E koropupuu tonu ana te wairua whakahii i Ngaaruawaahia whai muri i teetehi poo whakahirahira i Ahitereiria moo teetehi o a raatou uri. 

Ko Pura Hope (Ngaati Maahuta), te maamaa o te kaitaakaro o te Parramatta Eels, araa ko Te Hurinui Apanui Twidle. Kua hoki mai ki te kaainga i muri i tana maatakitaki i tana tama e rua ana piro ki te kapa West Tigers. 

“Kei te tau tonu i teenei aahua ki roto i a au i te mea kua roa nei ia e whai ana i teenei ara.” 

 Ahakoa i tata hinga te Eels, 22–20, he tino kaupae nui teenei moo te kaitaakaro rangatahi me toona whaanau.

I whakaae a Hope, i tata kore ia e haere ki te keemu, i te tuatahi i whakaaro ia kaaore pea tana tama e uru ki te whiira. Naa ngaa kupu akiaki a te hapori i panoni ai toona hinengaro — aa, inaaianei, he tino taonga taua whakatau ki a ia.

“Mai i Whaangarei tae atu ki te kaupapa netipooro AMNOL, ka kite au ki Makau Ariki raaua ko Nanaia ka mea atu au “Oh, kua whai waahi a Apa ki te tiima matua o Parramatta.” Heoi anoo ko te tekau maa iwa tana tuuranga. ka paatai mai raaua, oh yeah, e haere ana koe ki te keemu. Ka mea atu au kao,”

“Ka waihoo au, ka tae atu te katoa o te whaanau ki te keemu i te mea hei tuupono kaare ia e taakaro. Me te whakahoki koorero o te tokorua raa “Hei aha teena! Me haere tonu koe. Naa reiraa ka puta te whakaaro, aae me haere tonu au.” 

Ehara te haerenga o Twidle i te mea maamaa. I te 16 o oona tau noa iho, ka neke ia ki Ahitereiria ki te whai i tana moemoeā whutupōro rīki — he whakatau maaia, he whakatau uaua hoki moo te whaanau, hei tā Hope. Ko te neke atu i teetehi kura iti i Aotearoa ki teetehi kura nui rawa atu ki taawaahi, i tino whakaatu i te rahi o te panonitanga i paa ki a ia.

“Ahakoa aahua pakeke teena he aahua tamariki hoki teena. E haere atu ia ki Piripane me te rerekee rawa atu o teera waahi. Whaa mano tamariki kei roto i tana kura. Kaaore ano kia whaa rau ngaa tamariki ki te kura o Raakaumangamanga. Naa reiraa he tino rerekee.” 

Ahakoa kaaore pea te papa piro i huri ki te taha o te Eels, ki a Hope, ehara te hua i te mea nui rawa atu. Ko te angitu o tana tama te tino take, ā, e whakapono ana ia he tiimatanga noa iho tēnei — ehara moona anake, engari moo eetehi atu rangatahi hoki e whai ana i oo raatou moemoeaa.

“He nui ngaa puukenga kei waenganui i a taatou,”

“Ko ia pea te kanohi moo naaianei, engari ka whai mai anoo eetehi atu.”

I te tata mai o te keemu e whai ake nei, hei taa Hope, ka tae atu te whaanau katoa ki te tautoko — kotahi te ngaakau, kii tonu i te whakahii.