Mā te whakapapa anō te Māori e whai tūnga; he tātai whakapapa ki ngā tūpuna. Ko tā mātou te Takatāpui, he kimi, he rapu i a rātou mā o mua hei kaupapa whai mō mātou e titiro whakamuri ana, kia anga whakamua.
I te tau 2000, i whakatū a Elizabeth Kerekere te Tīwhanawhana Trust hei wāhi ārai mō te takatāpui ki te whakapuaki i o rātou ake kōrero, ki te whakatū hāpori hei waihotanga mō te hunga e whai ake. He rōpū haka tō te rōpū nei mō te hunga takatāpui, o rātou whānau, hoa hoki e tautoko ana i tēnei kaupapa. Ka tū ngā parakatihi hei te 5:30pm o te Rāmere. Tēnā, wāea atu ki a Elizabeth (027 404 8277) mō ngā pitopito kōrero.
I tōna tīmatanga, he rōpū haka mō te rohe o Te Whanganui ā Tara, heoi, kua whai tūnga te rōpū nei i roto o Aotearoa, i te ao hoki. Ka tohutohu hoki mātou i ngā tikanga ki te hāpori takatāpui, ki te taiohi takatāpui inā ko te whakatumatuma te pānga nui ki te hunga nei. I ngā marama kua pahure, kua tautoko mātou i te hui takatāpui e kīā nei ko KAHA, te hui Agender me te hui ā-motu o UniQ. He reo tohutohu hoki mātou ki te kāwanatanga me ōna pokapū mō ngā kaupapa takatāpui.
He mea anipā te kite i ngā whānau Māori e whakarerea ana i te hunga kua whai i tēnei ara. Ko tā mātou, te whakahono i te takatāpui ki tōna Māoritanga. Ko te waka kawe i tēnei kaupapa, ko te kapahaka. He whakahōnore anō hoki i te hunga takatāpui o mua kua taongia e te kupu mate ki te rārangi whakapapa.
E ai ki ētahi kairangahau rangatira Māori hoki, kāore rawa tēnei hunga tāne moe tāne, wahine moe wahine rānei i noho ki Aotearoa i mua mai i te taenga o tauiwi. Ki roto i ngā rātaka o ngā kaitārai waka o Wīwī i ngā rau tau 1700 ngā whakahē ki tēnei whakaaro1. Anō hoki, e tautoko ana wētahi kōrero tuku iho ki tēnei whakahau2. Tāpiri atu ki tēnei, ko ngā mōteatea e wetekina ana i ngā kōrero whaiaipō, kōrero ekeeke hoki3 e whakaata ana i te tirohanga, “he maha ngā āhuatanga tauonioni e rekareka ana ki te tangata. I whiriwhiri te tangata i te tāne, wahine rānei mō te rehia. ā, e kore rawa tēnei āhuatanga e whakahē ana i taua wā.”
Ko te whakapānga nui whakahirahira ki te āhua tauonioni o te Māori i tau mai i te ekenga o tauiwi ki kōnei. I te whakaupoko o ngā ture o te kāwanatanga o Ingarangi, whai mai ngā ture o ngā hāhi e whakahē ana i te takatāpui4, i ngā au whakaheke o te Pākehā ki te whenua nei i ngā tau 18805. Kua roa nei te reo takatāpui e noho muna ana, heoi e upoko pakaru ana te rōpū o Tīwhanawhana kia rangona tonu te reo nei i ngā tau kei mua.