Tuia i runga. Tuia i raro Ka rongo te poo Ka rongo te ao I te koorero, i te waananga Kei te waanangananga te poo Kei te waanangananga te ao Tuia te mahara ki Te Tarata! Tuu tewhatewha tuu ki Te Whakatoohea! E kore e wareware ngaa mahi aupeehi, ngaa mahi taami i ngaa tau rangatira. Kua eke ki te 150 o ngaa tau o Te Tarata. Te whainga mai o Mangataawhiri, o Rangiriri, o Rangiaowhia, o Oraakau, o Pukehinahina, o Te Ranga. Me maumahara taatou! Ahakoa te ngaawari o nguha, ahakoa te mamae o mate! Koia tonu ko te kikini o te whatu manawa ki te hunga i pae ki te papa o te whenua, ki te papa tonu i murua e te puu. Tuu te kauae ki te whakahou i te Mana Maaori Motuhake e! The Kiingitanga remembers well the contribution of Te Whakatoohea in its establishment. The situation at Rangiaowhia saw the rise of Rev. Volkner on the landscape of NZ conflict. Later, Te Whakatoohea was wrongfully attributed with his death and the wave of confiscations spread like wildfire on your ancestral lands. We acknowledge the great leaders like Te Hira Te Popo and those of the Tairaawhiti Expedition who embarked in support of the invasion of Waikato and the Kiingitanga. That reciprocal support continued into the modern era with Ngaakohu Pera and his Waioeka Troupe who always treated the Koroneihana of King Koroki with excellence of haka and song. These commemorations mark a milestone point in the history of our nation in the hopes that all New Zealanders will embrace our history and learn from the suffering of our past. We wish Te Whakatoohea a brighter tomorrow. A tomorrow that is founded on the trials and tribulations of yesteryear. For from the gloom of historic confilicts, a pathway of restitution, of prosperity and ongoing self determination can ensue. Ko te kupu a Taawhiao: Ko te pakanga i runga i teenei whenua kua rite ki te kookaa harakeke! Kei a koe te paahuatanga i teenei raa, kei a au apoopoo - ka wheeke, ka wheeke! Paimaarire Kiingi Tuheitia |