Kua whakahoutia ngā ara hīkoi o Pukerangiora Pā, he rā nui tēnei mō te hapū.
Ko te tūmanako o te kaiwhakahaere a Anaru White, ka waiho tēnei wāhi hei huarahi whakaoho i te mātauranga o te hapū.
“Ko tō mātou i tēnei rangi ka tūwhera tēnei kaupapa ā-hapū hei aha hei whakaoho tō mātou mātauranga ki ngā kōrero a te hapū ngā kōrero o Pukerangiora hapū ka tū au ki te whenua, ki te pā o Pukerangiora ko te tūmanako ka tae mai te iwi, te hapū te whānau whānui ki te aha? Ki te ako i ngā kōrero o te hapū āe ngā kōrero o mua otirā ngā kōrero mō ngā tau e tū nei, arā, ngā wawata ngā momoeā o te hapū,” hei tā Anaru.
“Ehara i te mea tēnei kaupapa i ahu mai i ēnei rangi tonu, kāo he kaupapa i ahu mai i ngā wawata i ngā moemoā a kuia mā, a koro mā, ā, ko te tino kaupapa ko te whakakotahi i te hapū kia hoki mai ki te whenua ki te ako i ngā kōrero ki te takahi i te whenua, tērā hononga ki te whenua koirā te tino kaupapa ki au nei,” hei tāna anō.
“Ki au nei he nui ngā hiahia mō ngā tau e tū nei tētehi pea ko te hokinga o ngā hapū ngā tangata ki konei ki te aha ki te ako ki te takahi i te whenua ki te whakapakari i ngā hononga kei waenganui i a koutou o te hapū otirā i a tātou nei o te iwi o Te Ātiawa”.
E noho tōtara wāhi rua a Kura Niwa, tētehi o ngā kuia o Pukerangiora hapū.
“Kua rongo mātau ki te wairua o te āiotanga inaianei, engari he mihi noatu mātou ki ngā iwi kua ngaro, koirā tāku nei he harikoa engari he āhua pouri hoki,” hei Kura.
“He wāhi motuhake he wāhi kua ngaro mō te wā roa waenganui i tō tātou nei hapū engari kua hoki mai mātou i raro i a mātou he kaitiaki mātou naianei koirā tā mātou tino harikoa mō tērā āhuatanga,” hei tāna anō.
“Ko aku nei hiahia kia mōhio pai ngā mokopuna ngā uri mokopuna ō tātou kei konei te kāinga kaua e papa…mataku te hara mai i orite ki a mātou e tamariki ana i tupu ake mātou i raro i ngā kōrero o ngā kaumatua, mātua hoki ko tēnei kī mai rātou he wāhi tapu tēnei koirā tā mātou i tupu i raro i te mataku haere i taua wā, engari kua tae mai ki runga i a mātou ki au hoki ahh pīrangi au te āta whakarite ēnei āhuatnga kia kore e mataku ō mātou mokopuna te haere mai ki konei”.
Historic reconnect at Pukerangiora Pā
The reopening of the Pukerangiora Pā walkways follows a $2.77 million investment by the government to restore the historic site.
Te Papa Atawhai (Department of Conservation) is leading the project as part of a broader strategy to support regional development and tourism, with a specific focus on uplifting the Māori economy.
Conservation Minister Tama Potaka highlighted this alignment during his announcement of his Māori Development Fund at Fieldays as part of his Māori Development portfolio.
“The strategy that we have around uplifting the Māori economy is one that we’ve been really aligned to over the last few years, we focus over in other parts of the country Tourisim of course Pukerangiora Pā in Taranaki doing the mahi out there,” Minister Potaka said.