Ko te kaupapa o tēnei rārangi kōrero kia whakamōhio atu kia koutou te hunga kaipānui, kō wai mātou, ā, he aha hoki a mātou mahi? I te tuatahi me hoki whakamuri pea ngā whakaaro ki te wā timatatanga o te ropu whakaari e kiia nei ko Taki Rua. I whānau mai a Taki Rua i te tau 1983, i taua wā tonu i tipu ake te whakaaro i roto i te hinengaro o ngā kaiwhakaari kia whakarite tetahi atamira, taumata rānei hei whakapaoho i te reo Māori me ōna ake pakiwaitara. I ēnei rā kei te ora tōnu te reo Māori, he paingia ana te whare tāpere o Taki Rua i Te Whanganui ā Tara aa ki Aotearoa whānui.
I te tau 1995 i whakarewangia ai e matou tētahi kaupapa hōu. Kō tōna ingoa ko “Te wā o te reo Māori”, ko tōna tikanga ka whakarite mātou i tētahi whakaari reo māori hei whakahaerere ki ngā pito katoa o Aotearoa. E toru ngā pūtake motuhake o tēnei kaupapa. Ko te tuatahi kia whakarahi, whakakaha hoki i te reo māori o ngā kaiwhakaari me nga kaimahi i roto i enei tumomo mahi. Ko te tuarua kia tae atu tēnei mea angitū ki ngā taiohi katoa o te motu ahakoa ki hea, ahakoa ko wai. Ko te tuatoru, ka tu ngā whakaari reo māori hei rauemi mā o tātou tamariki i roto i ngā kura kaupapa me ngā kohanga reo hoki. Tae noa ki enei rā tonu, ko mātou anake o Taki Rua e whakahaerere ana i ngā whakaari pēnei ia tau ia tau.
Ko ‘Te Kumara Reka’ te ingoa o te whakaari Māori o 2009. Ko Matiu Te Huki te ingoa o te kaitito, ko tēnei tōna wa tuatahi mo te tuhi whakaari. Pērā hoki i ngā tau kua pahure atu – he kaupapa motuhake anō ta tenei whakaari, aa he kaupapa mā te hunga rangatahi hei whai whakaaro mā ratou i ngā take, raruraru hoki e whakaawe ana i a rātou i roto i tēnei ao hurihuri.
I ai ki a Matiu Te Huki nāna te whakaari i whakaingoatia pēnei i te whakatauki “kaore te kumara e kōrero mō tōna reka.” Mea mai ia mōna i kite i te hunga rangatahi e noho pouri ana e noho whakamā ana aa ka toko te whakaaro me tuhi whakaari ia hei whakatenatena i a ratou, kia tu maia aa kia manawanui hoki te tu o te taiohi.