Nō te ata nei tanu ai a Ahorangi Whatarangi Winiata, o Ngāti Raukawa, ki te rua kōiwi o ōna mātua tūpuna a Raumatangi, i Hōkio.
I tērā Raapa rere atu ai te wairua o Winiata ki ōna rau tini, rau mano, ki tōna makau a Francie Winiata, i a ia i te pūāhurutanga o tōna whānau i Ōtaki.
Nā te waipuke o tāngata i te ata nei puritia ai te wā taki i ngā karakia whakamutunga mō Winiata kia tae tonu mai te marea i tae tawhiti ki te Ahorangi tangi mōteatea anō rā.
Muia te marae o Ngātokowaru e ikapahi tāngata mō ngā rangi e whā, pango kitakita ana i te motu kua tae ki te marae tangihia rā te hekenga o maruiwi kua riro.
“E rere āwhiowhio ngā kare ā roto, e taka mai ana ki roto i te hinganga o tēnei rangatira,” te kī a Awhina Twomey o Ngāti Manomano, he karanga hapū o Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga.
“Ko ia kua haere tahi i te hunga i kaha ki te manaaki i te iwi Māori, i te ahurea Māori, i te reo i titiro whakamua hei pāinga mō mātou,” hei tā Twomey anō.
E mōhio whānuitia a Winiata mō ōna mahi whakarauora i te reo Māori ki ngā kāinga o Ngāti Raukawa.
I ngā tau 1970, tē rongo i te kōrero reo Māori atu i te waha o te kōtahi tangata i raro i te toru tekau tau.
Nā konā tutungi ai a Winiata me ngā Tarati Marae o Raukawa, me ART (Te Āti Awa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Raukawa ki Te Tonga, Ngāti Toa Rangatira) i te kaupapa Whakatupuranga Rua Mano i te tau 1975 ki te whakawhanake i ngā kaikōrero o te reo.
“Ērā o ngā iwikatea, rātou. Mehemea ēhara i a rātou tērā tirohanga matakite nei mō te whakarauoratanga o te reo, kua hāhā tonu tō tātou reo Māori,” te kī a tipua reo Rawiri Wright.
“Ko ia tētahi o ngā tino tauira o te whakatīnanatanga o te tino rangatiratanga, o te mana Māori motuhake, ēhara māna te pākīwaha noa,” hei tā Wright anō.
Tae atu ki te Rāhoroi, marū katoa te marae e te motu whānui, nā konā hongia a Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po i te kakara raukawa i tōia mai ai a Tainui waka ki te au o te tonga.
“I hiia ake i te kitenga ōna ki te taikorekore o te reo i roto i tōna whānau, i roto i ngōna marae,” hei tā Rahui Papa.
“Kāore e noho tapu nei te mātauranga ki te momo pērā i a Tā Tamati Reedy, Tā Hirini Moko Mead tae noa ki tēnei ki a Ahorangi Whatarangi Winiata, ēngari mātukutuku ki runga ki ngā rangatahi,” hei tā Papa.
I tae hoki a Mataatua Waka me te kawe mate o Tā Hirini Moko Mead, he hoa ki a Winiata i ngā tau hanga ai ngā Whare Wānanga huri i te motu, arā i tae hoki te kawe mate o Tā Tamati Reedy o Te Tai Rāwhiti.
Ko Te Whare Ariki O Te Heuheu hoki tērā me te kawenga mate o Tā Tumu Te Heuheu, Taranaki Nui Tonu, me te toenga o ngā hikuroa iwi o te motu i tae atu ki te tuku poroporoāki ki a Winiata.
Ko Winiata hoki te Perehitini tuatahi o te pati Māori (Māori Party), nā rātou ko Kahurangi Tariana Turia, ko Tā Pita Sharples i tīmata i te tau 2004, whai muri i te wehenga a Turia i te pati Reipa i tōna whakahē i te pire Takutai Moana (Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004).
“I roto i te Whare Paremata inā kē ngā momo āhuatanga e kitea mai ai, i kōrerohia ngā take, ā, i te wā o te raruraru, ko ia te tangata mārama,” te kī a Kaiārahi Takirua o mua o te pati Māori, a Te Ururoa Flavell.
“Kua rerekē te titiro, kua rerekē te whakatakoto i te kaupapa nāna tonu i whakarite, heoi anō, he kaupapa kōrero tērā mā te ao Māori,” hei tā Flavell anō.
Inā tata wiki rutua ai a Winiata e te māuiui, nā konā mate ai ia ki tōna kainga ki Te Manuao i Ōtaki i te Wenerei 3 o Hune. I taua wā tonu i tonoa tana tamaiti a Kimo Winiata i tētehi pānui ki runga o Pukamata, ki te motu whānui:
“Kia noho motuhake ia ki tōna whānau, waihoki, ki te hunga i kaha taunaki i a ia i ngā tau tata nei nō te rironga o māmā.”
I takoto a Winiata ki te marae o Raukawa i Ōtaki mō te wā poto, i mua i tōna huringa whakamutunga i te taone i arohaina ia i ngā tau.
Ko ngā tauira whare wānanga, mokopuna, tamariki me ngā whānau o te rohe i tū ki te taha o ngā huarahi matua o te rohe, ā, ki waho i te marae o Tūkorehe i Kuku, i mihia rātou i a Winiata i hipa i te marae.
Ko Tararua te maunga,
ko Hōkio te awa,
ko Ngāti Raukawa te iwi,
ko Ngāti Pareraukawa te hapu,
ko Ngātokowaru te marae.