History and those oral histories that are passed on can strengthen the identity of the child and can get children to focus on their culture, on our culture. Regardless of where the child is from, whether Māori or Pākehā, it is important firstly that they know the stories of this region even if they are from another iwi. Because perhaps those stories are like a doorway for them to return to their own people and pursue their stories.

This is a good thing because more often the history we learn is told by someone else and comes from overseas and out of books that have been printed by Pākehā. To me, however, the stories of the Māori people and the stories belonging to iwi come from what we’ve been told by our ancestors.

See, you and I sit here in this same house, but the way I see the centre post of this house is different to the way someone else may see it. Although we are looking at the very same poutokomanawa, there are many different perspectives to consider.

To me, that’s a good thing. There are many perspectives held by Māori and by iwi. We must also have an awareness of the ways other people think, like the Pākehā people and the tools they brought, but also colonisation like the 3 C’s of colonisation – commerce, Christianity and civilisation.

These tools of colonisation still operate today but not in full view, and so the iwi should be aware and careful with these types of ideas that are still present in this world. We have to search. Many people have different stories like those associated with the great body of water, Rotorua. Despite Mokoia being in the very middle of the lake, we of Ngāti Whakaaue have our stories as do the other hapū that I am connected with. Ngāti Uenukukōpako, Rangiteaorere and also Rangiwewehi each have their own stories, and that’s a great thing. It is important, however, to hold fast to what you have been taught by the older generation.

Others also have their versions and we should accept this and not negate them.

To my knowledge, the iwi has not yet deliberated in terms of what sort of knowledge should be shared and what should remain solely with iwi. For some, it is agreed that it should be shared with whomever and with the general public also. For me, some of it is good to share.

And these stories will not be simplified, but it is of greatest importance to me that the people sharing understand what they are sharing. There are also many people who know these stories well but have not yet grounded themselves in their knowledge.

Our older people, they hold all the stories from when they grew up here – those ones who live here at home, on the pā at Ōhinemutu. They remember when the soldiers returned from World War 2. They heard the stories. So they are of great benefit, they were experts in the world around them. That’s an amazing thing, and when they pass, those stories will go with them.

Ko te kōrero hītoria, he kōrero tuku iho, he kura huna kia whakapakari i te tuakiri o te tamaiti, o ngā tamariki, ki a aro atu hoki ki tō rātou ahurea, ā, ki tō tāua ahurea Māori.

Ahakoa nō hea te tamaiti, Māori mai, Pākehā mai me mātua mōhio te tamaiti, tuatahi, ki ngā kōrero o tēnei takiwā, o tēnei rohe. Ahakoa nō iwi kē atu, he pai hoki tērā he oranga hoki kei roto mōnā. Tērā pea, ko tērā kōrero rā hei tomokanga mōnā, kia hoki atū ra ki tōnā ake iwi ki te whaiwhai atu ērā kōrero o tōna iwi.

Ka tika hoki, i te mea rā, i te nuinga o te wā, ko ngā kōrero hītoria i ahu mai i tāwāhi, mai i ngā pukapuka me wētahi atu o ngā kōrero, arā, nā ngā Pākehā i tā.

Engari ki au nei, ko te kōrero Māori me te kōrero ā-iwi, nō roto mai i ngā kōrero o ngā tūpuna. Ahakoa, ka titiro nei, ka nohotahi nei tāua ki roto i tēnei whare, ā, taku titiro ki te poutokomana o te whare he rerekē ki tētahi atu e noho ki tērā atu taha.

Ahakoa kei te titiro tahi māua ki tētahi mea, arā, ki te poutokomanawa o te whare, kei reira tonu he tirohanga ki taua take, ki taua kaupapa rā. Nā reira, ki au nei he pai, he nui hoki te kōrero Māori me te kōrero ā-iwi.

Me mōhio rā ngā whakaaro o iwi kē atu, pērā i ngā mahi o tauiwi mā me kī rā, me ngā mea e aru ana e rātou, me o rātou taputapu, me kī ngā rākau a te Pākeha, ērā momo mea rā o te colonisation rā, ngā 3 C’s of colonisation. E ai ki nga korero, Commerce, Christianity and Civilisation.

Engari, wētahi o ērā tools of colonisation rā kei te mahi tonu ērā momo mea i roto i tēnei ao, engari ērā mahi e āhua huna ana. Me maranga te iwi, kia mataara, ki ētehi o aua āhuatanga e rere tonu ana i roto i tēnei ao.

Rapu, nē. He kōrero a tā tēnā, tā tēnā, tā tēnā, pērā hoki i ngā kārangatanga e taiāwhio ana
i te Rotorua, te moana o Rotorua nei. Ahakoa ko Mokoia kei te pokapū o te moana, he kōrero tō mātou o Ngāti Whakaaue, he kōrero nō ērā atu kārangatanga ōku Ngāti Uenukukōpako, Rangiteaorere, a Rangiwewehi hoki. Nā reira he kōrero anō tā tēnā, tā tēnā, tā tēnā, he mea nui tērā.

Heoi, me ū, me mau ki ngā kupu a ō mātua. Heoi, kaua e whakahē atu tētahi atu kōrero, nē, me mōhio he kōrero anō tā tēnā, tā tēnā. Taku mōhio, kāre anō te iwi kia āta wānanga ko ēhea o ngā kōrero me noho mō te iwi anake. Mō wētahi, āe, me puta atu, me whākī atu, me whakamōhio atu ki tēnā, ki tēnā, ā, tae noa ki ngā general public.

Ā, ki au nei wētahi o ngā mea, āe, pai ki te tuku atu. Kāre i te mea hei tae māmā i aua kōrero rā, engari me mōhio hoki te ia o te kōrero, koirā te mea nui ki au, kia mārama te tangata e pā ana ki aua kōrero rā. He maha hoki ngā tangata e mātau ana ki ngā kōrero engari kāore anō kia hou o rātou rongo e pā ana ki ō rātou mōhiotanga ki ērā kōrero.

Ngā kuia me ngā koroua, kei rātou hoki ngā kōrero i te wā e noho ana rātou, pērā i ngā mea e noho ana ki te kāinga nei, ki te pā nei o Ōhinemutu. Maumahara rātou i te wā i hoki mai ngā hōia i te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao, i reira rātou i rongo ki ngā kōrero me ērā momo mea katoa.

Nā reira, he pai rātou, ā, me kī, he tohunga rātou ki o rātou nā ao. He mea nui tērā, ka mate rātou ka mate hoki ērā kōrero.