Kua tau te mauri ki Rūmaki Cafe i te Tiriti o Fenton, i Rotorua, whai muri i te whakatūwheratanga o te whare i tēnei atapō. He rā motuhake tēnei, i te mea i whakahaerehia ngā karakia katoa e tētahi tira wāhine anake, i raro i te kaiārahi a Ruiha Leonard.
Ko tēnei whare kawhe te mea tuatahi o Aotearoa e whakatū ana i tētahi taiao e rūmakina katoatia ana ki te reo Māori.
I te whakamāramatanga a Ruiha Leonard, he mea whakahirahira te whiriwhiri i ngā wāhine hei whakahaere i ngā ritenga o te atapō. “He pakihi nō te wahine. He wahine kei te pakari ki te whakatū pakihi. Nō reira i tono atu ki a ia, ā tēnā pea kia riro mā tētahi tira wāhine e whakatūwhera te whare,” tā Ruiha.
“Ko te mea nui, he whakaoho i te wairua, he whakaoho i te ngākau, kia mōhio rātou tēnei tū āhuatanga kei roto i a rātou,” tā Ruiha anō. “I riro nā te whakaminenga i whakaū te kaupapa nei. Ahakoa te taha ki ngā takutaku, ki ngā reo karanga me te whai wāhi o ngā taonga whakatangi a Hineraukatauri.”
E ai ki te kaipupuri o te pakihi, ki a Miraka Davies, i hangaia tēnei whare hei whakakī i te āputa e kitea ana i ngā wāhi o ia rā. “Haere pai ana ngā kura reo, ngā rautaki reo ā whānau, ā marae, ā iwi, ā hapū. Heoi, kei waenganui he āputa nui. Koirā ngā wāhi o ia rā,” tā Miraka.
“He tata ki te toru tekau ngā kaimahi, he reo Māori te katoa. Nā reira, he kaimanaaki te katoa. Tētahi e tū ana ki mua i te whare hei kaimihi,” hei tā Miraka anō. “Ko taku whāinga matua, kua ea ētahi wawata nui. Ko te kōhanga reo, ko te kura kaupapa, ko te whare wānanga. E haere pai ana ngā kura reo, ngā rautaki reo ā whānau, ā hapū, ā iwi, ā marae. Heoi kei waenganui he āputa nui. Koirā ngā wāhi o ia rā.”
Kei te tū a Hera Te Kurapa hei Pou Kāuta, e mahi ngātahi ana me ngā rangatahi ki te tunu i ngā kai o te whare. “Kei te ako tonu ahau i te reo Māori. Ka mutu, he uri ahau nō Te Arawa,” hei tā Hera anō. “Nau mai ki Rumaki ki te whakamātau i ngā kai namunamuā.”
Kua oti te taha ōkawa ā, ka rite te whare ki te tūwhera atu ki te marea hei te rua wiki e tū mai nei, kia hoko kawhe, tī, kai rānei i roto i te reo Māori.