Yo, whakarongo mai ki te ata hōu o Nukutawhiti, i kitea e te kitenga o Te Hoata Mihaka Rāta. Engari, he pukapuka whakakata ake tēnei i ngā tau katoa i mua. He kōwhiri ake na au, na, i te mea kua hiahia tātou ki te whakakore i te whakamataku, me te hiahia ahau kia kaha te whakakōrero. Ko au te kaiwhakaputa pukapuka nā te mea ko wai ahau, me taku pūkenga ki te kōrero pūrākau. Na reira, koinei te mahi ka whakakōrero ahau. Kei te whakakōrero i ngā pūrākau whakamā.

 

I grew up, like so many of you, sitting happily in the knowledge that I was Māori and that was enough. Understand this, it’s hearty in the North for half-cast kids. Not in the ways you think but because we’re luckier. There’s this level of privilege that comes with passing in spaces that require a level of sophistication. By that, I mean the waiting room at WINZ.

 

“Oh, that’s YOUR son? Well come along this way sir, we can help you.” As my brown father takes me and my brother to sit across a case-manager who’s cast all but a singular cursory glance at his lengthy file. Nodding as he asks for money to purchase a little kai–he makes sure to not look them too directly in the eye. But you can’t help but notice she looks at you with a sad face, sympathising with you as if you’re in some dire situation. White saviour complex much?

 

I grew up, like some of you, all over the place. Never anywhere longer than a year as my pop jumped from job to job and tried to hold it down for his sons. Showing what it was like for a man to provide for his whānau, making sure that we had kai and clothes so we could make the varying levels of hīkoi to and from school. We were happy kids, making sure to be each other’s best friends as it’s hard to make those connections when you’re changing schools.

 

Being Māori, for me, has always been about connecting with my tūpuna in any way possible. Wearing my taonga, or even just listening to waiata māori–everything is connected and being one with the whenua. But never stop moving forward. 

 

I grew up, like all of you should have, a MASSIVE warriors fan. Thanks Dad for that one, because this may be our year my bros. Up the Wahs. 

 

Hei tēnei, e koro mā. Mihi nui ki a koe mō te whakapau katoa e koe mōku me ōku teina. Ahakoa kāore koe i te whakararuraru, i whakaako koe i ahau kia whai i te tāne. Aroha atu au ki a koe, e koro mā.