Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – te ingoa hou mō Te Whare Wānanga o Otāgo

Here is the original interview (first broadcast on Manako, Radio Waatea, 21st March):

And here is my reading of the summary which follows:

I tēnei uiuinga ka kōrero tahi a Pohaturoa Waenga rāua ko Paulette Tamati-Elliffe. Ko Paulette te kaiwhakahaere o Kotahi Mano Kāika, he rōpū e whakaūkaipo ana i te reo Māori i ngā kāinga o ētahi whānau o Kai Tahu. He mema ia o te Runanga o Ōtākou, o Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, o Te Poari Matua o Te Mātāwai hoki.

Ko tā Paulette, e whā ngā tau e mahi tahi ana te whare wānanga me ngā tangata whenua i tēnei kaupapa. Ko te mea tuatahi, ko te ingoa ‘Ōtākou’ te ingoa tūturu mai rānō, otirā kua hē te whakahua i te mea nei, kua huri kē ki ‘Otago.’ Kua whakatikaina ināianei. E ai ki a Paulette, “Ko taua ingoa he awa moana i roto i te whanga o Ōtākou… ki ngā tīpuna he awa, e kawea mai ngā waka.” Kia a ia, ko te ingoa he tohu o te taetae mai o ngā waka o tēnā iwi, o tēnā iwi ki te rohe nei, nō reira, he tohu pai tērā mō te whare wānanga ki reira.

He pai hoki ki a rātou te whakauru i te whakaaro mō te waka, mō ngā waka hoki – kua kitea hoki i te ingoa Māori o Victoria University (ko ‘Te Herenga Waka’). Mō te kupu ‘whakaihu, ’ i huri hoki ō rātou whakaaro ki ngā tīpuna Māori i whai tohu ki reira – ko Te Rangi Hīroa (ko Tā Peter Buck ki ētahi) te tuatahi – me te whakaaro hoki, ko Ōtago te whare wānanga tuatahi i Aotearoa. Ko tētahi atu whakaaro, e hia kē ngā tāngata o tēnā iwi, o tēnā iwi kua ‘whakaihu waka’ ki te ao mai i te whare wānanga ki reira. Nō reira, e ai ki a Paulette, “I runga i tērā, ka whakaaro ko ‘Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka’ tētahi ingoa kia poho kererū ana te tangata, te tauira –  ahakoa ko wai, nō hea, he ingoa mōna.” Ko tā Pohaturoa kupu tāpiri, kua rangona whānuitia te kōrero mō ‘ngā toa whakaihu waka’ hei kupu mihi i ngā mātanga o tēnā, o tēnā kaupapa.

I ngā meneti whakamutunga o te uiuinga, ko tā Paulette, he tohu tēnei o te whakaaro pai o te whare wānanga ki te tangata whenua, ki ngā iwi Māori hoki, me te pīrangi kia pai tonu ngā herenga, kia kōkiri tonu te mahi tahi i ngā tau e heke mai nei.

Kupu āwhina:

whakaūkaipō to return (te reo) to its rightful place in the home

whakahua pronounce

taetae frequent or repeated arrival

poho kererū be proud

tāpiri add on

mātanga experts

herenga links