Ka hāro iho te rere o taku manu ki ngā whatukura, ki ngā māreikura, ki ngā ruānuku, ki ngā ruāhine o taku whare wānanga, ka tau, ka tau, ka tau hā! Tēnei taku whare wānanga te haramai nei i te uruhanga o nga atua hai tāhuhu o te whare kōrero. Kai noho koe ka whakaaro, he aha rā ia tēnei mea te whare wānanga? Kei ngā kupu ake, arā, ko te te whare wānanga tēnei mea te wānanga. Kia whakatewhatewhatia e tātau te whare wānanga.
Kia hikaia te ahi o maumahara ki ngā whare wānanga o tuawhakarere. Inā noa atu ngā whare wānanga i te wā i ā tātau tūpuna. Tīmata rā i Rangiatea, ki te rangi tuangahuru-mā-rua, ko Taputapuātea ki te moutere o Rai’atea, ko Te Papa-o-Rotu me Miringa-te-Kakara ki Waikato nei, ko Te Rawheoro ki Te Tairāwhiti, ko Te Kawa-a-Māui ki Tūhoe, ko Maninihau ki Te Arawa. Ehara noa tēnei i te kī koinei katoa ngā whare wānanga o te motu, karekau! Engari, he tauira noa e whakaatu ana i te tini o ngā whare wānanga i te wā i a tātau tūpuna. Ko ngā whare wānanga ngā whare pupuri i ngā kōrero tapu rawa o te ao Māori. I whakaakohia ngā tohunga ki ngā mahi o te toi, o te whare tū tauā, o te mahi kai, o te māra kai, o te kauae runga me te kauae raro, o ngā atua Māori, o ngā karakia tawhito, o te mākutu, o te aha, o te aha atu.
Ka whai wāhi ngā ākonga ki te kōrero, ehara noa i te mea ko te kaiako e whakaako ana, engari ko te kōrero i wāenga tahi i a rātau, koinei te tukanga ako. Ara noa atu ngā tikanga i whāia, ka mutu, he whakaawenga nui tō te tapu me te noa. Me tatari kia mutu rānō ki te whare wānanga e whai makau, ko te kaihau hoki i ngā akoranga. I kitea tēnei āhuatanga ki Pūkawa i te whakatūtanga o te Kīngitanga. I kaihau ngā tohunga o te motu kia puta tētehi whakataunga. Koinei noa ētehi o ngā tikanga me ngā āhuatanga o ngā whare wānanga.
Engari, nō te taenga mai a te Pākehā, ka poupoua e te Karauna o Ingarangi tōna mana ki runga o Maunga Tāmi, o Maunga Whakatuanui e! Kīhai noa i taro, ka turakina e rātou te poutokomanawa o te ao Māori, arā, ngā whare wānanga. 1907 te tau, ka mokonahatia ngā tohunga e Te Ture Tāmi Tohunga. Āe, i tautoko katoa tēnei ture e ngā mema Māori o pāremata. Āe, he tokoiti i hāmenetia e tēnei ture. Ēngari, nā tēnei ture huna ai ngā tohunga i a rātau mahi tohunga. Nā whai anō, i huri panemurikōkai tērā reanga ki ngā mahi tohunga, kāore i whāngaia ki ā rātau tamariki, kua waiho kē mā rātou e whakarauora i Te Korokoro o Te Parata. Ko Te Whare Tū Tauā o Āotearoa, Te Panekiretanga me Te Matapunenga tērā, tēnei ka mihi ake!
Nā kia uruparehia e au te urupounamu, he aha rā ia te hāngai o ēnei kōrero ināianei rangi? A kaati, i a tātau e whakaaro ake ki ngā unewhitiri, e kīa ana ko ngā “whare wānanga”. Nā koinei pū te ito o ngā kōrero, kai wareware tātau ko tēnei mea te whare wānanga, ehara noa i te mea he uniwhetiri, karekau! He rerekē te whare wānanga ki te uniwhetiri. Kia whakaaro ake ngā kōrero kua whārikihia, he whare ako, engari ko ngā āhuatanga me ngā tūkanga ako he rerekē. Mē pēnei pea te kōrero, ko te whare wānanga he whare wairua, ko te uniwhetiri he whare paraoa.
Nō reira kia kaha tātau te kimi māramatanga i ō tātau kupu, e mōhio ai tātau ki ngā kura huna o roto mai i o tātau kupu pēnei i te whare wānanga. Kia tīkina atu rā te kōrero o Ngāti Ohomairangi e mea ana, “Ta te wānanga he maioha. Ta te Tapere he tumanako. Ta te Maire he tapiri. Ta Tu Taua he tiaki. Ta te pukenga he māramatanga. Ta te tangata he whai!” No reira, tauwhirotia ēnei whare i ruia mai i Rangiatea, i whaoa e nga rangi, kaumanutia tenei taonga mokomokorea te reo whare wānanga!
