Kua whakakao atu ngā mātanga mātauranga ki Tāmaki Makaurau ki te kaupapa a Tuia Te Ako e whakapakaki ana i ngā mahi ako a Ngāi Māori. Tēra ētahi momo rāngai e tae atu pēnei i ngā kaiako, mātanga whakangungu hoki kia kōkiri whakamua ai i te angitū o Ngāi Māori.
E ai ki te tohunga hanga waka a Ben Birdsall, e hāngai pū ana te ahu mahi hanga waka hei huarahi whai mahi mā te Māori.
“Māori came down from Hawaiki to Aotearoa,” i mea atu a Birdsall, “that was all marine style adventure.”
“I think New Zealand and Māori especially have a massive connection to the marine industry. So being able to actually construct something that has some sort of heritage, some sort of tie to the past is a huge benefit to Māori and people.”
Koia tētehi o ngā kaikauwhau maha nō Te Uepū Whakangungu Ahu Mahi i tono ki te huinga o Tui Te Ako mō te wā tuatahi, anō hoki te hunga whakangungu i ngā mahi hangahanga, mahi ā-rehe me te hākinakina.
“He whakaohooho i ngā ngākau, ngā hinengaro o ā tātou tamariki,” i mea atu te kaiwhakahaere o te hui a Joe Te Rito.
“Te kuhunga mai tērā pea kua kite rātou, he Māori ēnei kaupapa tērā pea ka āhei au ā tōna wā ka eke au ki tērā taumata kua whai mahi au.”
Ko Birdsall tētehi o te tira, nā rātou i hanga ngā vaka hourua e whitu i te tau rua mano tekau mā tahi.
I whakaterea te kāhui waka hourua i te moananui-a-kiwa ki te whai mārama mō te ao taiao, ki te pupuru i ngā tātai hononga ki ngā whanaunga o ngāi moutere mā te tātai whetū.
“I think making a boat that you can feel completely proud of its huge,” i kōrero atu ia.
“I was always around boats as a kid but, I never really got to do something that really connected to where I was from. So being able to be involved with a boat that was from my heritage was awesome.”
“Ko te painga te whaitanga o tēnei huarahi, tēnei te haere ki te whare wānanga rānei te whare takiura, kāore te tauira te akonga e mate ki te utu,” ka kī a Te Rito.
“Ko tā wēnei o ngā trades, you earn as you learn. Te mutunga te whiwhinga o ngā tohu, kua whai mahi tonu rātou.”
Hei ngā tau e toru tū ai te ipu whakatere waka o Amerika ki Aotearoa, ā, e manako ana a Birdsall ka rahi ake ngā rangatahi Māori ki te whai i tēnei tūmomo mahi hei oranga mō rātou.