“Taku pōhiri e rere atu ra, ki te hiku o te ika, te puku o te whenua, te pane o te motu ki te whakawhititanga i Raukawa i te Waipounamu e!”

Nei ra te reo pōhiri o ngā uri o te Tairawhiti, o te Urunga mai o te ra.

E rāhiri, e raupī ake nei ki te tini ngerongero o te tī, o te tā kua karapinepine mai nei ki runga o Wai-o-Hika Irirangi. Hitaratara ana te kiri i te pāorooro o ngā reo karanga a kui ma, i te whēorooro o te takahi pakahukahu o Te Aitanga a Mahaki, o Rongowhakaata, o Ngāti Porou whānui.

Kua tu anō te Whakataetae-a-Motu mō ngā mahi a Tānerore me Hinerehia, ara Te Matatini o Te Ra ki Wai-o-Hika. Whā tekau ma rua ngā rōpū, me kī ngā kawau mārō o ngā rohe o Aotearoa whakawhiti atu ki te Whenua Moemoea. Kua roa nei rātou e parakatihi ana, kaore e kore kua rutua a roimata, kua heke a mōtuhi, kua tu ngā pihi, ahakoa tera ko te mea nui kua tae rātou ki te mura o te ahi, te kauhanga riri, ara ko te papa-whakatuwaewae o Te Matatini o Te Ra ki te whakaatu ki te iti me te rahi te hua o a rātou mahi.

“Ko Ruaumoko e ngunguru nei, i au au aue ha!”

Kua puta te ihi me te wehi, haruru ana te papa-whakatuwaewae, tutu ana te puehu, whētero mai ngā arero, pukana mai ngā whatu. Katahi ka rongo te marea i te reo waiti, te reo wainene, te reo rōreka o ngā kaihaka.

“Hitekiteki, tarapekepeke, tiremiremi”

Ka kite i ngā wahine i pikari, i hīteki. Ka kite i ngā ika a Whiro e whakapuaki i a rātou whakaaro ki te hunga e mātakitaki ana. Kua tu i a kapa ki te haka mō ngā ra e toru, a whaimuri i tera i kōwhiria ngā kaiwhakawā ngā kapa e iwa kua eke ki ngā whiringa whāiti. Ko ēnei ngā kapa haka rōpū kua eke ki te whiringa whāiti:

Kua eke te nuinga o ēnei kapa ki te whiringa whāiti, me kī ki te karamatamata o te ao Kapa Haka. Ko tēnei te wā tuatahi i kite te marea i ngā uri o Waikato Taniwharau a Te Pou o Mangatāwhiri i tēnei taumata, nō reira me mihi ka tika ki a rātou ma.

Ahakoa pupuhi mai ngā hau a Tawhirimatea, maringi mai ngā roimata a Ranginui, poutūmārō ngā rōpū kapa haka me ngā kaitautoko kua whakarauika mai nei ahakoa te āwha o te marangai, koira te tohu o te matangareka o Ngai Maori.

Kei te amo mai ngā parekawakawa o ngā mate e ngā rōpū. Kei te hahae te tau o te ate o Te Whanau-a-Apanui me kī ngā uri o Mātaatua me Tauira mai tawhiti waka mō te rangatira a Wiremu Tawhai. Kei te pātuki te manawa o Te Waka Huia, o te Waihīrere me kī o te Tairawhiti mō te ruahine a Pimia Wehi. I whakanuia e Te Mātārae I O Rehu i to rātou tuihi māreikura a Taini Morrison, ko ia tētahi o ngā pou o te kapa whakahirahira nei.

“Moe mai ra koutou, hokia ki o tātou matua tīpuna

I te mutunga o te ra whakamutunga o Te Matatini o Te Ra i whakaatu, i whapaoho ngā kaiwhakawā ko wai ka hua, ko wai ka tohu. Kei ngā uri o Apanui Ringamutu, ara ngā manu tīoriori o Te Whanau a Apanui te taumata tuatoru. Kei ngā whetu o Te Waka Hui te hōnore nui o te taumata tuarua. Engari ka hoki te tohu whakahirahira ki Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe, ki ngā uri o Te Arawa a Te Matarae I O Rehu.

Nō reira me mihi ka tika ki te komiti whakahaere o Te Matatini o Te Ra, ki a Joe Harawira mō o koutou whakapau werawera kia pai ai te rere o ngā mahi. Nei anō te mihi matakuikui ki a koutou ngā uri o Te Tairawhiti mō to manaakitanga.