Kei te whakarite te Tira Haka o Ngāruahinerangi ki te hoki atu ki te papa tūngawaewae o Te Huihuinga o Ngā Tatarakihi 2026, ki Te Whare o Ruapūtahanga ki Te Hāwera.
Whai muri i tō rātou tū hei toa whakaihuwaka i te tau 2024, kei te anga atu tēnei kura teina ki te whakataetae mō te wā tuarua me te wawata nui kia whakakanohi anō rātou i a Ngāruahinerangi ki te whakataetae-a-motu o Te Mana Kuratahi hei te tau 2027.
I tērā tau, i mīhia te tū a Te Aomatangi Pearson mō tana whaikōrero ki Te Mana Kuratahi.
Hei tā Pearson, he mātua uara te horopaki o tana kōrero i te rerekē o tō rātou kura iti ki ētahi atu, “Ko te horopaki o tōku whaikōrero i tērā tau, ahakoa he maha ake i te rima tekau tamariki ki tō mātou kura ehara i te mea he waimarie tātou taki, e maha o mātou tuakana, he kura teina mātou e whakataetae ana ki ngā kura nui”.
He whakahirahira te reo me ngā tikanga ki tōna otinga heiākonga i roto i te kura kaupapa Māori, “He aha rā te kaupapa o te kura kaupapa Māori, ko reo Māori, ko te reo me ōna tikanga, ko ngā kōrero tuku iho, he aha rā te take o te kura kaupapa Māori ki te kore he reo Māori, he kura au noa, he kura Pākehā”.
I mihi hoki ia ki te poi me ngā kōrero tuku iho i whakatōkia ki roto i a rātou e tētahi o ngā pou o te kura “E whakakōrero ana te poi ki a mātou, ka mihi tēnei ki a whaea Ngapera mō ana i tū hei pou arahi mō tō tātou kura o Ngāruahinerangi mō ana i whakaū i roto i a mātou i ngā kōrero tuku iho, i ngā tikanga, i ngā poi karakia, i ngā poi manu”.
Ko Whiringaanuku Totorewa te kaiako matua o tēnei kapa, e tautoko nui ana i te whakatairangatanga o te reo Māori ki te kura, ki kainga hoki.
Hei tāna, ko tō rātou haka he wero nui ki te motu mō te whakarauoratanga o te reo Māori.
“Ko tō tātou haka pea te kaupapa nui me kī e wero ana ki ngā matua, ki ngā kaiako, ki ngā kura kaupapa Māori kaua noa ki tō tātou takiwā ēngari ki te motu, ngā kura e whakatairanga ana i te reo ēngari puta atu kura kāore ū ana ki te reo, e aha ana tātou ngā matua, ngā kaiako, ngā tumuaki ki te whakaū i te reo ki rō kopa, ki waho atu, ki roto tō mātou haka e pēnei ana “Mā te tuakana e tōtika ai te teina, mā te teina e tōtika ai te tuakana””.
E whakapono ana ia ko te kapa haka te ara e kawe ai ngā tamariki i te ao Māori i tēnei rā tonu.
“Ko te whainga matua o tō tātou kapa ki a whai wheako o tātou tamariki ki ēnei ahuatanga, ko tāku hiahia ki a toromi i a rātou i roto i tēnei ao Māori, i roto i ēnei ahautanga a Tane Rore, a Hine Rehia, he whakaū i ngā kōrero tuku iho mā ngā waiata e kī ana te kōrero “mā te kōrero e ora ai tō tātou reo”, ehara i te mea ko ngā tamariki ngā rangatira o āpopo, ko ngā tamariki ngā rangatira o naianei”.
Mō ngā whakaritenga me ngā ture o Te Mana Kuratahi, tūmanako ana a ia ki a whai whakaaro tonu ki ngā kura iti e whakataetae tahi ana me ngā kura nunui.
“Me he mea i au te mana ki te whakarite ētahi panonitanga mō Te Mana Kuratahi ka whakaritea ki a rua ngā wahanga, he wahanga tuakana, he wahanga teina ahakoa kua tini te ture 3.2.1 ki te tahi rau ngā tamariki me whai whakaaro tonu, ahakoa he tahi rau ki tēnei kura ehara i te mea he waimarie ēnei kura iti ki ngā tamariki takawaenga, he rima tau, he ono tau, he whitu tau te pākeke e whakataetae ana ki ngā tamariki o ngā kura waenga nō reira ae ko te wawata ka tū tonu, ki a tū maia, ki a tū papari hei raukura mō te tira haka, mō te kura, mō te iwi”.