Toitū te marae, toitū te hapori - Te whakapakari i te manawaroa o te whānau, he marae mariko, he marae kikokiko
Our marae are cultural bastions for hapū and iwi and will play an integral role in developing whānau resilience in this programme – Karanga lines during the pōhiri at the Initialling of Te Ruruku Pūtakerongo Deed of Settlement for Taranaki maunga, Aotearoa Pā (photo: Te Korowai o Ngāruahine).
Ka rongo tonu i ngā huarere taikaha me ngā pāpātanga o te āhuarangi hurihuri puta noa i te ao me te aha he ki ngā iwi taketake kua ki ngā tāmitanga, rau patu, rironga o te whenua, kaikiritanga me te toiharatanga. Mō te whānau, hapū me te iwi, he mea nui te kapatau o te āhuarangi hurihuri ki te hononga ā-wairua ki te whenua, ki te wai, ki ngā tāonga anō hoki. Nā te whakamahi, nā te whakaiti a te whenua tātāmi i ngā tikanga whakahaere ka puta mai ētahi āhuatanga whakahaere i te taiao, tē hāngai ai ki te ao Māori (e ai ki tā te Māori titiro). I runga i ngā tautika-kore ki ngā hapori Māori, ko tana mataara, tana urupare, me tana whakaora i te wā ka puta mai ngā āhuatanga māori, tōhore kau ana. Ko tana āhei ki te urutau ki te āhuarangi hurihuri, me whai i ngā ara ka taea te whakawhenua, te whakawhanaunga, me te huritao anō hoki. Kia noho mātāmua ko te oranga o te hapori, ā, ko te marae te huarahi ka takahia, kua whakaritea ngā whānau mō ngā kaupapa anamata e whakapakari ai i te manawaroa. Ka whakatewhatewha tēnei hōtaka mō te rangahau i ngā marae mariko rāua tahi ko te marae kikokiko hei rongoā matua ki te whakapakari i te manawaroa o te whānau. Me tana arotahi ki te urutaunga ki te āhurangi hurihuri, ki te takatū, ki te urupare, ki te whakaora, ki te tūhura i ō tātou marae (ā-mariko, ā-tinana) ka mutu, ka mātaihia te wāhi ki a ia.