I tēnei rangi, kua huihui ngā whānau, ngā iwi, me te ao kapa haka ki Mōkau Kohunui Marae ki te poroporoaki i tētahi o ngā pou tokomanawa o Ngāti Maniapoto me Te Kāhui Maunga, a Raymond Kaiki. He tangata i whakatōkia ki te humariretanga, ki te whakapono, me te aroha nui ki te reo Māori.
I tana haerenga whakamutunga, he maha ngā reo e whakanui ana i tōna mana me tōna koha ki te ao Māori. Ko tana tamāhine, ko Te Kotuku Kaiki, ka mahara ki ngā rā o tōna pāpā e mahi ana i a āna mahi kapa haka.
“I ngā wā i noho ai ia hei kaiwhakawā ki Te Matatini ko māua ko tāku tungane tērā e haerere haere ana ki tōnā taha, e noho piri tata ki ōnā hoa kaiwhakawā hoki, otirā, ki ngā tima maha i tau ai ia hei kaiako, a ki a rātou,” hei tā Te Kotuku anō.
“I whakarongotia ki a ia e hangahanga ana haere i ēnei waiata, tērā pea kei te wharepaku a ia, tērā pea kei te pātaka, kei te waka rānei ia, ēngari ka tō mai e ngā waiata mai i a rangi, mai ngā rangi tūhāhā ki roto ki a ia, nō reira tērā tētahi o ngā tino pukenga a pāpā,” hei tāna anō.
“Rest well, parps. Kua tae mai tou wā hei whakatā inaianei kei kōnei tō uri puku mahi ana e kawe ana i o mana, i o reo, i o karanga, no reira e moe e parp, e moe hoki atu ki o mātua tupuna, ki te kainga tuturu o tatou and I’ll see you when it’s my turn.”
Ko Ricki Baker, te Apotoro Takiwā o te Hāhi Rātana, ka whakamahara ki te hononga roa ki a Raymond mai i tōna tamarikitanga. “Ko te hononga ki a Papa Raymond mai tana tamarikitanga noho ia ki te taha tōku koroua ētahi wā, tōku kuia heke iho te wā a ka piri ana ki tōku whaea keke te nukunuku i te whenua ōtira kei waenga i a rāua kei te kite, kei te kore kite e roa te wā,” hei tā Ricki anō.
“He tino rite tonu ki ngā kōrero he momo ia, tōnā humariretanga, ka taukē ia i ēra kōrero a ngā kui, koroua, ngā tikanga, ngā kawa, pai ia ki te whakariterite, whakatikatika hei haere ngā ope i te humariretanga, i te ngawari, te rangimarie,” hei tāna anō.
I te taha o te rōpū Tūtū Ka’ika, ka whakanui a Clive Tongaawhikau Junior i te kaha o Raymond ki te whāngai i te reo Māori me ngā titonga hou.
“Te maha hoki, te tino maha hoki, rongo ana ki ngā kōrero o ngā rangi kua pahure ake nei, i a ia ko tētahi o te mea tino nui koia ko tōnā reo reka, tōnā puku mahi, tōnā kaha ki te tutuki i ngā wawata o a mātou matua tupuna ki a whāngai tonu te reo Māori ki runga ki a tātou katoa te iwi Māori,” hei tā Clive anō.
“Tō mātou roopu, i timata i te tau rua mano mā iwa i taua wā i te taha te roopu o WITT he poly tech ki Taranaki, katahi āno rā ka uru ngā tangata ki roto i taua akomanga me kī, te wāhi ako, ana ko te whakaaro o te kapa rā ki a tū ki ngā whakataetae nō reira koira te timatanga o tō tātou roopu, te whare wānanga,” hei tāna.
“Ahua taumaha tonu ki tōnā ngarotanga engari me mōhio tātou ki ōna kupu mēnā ka tū, me tū, mēnā ka waiata, me waiata, mēnā ka haka, me haka.”
Moe mai rā e te rangatira, kua hinga te tōtara o te wao nui a Tāne.