori nei. Kia kaua e pōhēhē ka whakatakotoria kei raro iho i ngā hua o tētahi mahi rangahau. He mea tango kē mai i tōku ake māra whakaaro, whakarauika ai i konei hei kai mā te hinengaro. Ko te whenua tipu, he titiro ki ngā kīanga a te Māori e hāngai ana ki te kai. Nō reira, homai te tote, tikina he pihikete anō māu, e hika mā pānuitia mai! Ko te urupounamu i whiua ai ki runga i te tēpu nei, he aha hei kai mā te reo Māori?
Mā te tirotiro noa ki ētahi kōrero ō-paki whānui rawa te rangona, kitea ai ētahi whakaaturanga o te kai. Kia whakatauira ake tāku e mea ana:
“Anā tō kai!”
“Ka kai koe i ō hamuti!”
“Kai a te kurī!”
“He tamaiti wāwāhi tahā.”
He ōrite te tikanga o te kōrero tuatahi ki te ‘kaitoa!’ Arā, he kupu e whakaatu atu ana ki te tangata te korehua, te utu hoki o tāna i mahi ai. Ko te tuarua, he kupu whakatūpato kia kore e mahia tētahi mahi kei uru ki te raru. Ko te tuatoru, he momo kangakanga e whakataurite ana i tētahi āhuatanga ki tā te kurī e kai ai. Ko te mea whakamutunga ake, he kōrero mō te tamaiti haututū e whakahōhā ana i ōna mātua, e whakararu ana hoki i ngā mahi o te rā. Nā tana mahi haututū, kua pakaru katoa i a ia ngā hoe, ngā tahā e kawe ana i te kai hei oranga mā tōna whānau. Arā atu anō ngā kīwaha pēnei te hanga. Āe rā, e hia kē ngā kōrero ā-kīwaha e whakahua ana i te kai!
Kāore tēnei āhuatanga e ngaro i te reo whakaari, i te reo whakaniko rānei. Kei reira hoki ōna ake whakaahuatanga mō te kai. Kāore i ārikarika te huhua, te maha hoki o ngā whakataukī, pepeha, kupu whakaari rānei ko te kai te hanganga mō te kīanga rā. Kia whakatauira ake tāku e mea ana:
“Nā tāu rourou, nā taku rourou ka ora ai te manuhiri.”
“Te manu kai miro, nōna te ngahere. Te manu kai mātauranga, nōna te ao.”
“E moe hī aua, e ara hī tuna.”
“Mā te wera o tō mata e kai ai koe i te haunga ahi o te kai.”
Ko te tuatahi nei e hāpai ana i te mahi manaaki tāngata. Ko te tuarua he kupu akiaki i te tangata kia eke ki te tiketiketanga o tana maunga ako. Ko te tuatoru me te tuawhā nei e mea ana ka tutuki pai te mahi i te tangata pukumahi, kore rawa i te tangata māngere. Arā atu anō ngā kōrero whakaari e pā ana ki te kai, engari i ēnei tauira torutoru kei runga rā e kitea ai te whakaaro tāruarua a ō tātou tūpuna mō te kai.
Kei te mōhio kē koutou tē taea te ao Māori nei te huri-ā-porowhita inā kore he kai. Kei te mōhio hoki koutou ki te mahi o te kai i te wā kua riro tapu koutou hei whakanoa anō i a koe. Tē ai he hua o te kauhau ki te tira waiata! Engari he hua tonu i te whakatō purapura me te pātai, nā te aha tātou i tere huri ai ki te kai i a tātou e kōrero ana? Hei aha te kai ki a tātou kia pēnei tō tātou whakakīnaki kōrero e pā ana ki te kai? Kāore e kore he tēpu huatau kē, he kete whakaaro kē, arā he tirohanga kē ki tēnā ki tēnā o tātou. Me te aha anō, me huri te ihu ki hea hongihongi kakara ai? Kia tīkina anō taku pātai i horahia ai ki runga rā: he aha te kai a te reo Māori? Ahakoa tā te Māori e whai ana, huri ai ia ki ōna matea, mei kore aua matea hei oranga ā-wairua, ā-tinana māna, kua mate noa atu ia. Ko Papatūānuku tērā kei te whenua e noho ana āna tamariki, āna mokopuna hoki. Ko ngā rētōtanga o Tangaroa tērā e kauhoe ana ngā tūmomo ika katoa! Ka huri ana te Māori ki te kai, kāore ia e tiro noa ki te kai kua horahia i tana pereti, he tirotiro kē nōna ki te taiao e tāwhio ai i a ia hei poipoi ake i tōna hauora. Mā te kai e ora ai te tangata, mā te tangata e ora ai te kupu.
E hika, kua pau ngā kai! Kua noa noa iho tōku māra whakaaro! Kua maoa ngā tāmaoatanga! Ko te tūmanako nei kua mākona te hiakai, kua kikī te puku kōrero. Nei rā te mihi mahana e rere atu ana ki a koutou e pānui mai nei i tēnei wiki o te reo Māori. Kia reka te kai!