Kei te whakarite te tira o Te Wharekura o Te Kaokaoroa o Pātētere mō tētahi haerenga whakahirahira ki Hāpani.
Neke atu i te rua tekau ngā tauira me ngā whānau ka haere ki te whakawhānui i ō ratou nei pae tawhiti ki te ao.
Tekau mā whitu te pakeke o Rauhuia Tepana o Ngāti Raukawa, koinei tana tau whakamutunga ki Te Wharekura, ā, koinei tana wā tuatahi hoki ki te haere ki Hapāni.
“Ko ngā mea e whakahīkaka ana i au, ko te tūtaki i ngā tangata hou, ngā tangata hapani nei, te haere ki tāwāhi, i te mea he tino rata au ki te haere mā runga waka rererangi,” hei tā Rauhuia.
“Ko ōku tino ko te mātaki i te anime. Āe tino waimarie, he hōnore nui tēnei te haere ki tāwāhi ki te taha o te kura,” hei tāna anō.
Tekau ngā rā katoa o te haerenga, ka tau te tira ki Tōkio kātahi ka mawhiti atu ki Kīoto, ki Osaka. Kei te whakatakoto hoki te Tumuaki Tuarua o Te Wharekura, a Aaron Koopu, i ngā whakaaro mō te roa o te whakaritenga me ngā pūmanawa o te haerenga.
“Kua tau te wairua. Tērā pea kei te rongo ētahi i te hīkaka kia haere ki Hapani me te mea nei hoki, te nuinga o mātou tamariki kāore anō kia puta i tēnei rohe, kāore hoki ētahi kua puta i tēnei motu.” hei tā Aaron.
“He haepapa nui kua taka ki ngā pokowhiwhi, kua taka mai ki runga ki ngā whānau, otirā o tēnei kura o ngā tamariki anō hoki. Nā reira, āe kua roa mātou e whakarite ana mō tēnei kaupapa,” hei tāna anō.
“He mea nui ake i te haerenga noa iho. Ko ngā pūkenga, ko ngā pūmanawa, ko ngā wheako ka whakatōkia ki roto i tēnei haerenga, koinā pea te mea nui ki a au, te painga matua o tēnei haerenga.”
Mō Charlie Tepana, te pāpā o Rauhuia, he tino painga tēnei mō ngā tamariki me te whānau mai i ngā hapori katoa o Te Kaokaoroa.
“E harikoa ana kua whai wāhi atu rāua ki te tira haere o te kura nei kia takahi i whenua kē, kia kite ake i tua atu i tō rāua rohe, tō rāua iwi, he ao,” hei tā Charlie.
“Ko tētehi mea pāinga ki au ko te kite ake i te ahurea rerekē, e arataki ana i ngā tamariki o reira, kei roto i ā rātou mahi katoa, me ā rātou oranga katoa, ā kura, ā whānau nei, ā hapori nei.” hei tāna anō.