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Ngā Pou o Puutake

Papa Hammond

HEAD OF PUUTAKE TE WĀHANGA MĀORI

Tākina te mauri ki tōku whare wānanga
He pou ūara i takea mai nō tikitiki o rangi
He pou matataki i takea mai nō tikitiki o nuku
Waerea te pou whakahiki te māramatanga
Waerea te pou whakapūmau te orangatanga
Ka tau taku mauri ki te mōwai ukuki nā ōku tīpuna mātua
Ko taku mauri, ko aku mokopuna te reanga o kai tua
Taku manawataki e ora nei
Uhi te mauri, wero te mauri, haumie, uie tāiki e

Kāwai Pāpā
Ko Ikurangi te maunga
Ko Tauae te awa
Ko Kiwa te moana
Ko Arai te tonga te marae
No Takuvaine te hapū o Tumu te Varovaro

Ko maunga tapu o Tahiti nui
Ko Kiwa te moana
Ko Taputapuatea te marae
Nō Mātahi tōna hapū
Nō Tahiti nui te henua

Kāwai Māmā
Ko Te Reina Te Maunga
Ko Waihou-hui-a-rua te awa
Ko Waihou te marae
Ko Waimirirangi te tipuna whare
Ko Te Rarawa te iwi
Ko Mamari te waka

Ko Umuhika te maunga
Ko Te Waikamihi te awa
Ko Ngati Umutahi te marae
Ko Ngati Umutahi te hapū
Ko Te Arawa, Ngati Awa, Ngati Tuwharetoa ngā iwi
Ko Te Arawa rāua ko Mataatua nga waka

Tini whetū ki te rangi, mau tonu, mau tonu
Tini tangata ki te whenua ngaro noa, ngaro noa
Kai aku mākuikui, kai aku mākorokoro kua whetūrangihia ki te pō
Ko te reo tangi tēnei ki a koutou e kore rawa koutou e warewaretia.

Taku kiingi, te pouwhītiki o te Kotahitanga me tō whare kāhui ariki,
Paimārire ki a koe, otirā ki te whare tapu o Pōtatau, nei ka tuohu.

I tipu mai au ki ngā ūara nā ōku pakeke ka mutu nā taku māmā. Nā konei ka tipu ki te tangata pēnei te arohanui nei ki te momo o te tamariki e noho wawahi taha. Mei kore taku tipu ki te kauta o te mōhioranga, e kore pea au e puta e pēnei ana te hanga.

Timata mai au ki Te Aho Matua, ki konei au ka taka taku aroha ki te rerehua o tōku reo Māori. Ka noho tahi au ki ngā rekereke o ngā tōhunga huhua puta i te motu ki te whanake i taku reo Māori, Ko Te Wharehuia tēra, ko Timoti tērā, ko Tawhao Tioke tērā, ko te tamahine a Apirana Ngata tēra. He māmā ki te toromi i roto I ngā māramatanga a ēnei momo tipua o te ao Māori i ōna wā.

Ka toru tau ki Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Manurewa hai pouhiwa, ka hūnuku ki Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Piripono, ka 3 tau ki te whakawhanake i te kura hai wharekura. Nō māua ko taku teina Te Wharekura o Piripono i whakataki ake mai i te tau 2005-2009. Nō muri, ka whai tūranga au ki Te Wharekura o Manurewa. Ka toru tau au ki reira kātahi au ka hoki atu au ki Te Wharekura o Piripono. Ka kotahi wāhanga te roa ki reira kātahi au ka wātea he tūranga ki Puutake Te Wāhanga Māori.

Ka ono tau noa iho au e noho ana hai Kaiako i raro i tō tātou pāpā a Hōri Pōmana. Nō tōna rironga, ka eke au ki te tūranga Pou riwhi o Puutake Te Wāhanga Māori.

Ka eke au ki te 2023, ka whakamanahia tēnei tūranga hai Pouwhenua ki Puutake Te Wāhanga nei.

Ka 13 tau au i tēnei tau e noho ana hai Kaiako mo tēnei kura.

He ngākaunui tōku ki te whakatipu mokopuna wawāhi taha ka mutu ki te mokopuna kua tohua koinei tētahi kura māna.

He mōhio anō nōku, e hara a Puutake i te papa takaro mo hunga ngoikore, heoi nā te mōhio ki ōna āhuatanga, māu anō e tohu. He whakapono nōku, mehe whaia koe i te tūkanga a tēnei kaupapa mai raro ki runga, mai runga ki raro, ka rongohia koe i te tini o ngā hua ka puta mai i a ia hai pukenga karawhiu ki te ao.

Ko te tono noa iho a Puutake, a, me hāere mai koe me te mōhio, he mahi te mahi ka mutu mā tēnei koe ka tipu ora mai ai tō katoa me te mōhio anō ko ngā haepapa nui, he māmā te whakatutuki.

E hara tēnei ngākaunui i te mahi, he ngākaunui kē me taku kii, mehe huri te ngākaunui hai mahi, he wā tōna me nukuhia koe i te kaupapa nei.

I was fortunate to have had the teachings of my mother and her siblings. My classroom was the marae kauta where unconsciously skills and learnings were given. I am so grateful for these leanings as they have shaped me to be the person I am today.

I began my teaching journey under the Philosophy of Te Aho Matua. Here I grew a patience for our language, protocols, rituals, and practice. I was fortunate to have had spent time with some influential people in our Māori world, Te Wharehuia Milroy, Timoti Karetu, Tawhao Tioke, and the late Mate Kaiwai who was the youngest daughter of the late Apirana Ngata. These just to name a few who help shape the person I have become.

My teaching journey began under the Te Aho Matua guidance where I pent 3 years at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Manurewa. I then returned back to Otara to Te Kura Kaupapa o Piripono as a deputy principal in a growing school. My brother and I worked tirelessly to grow a Wharekura and we were able do this by 2005 in growing to almost being one of the biggest Wharekura in Aotearoa.

In 2009 I worked at Te Wharekura o Manurewa with Matua Mahia. I stayed here for 3 years before I was asked to return back to Te Kura Kaupapa o Piripono to help support the tumuaki at the time to restart the Wharekura.

In 2012, now future thinking for my girls was about finding a kura back here in Manurewa.

Matua Hori had an opening and I asked whether he would have a position for me in his kaupapa.

In 2012 term 2, I was offered a position to teach in the kaupapa. I remained a Kaiako of Pangarau, Te Reo Maori, Marae kaupapa and kapahaka until 2017 we sadly lost Matua Hōri.

I have been teaching here ever since and now I am in my 13 year in this kura.

My passion is to help grow our mokopuna who choose to want to be a part of our kaupapa.

I fully understand that it is difficult to be in Puutake and you have got to want to be here. Once you fully understand what’s expected of you and you walk through this place, it has nothing but reward, growing and readiness to take on any challenge the world has to throw your way.

Puutake only ask for your best, it does not have high expectations, we have just named them to be high however they are and should be considered as being normal.

This is not a job for me, this is a passion. I have always said, should anything you do turn into a job, then it is time for you to leave.

Ko au ko Puutake, ko Puutake ko au!