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Photo by Lesley Brook

Our Sacred Māori Voices

Lesley Brook —

A new book gives voice to Māori learners writing about their life experiences. Ka whakapuaki tētahi pukapuka hou i te reo o kā tauira Māori e tuhituhi ana mō ō rātou wheako whaiaro.

The editors of this newly published book, Our Sacred Māori Voices, are Associate Professors Kelli Te Maihāroa and Adrian Woodhouse. This book showcases the early years experiences of six Capable NZ undergraduate learners: Tracy Te Wake, Keri Ropiha, Bobbi-Jo Waikoukou Tuwhakaea Clark-Heu, Kera Baker, Kim Gotlieb, and Scout River Barbour-Evans. 

The collection of first hand reflective accounts, makes a contribution towards to the emerging field of Indigenous autoethnography by providing examples of a range of Māori voices and experiences. The graduates come from a variety of backgrounds, with diverse early life experiences and a range of locations across Aotearoa New Zealand. Their unique narratives reflect the distinct and dynamic lives of growing up and being Māori in Aotearoa.

The process of giving voice to one's own experiences in reflective writing can be helpful, capturing examples of resistance to the effects of colonisation and contributing to healing for colonised Indigenous people. Writing is also an opportunity to recognise the value of mātauraka Māori, wisdom and ways of knowing and being, handed down through generations with messages from the past that are still very relevant today and into the future. This book celebrates the richness of diverse Māori voices, thereby contributing to a growing awareness and understanding of Māori lived realities, through the lens of different histories and seeds of hope for the next generations. This book is a koha, a gift from the editors and contributors to the wider community.

Ko kā etita o tēnei pukapuka hou, ko Our Sacred Māori Voices, ko Ahoraki Tuarua Kelli Te Maihāroa rāua ko Ahoraki Tuarua Adrian Woodhouse. Ka whakaatu tēnei pukapuka i kā wheako tōmua o ētahi tauira tohu paetahi tokoono o Capable NZ: ko Tracy Te Wake, rātou ko Keri Ropiha, ko Bobbi-Jo Waikoukou Tuwhakaea Clark-Heu, ko Kera Baker, ko Kim Gotlieb, ko Scout River Barbour-Evans.

Ko te kohika o kā kōrero whaiaro nei e āpiti atu ana ki te kaupapa maea o te mātauraka momo takata mā te whakaratoka i kā tauira o kā reo me kā wheako Māori rerekē. Nō kā takeka rerekē kā kaiwhiwhi tohu nei, he wheako whaiaro kanorau ō rātou, nō kā wāhi whānui hoki huri noa i Aotearoa. Ko ō rātou pūkōrero tūhāhā e whakaatu ana i kā koiora motuhake, hihiri hoki i te whakatipuraka hei Māori ki Aotearoa.

He momo āwhina te whakapuaki reo ki ō ake wheako mā te tuhituhi whaiaro, e whakamau ana i kā tauira ātete ki te taunahataka, ka whakarato ki te whakaoraka mō ngā iwi taketake i taunaha ai. He takohaka hoki te tuhituhi ki te āhukahuka i te whaihua o te mātauraka Māori, o te mōhiotaka hoki, i tuku iho i kā paparaka me kā karere o mua, he kaupapa tino whaitake tonu i tēnei rā, ā tōna wā hoki. Ka whakanui tēnei pukapuka i rakatirataka o kā reo kanorau, kātahi ka whakarato ki te whakatipu aro, māramataka hoki i kā koiora Māori, mā kā hītori rerekē me kā kākano tūmanako mō kā uri e whai ake nei. He kona tēnei pukapuka, mai i kā etita me kā kaituhi ki te hapori whānui.