E rere e taku manu i te hā ō Ranginui
Ki ngā maunga kārangaranga o tōku papakāinga
Ki ngā wai kaukau ō tōku iwi, ngā wai tuku oranga mō te iwi
Hai tōku whakapapa, tōku here ki ōku tīpuna mai rā anō
Ko tēnei te reo hai whakaahua i ōku whakaaro
He reo whakapuaki i heke mai i a rātau mā kua nunumi atu ki te pō
Ko ā rātau nā taonga tukuiho, kai te mau tonu, kai te mau tonu
He uri tēnei nā Hinepūkohurangi e tāpiripiri nei i ngā kupu kōrero hai kaikanohi mā tātau katoa
Tīhei mauri ora!
Tēnā tātou e te tini, e te mano. Nau mai ki tēnei kaupapa motuhake, arā, ko te whakanui i ngā āhuatanga katoa o te ao Māori. I ahau e tipu ana, kaha rawa atu ngā hua o taku Māoritanga hei arataki i a au. He aroha mutunga kore ki ērā tāngata, ōku kuia, ōku koroua, ōku mātua, ōku kaiako, rātou mā i whai wāhi ai kia ora tēnei tūranga mōku. He nui aku mihi ki ērā tāngata kaha ki te whawhai mō te orangatonutanga o te reo te take. Me pēhea rā tātau te whakatipuranga nei e pupuri ki ngā kaupapa, kia mau?
This issue has no theme. I did not give it one but rather searched broadly for the kōrero of our tauira. The history that precedes us is overwhelming. We know about those who preempted us. They have fought for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, have fought for our people. To even have this space in a student magazine is a legacy that weighs deeply on my mind. One annual issue for our people is a small success, and only the first step on a long path. Our mana is strong in our spaces, but there is much mahi to be done in the mainstream.
To quote the first Te Ao Mārama in 1972: “There will be many people around this university who will be feeling left out after looking at the front cover of this issue. The intention is to help you feel just that. If you are not interested in Māori culture you will read little, if anything, in this Salient — and so perpetuate your ignorance.” We are not looking to leave out, but rather we invite everyone — including tauiwi — to come and listen to us as we talk to each other. Without assigning a theme, it feels right to have Tino Rangatiratanga hanging over this kōrero. The contributors to this issue are the fruits of some of the efforts of Tino Rangatiratanga. In Te Ao Mārama 2017 we wānanga on how to continue this kaupapa.
Nāku noa,
Nā Kahu Kutia (Ngāi Tūhoe)