Whakakorengia te VSM!
Tērā anō te mui o te mahi ki ngā pakihiwi o ngā māngai tauira Māori o te motu, rātou e whai i te ara pokepoke hei whai oranga ngā tauira ki ngā whare wānanga. Arā anō ngā tini take o te wā nei. Heoi, ehara i te mea he āhuatanga hou tēnei mō ēnei rōpū. Ko te ara takahi ai e rātou nō nā noa nei, he ara kōputaputa, he ara poutama ka ekea hei whakapāoho te reo o ngā tauira Māori ki te taumata o te hāpori whānui. Mā tēnei e taea ai ngā tauira te whakaputa whakaaro mō ngā āhuatanga maha ka pā ki a rātou. Ko ēnei rōpū māngai tauira he hokinga mahara ki taua whakaaro e mea ana he tikanga tō te whai mātauranga, ā, ko te ao hurihuri tētahi o aua tikanga. Atu i te pakanga mō ngā nawe pēnei i ngā pūtea taurewa me ngā tahua tauira (student allowance) kei te mura o te ahi rātou, tautohe ai mō ngā nawe e hāngai ana ki ngā take pāpori.
Ko te mahi a ētahi he whakahahani i ngā rōpū māngai, te kī kei te aro kē mātou ki te taha ‘mauī’, ki te taha ‘matau’ rānei o te kāwanatanga, otirā, ko mātou kē e noho kūpapa ana, te reo o te nui, o te rahi e hāpai ana i ngā nawe o te tokoiti.
Ko tā mātou nei mahi, he kawe reo o ngā tauira ki ngā rangatira o te Whare Mīere e mau nei te mana whakahaere o te motu. I te nuinga o te wā, ka tuku whakaaro hei hāpai i te mana taurite me te ikeiketanga mō ngā tauira katoa e whai ana ite mātauranga. Ae rā, he pai ngā rōpū mō te whakatipu tautohe, whakangungu wheako, whakanui whakaaro engari ko ngā rōpū o nāianei he ratonga matua ki te tokomaha o ngā tauira.
Ko te taupatupatu o tēnei wā e pā ana ki te pire e kīa nei ko te VSM (Voluntary Student Membership). I ahu mai tēnei i tētahi tikanga paremata, ka mutu, ko tōna tikanga he mea angitū, ehara i te mea he āhuatanga nā ngā tauira anō i whakarite. Nā tērā, ka whakapau werawera ki te whakamārama i ngā tini āhuatanga o ō mātou mahi, kaua ko te mahi i te mahi kē. Arā, kua mate mātou ki te whawhai i tēnei pire, ā, ka mate te tauira ki te whai huarahi kē hei tautoko i a ia anō.
He mea matua tēnei kohinga reo o ngā tauira e whakapāoho i ngā nawe o ngā tauira huri noa i te motu. I tēnei wā whakapaipai, whakatikatika o te wāhanga mātauranga, kua tino
whai tikanga te tauira reo tahi. Inā te pukumahi a ngā tauira ki te mau i tēnei tikanga o te reo kotahi, ko te reo e kōrerohia nei he mea e whakaputa i ōna māharahara mō ngā whakarerekētanga o te ao mātauranga. Ko tēnei te reo ka ngaro mēna ka whai hua te pire VSM.
Hei tirohanga whānui, ka taea te kī nā tēnei pire, kua whai wā tātou ki te tiro whakamuri ki ngā rā o nehe o te kāhui tauira. Ahakoa ngā whakapātaritaritanga o ngā tau kua pahure, ngā kaupapa maha e kōkirihia e te kāwanatanga, e kore te whawhai e mimiti mō ngā rōpū māngai tauira, ka ū tonu ki ngā whāinga a ngā tauira. Arā te whakatauki, ‘ko te pae tawhiti whaia kia tata, ko te pae tata whakamaua kia tina’ hei kupu tohutohu mā tātou. Kua tū māia te kāhui tauira kia whai hua te katoa o ngā tauira, ahakoa te aha, ā, me ū tonu ki te kaupapa matua.
I tēnei wā, kua āhei ngā tauira me te hāpori whānui hoki te kite i te pāinga o ngā rōpū māngai tauira. Mai i te pōwhiri tuatahi tae noa ki te whakapōtaetanga o te tauira i ngā whare wānanga, ka taea te kite he hua kei ngā rōpū nei. Mai i te whakatika kaupapa, ki te manaaki tangata, kua rongo ngā kōrero. Kua piki ngā taumata ki runga i te mahi whakatōhia e NZUSA. Ka takahi mātou i ngā huarahi o te Kāwanatanga, tuku ai i ngā whakaaro ā-waha me ngā whakaaro ā-tuhi nei, ka mutu, kua whakaputa ki te hāpori, kia toitū ngā rōpū tauira hei taura e honohono nei i ngā whare wānanga.