Ko tā Te Pakanga o Te Tarata he whakamahara i a tātou ki te māia, te manawanui, me te manawaroa nui whakaharahara o ō tātou tūpuna i te wā o te tautohe me te hurihuri o te ao, e kī ana te Minita Whanaketanga Māori Tama Potaka.
I tū ngātahi a Minita Potaka ki te taha o Te Whakatōhea, o Ngāti Ira i Ōpōtiki i te rangi nei ki te whakamahara i te huritau 160 o Te Pā o Te Tarata – he wāhi tino whakahirahira tūroa ake nei.
I mihia e ia te tino whakahirahira o te pakanga ki te iwi o Te Whakatōhea, ka whakanuia hoki e ia ngā tūpuna i tū ki te mura o te ahi hei kaupare hoariri i tō rātou whenua, me te rere tonu o āna kupu whakamiha ki ngā whānau kei te hāpai tonu i ngā kōrero tuku iho o rātou mā i tēnei rā.
“I te rangi nei kua karahuihui mai tātou ki te whakahōnore i te hunga i takahi i te whenua i mua i a tātou, hei whakamihi i te nui o ā rātou whakapaunga, me te mātua whakarite ka maumahara tonu ō rātou kōrero, kei wareware e ngā whakatipuranga e whai ake nei.
“He wāhi nui tō ngā whakamaharatanga pēnā i a Te Tarata i te whakapakaritanga ake o te pūmahara ngātahi, o te tuakiri ā-ahurea, oti rā, me te whāngaitanga o ngā kōrero tuku iho heke, heke ki ngā whakatipuranga e haere ake nei.
“Ehara i te mea he tirotiro whakamuri noa iho te take o ēnei whakamaharatanga – he huihuinga Iwi, he huihuinga hapū, hapori anō hoki te take hei whakapakari i ō tātou hononga, he whakaū anō hoki i tō tātou paihere ngātahi ki ngā rā o te ānamata e tū ake nei.”
I mihia anōtia e ia ngā rangatira o ngā Iwi me ngā hapori o te rohe i tā rātou mātua whai kia whakanuia te whakamaharatanga i runga i te mana me te rangatira e tika ana.
“Ko te mahi a te Karauna i konei i te rangi nei ko tētahi hīkoi haere tonu o te māramatanga, o te whakaute, o te pātuinga, me te whakahōnore hoki i te wairua tū tonu, tū tonu o tō tātou iwi.”
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