Year 13 student, Mike Ronayne, shares in te reo his experience of a recent noho at Tuapiro Marae.

I te Rāapa te 8 o Haratua, i haere mātou, ngā tuakana rātou me ngā teina ki te marae o Tuapiro. A tēra wā i mahia te mahi o koeke tuatoru. Te mea tuatahi i noho tātou ki te whakawhitiwhiti korero mo ngā mahi i mahi mātou. Kua harikoa mātou ki te haere kei te wahi mo mātou mātua tipuna.

Tangata ako ana i te whare, te turanga ki te marae, tau ana.

The person who is taught at home will be able to stand on the marae.

I te rā tuatahi i tuwhera mātou i te marae o Tuapiro ki raro i te whakaruruhau o mātou kaiako me te kura kāreti. Te mea tuaua i tuhonohono koutou te mahere o mātou mahi ra. Te tikanga o te kaupapa ko te pohiri me pātai mātua i mahi ai. Ā muri tēra ka whakaparakatihi te pohiri, nā te mea i tata noa te wa i mahia. I te ahiahi pō i tae mai a Matua Tiare Timutimu mai te Wharekura o Mauao ki te korero kia mātou i ngā mahi Manu Kōrero. Ka nui te mihi ki a ia. A te mahi mutunga o te po ka noho tahi tātou ki te kai. Ka moe.

I te rā tuarua e mahia ngā tauira te pōhiri i raro i te matakitaki o ngā kaiako i ako mātou. A ra, ra! Ko wai i huna i muri i nga motoka? Ka puta mai te Pou Matua me te tumuaki o tā tātou kura. Ka karanga atu ngā tauira me ngā kaiako, “Haere mai koutou ki te pohiri te tumuaki me te pouako ki runga i te marae”. Ka tu matou i te pae. Heoi ano kei te titiro atu ngā kaiako kia mātou, “Kei hea ou panekoti kotiro ma?”, me ka titiro atu ki ngā tama, “Kei hea ou tarau roa tama ma?”. Ka whakaarohia mātou. “Taihoa whaea, ka oma atu mātou ki te whakamau ngā kakahu tika mo te pohiri. Ka timata.

I te rā tuatoru, he rā whakatā mātou. Ēngari me mahi mātou ki te whakaotinga ā mātou reo kōrero me te kuhu mai a Whaea Rosalie ki te awhina mātou te mahi kapahaka. A tērā wā ka haere mātou ki te kaukau waiwera i Athenree. Ka rawe te wā ki reira ki roto i te waiwera. A te wā hoki mai ka noho koutou ko Whaea Rosalie, ko Matua Shaan me Noelene ki te whakamahere ta mātou mahere kapahaka o te po. Tēnā ka karanga ngā ringawera, “Kua reri te kai”, ka noho mātou ki te kai hakari ki waenganui o mātou kaiawhina me ngā tauira o te Wananga o Aotearoa. Hei te mutunga o te kai ka whakapiri mātou ki te ako ki roto i wharekai te waiata himene mai te hahi Ratana, Ma te Marie. Kua oti tēnā ka ako mātou he pao mo te whakaeke o mātou whakataetae kapa o te po. Tino harikoa mātou tēnā mahi. Ka Rawe.