E manawanui ana te Māori ki ngā whāinga i tutuki ai i te hui taumata COP28 ki Abu Dhabi, ahakoa te korenga o ētahi hiahia nui i eke, pērā i te whai kia noho te taumata pāwerawera o te ao ki te 1.5 waeine tohurau.
Ko te kaiwhakahaere takirua o Hinemoana Halo, ko Aperahama Edwards, tētahi i haere ki te whakatakoto i tā rātou kaupapa.
“Ko Hinemoana Halo tētahi kaupapa e kōkiri ngātahitia nei e ētahi o ngā iwi o motu, puta atu ki ō tātou huānga o Te Moana nui a Kiwa, ko tana aronga matua, he tautiaki i te moana, otirā he tautiaki anō hoki i Te Tini a Tangaroa, kia puta ngā hua mō ngā uri whakaheke e ara mai ana,” hei tā Edwards.
Ko te whakakore haere i te whakamahinga o te koranehe tētahi hiahia a ētahi o ngā motu o Te Moana nui a Kiwa kāore i eke.
“Koirā tētahi o ngā hēmanawatanga i te hokinga mai i te hui nui nei o te ao. Ahakoa te pai o ngā kōrero, kua taima noa atu kia hipa i kō atu i te kōrero noa iho, ko te mate o te kōrero, ka noho ngutu kau ngā kōrero. Ā, kua tae noa atu ki te wā e mahi ai tātou i te mahi e whakaheke iho ai te pāweraweratanga o te ao.”
Hei tā Edwards, mai rā anō te Māori e tū ana hei kaitiaki mō te taiao.
“E ora tonu ana te hononga atu, te herenga atu ki te taiao, ki ō tātou tūpuna o te taiao, a Papatūānuku e takoto iho nei, a Tangaroa, aha atu, aha atu, aha atu e ora ana tērā hono. Ko te mate ki te ao tauiwi kua roa e noho ana, anō nei kei a te tangata te mana.”
“Ki a au koirā te hua o te tuku mā ngā iwi taketake e ārahi, e whakaputa whakaaro ki ngā huihui o te ao, hei aha? Hei whakaahu anō hoki i ngā whakaaro a te hunga e whakatau ana i ngā whakataunga nui, kia mātau ai rātou ki te hirahiratanga o tēnei mea te taiao.”
Kei te nui te mānukanuka o te Māori ki te tū a te kāwanatanga hōu ki te tautoko tonu i ngā mahi keri kōhinu i ngā papa moana o Aotearoa.
“Ko te mea kē, iti iho i te kore ira waru paihēneti o te putanga hā kino e puta nei i Te Moana nui a Kiwa, i Aotearoa nei anō hoki, engari ko ō tātou kainga, ō tātou hapū, ō tātou iwi te hunga tuatahi e aupehi kahahia nei e te pāweraweratanga o te ao, nā reira e hēmanawa atu ana ki ngā whakaaro a te kāwanatanga kia hoki kōmuri a Aotearoa i roto i te tū e pā ana ki te kōwiri.”
Koia pū te take, he mea nui ki a Edwards, kia haere te Māori ki COP28, ki reira horahia ake ai ngā whāinga tiaki taiao a te Māori.
“Hari ake te ngākau ki te kite, ki te rongo i te mārama o ngā kaikōkiri i ēnei kaupapa huri i te ao, ki te whakahirahiratanga o ngā mātauranga e mau ana e ngā iwi taketake o te ao.”
“Kō atu i te waru tekau paihēneti o ngā koiora o te ao, e ora pākaha ana ki ngā whenua e tiakina ana e ngā iwi taketake, nā reira ina hiahia te ao ki te kaupare i te wero nui kei mua i a tātou, me whai taringa, me whakarongo ki ngā iwi taketake, i kite ahau i tērā āhuatanga i ahau i Tūpaea.”