Te Porotēhi Oranga Tamariki

I kōrero a Eruera Lee-Morgan ki a Rihi Tenana e pā ana ki tana whakahaere i te hīkoi ki Paremata mō te kaupapa Oranga Tamariki – 30th July, Manako, Radio Waatea.

Original interview:

 

Spoken summary (script below):

 

Kua mārama te tino whakaae a Eruera ki te tino whakaaro o rātou e porotēhi ana. Ko tāna, ‘Kāore pea he kaupapa i tua mai, i  tua atu i te oranga o ā mātou tamariki… me mutu pea te rāwekeweke  i ā tātou tamariki mokopuna.’ I kōrero ia ki tētahi o ngā kaiwhakahaere o te auporo, ko Rihi Tenana. Ko ia te pūkōrero mō te hunga e porotēhi ana ki ‘te ana o ngā raiona,’ ki te ‘ara poutama’ o te whare paremata.

Tuatahi, ka mihia te hunga rā e Eruera mō ā rātou whakapau kaha ki te hiki tēnei kaupapa. E ai ki a Rihi, ko te ngako o te kaupapa, mā Ngāi Māori ā rātou tamariki e tiaki, ā, me homai ngā rauemi ki a rātou ki te whakapai i ngā raru o ngā whānau Māori. Ahakoa kua whakapau moni te kāwana mō tenei momo mahi, e ai ki a Rihi – “Mō te aha? Mō te kore.” Ki a ia, me noho ngā tamariki i ō rātou whānau, i ō rātou whakapapa, i tō rātou ahurea, kia tū kaha rātou i tō rātou tuakiritanga. Ki a ia,  mehemea ka tino mōhio te tamaiti ko wai ia, ka piki ake te ora.

Ko te pātai a Eruera, me tuku rauemi ki a wai. Ko tā Rihi whakautu, ko te mea nui, ki ngāi Māori – otirā, tuatahi, ki ngā kaimahi o Whānau Ora  – nō te mea, kei te mahi rātou i te taha o ngā whanau, nō reira, me tuku ngā rauemi ki a rātou.

Vocabulary

porotēhi                        protest

rāwekeweke                 meddling, interfering

i tua mai, i tua atu       in this context, more important

pūkōrero                        spokesperson

‘te ana o ngā raiona’     figurative – ‘the lion’s den’

‘te ara poutama’            the ascending staircase – in this case, the steps of parliament

auporo                             usually, a strike – here, protest

whakapau kaha             put in effort

hiki tenei kaupapa         raise this issue

ngako                                in this context, the main point

rauemi                              resources

ahurea                              culture

tuakiritanga                     identity