Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Horouta Wānanga students are the first finalists of the Young Enterprise Scheme national competition to pitch their business product in te reo Māori.
The Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) is a programme for New Zealand high school students to start and run their own business.
The business venture, Tuakiri, won the title of the Tairāwhiti regional winners earlier this year but, at the YES awards on Thursday, they also won the national excellence award, Te Anamata NZ Māori Tourism Award for Rangatahi Entrepreneurs.
Two students representing Tuakiri, Moana-Li Huriwai and Karauna Waititi were flown to Pōneke yesterday to present their product to the judges - fedora hats connecting wearers to their Ngāti Porou roots and cultural identity.
“Ko te wero ki a matou, ko te tuhono i ngā whānau o Te Tai Rāwhiti ki tō rātou Ngāti Poroutanga. Ānei ngā pōtae i te whakakotahi ai ngā whānau o Te Tao Rāwhiti ki tā rātou Ngāti Poroutanga,” says Huriwai, of Ngāti Porou.
“Our challenge was to connect our whānau of the East Coast to their Ngāti Porou heritage. These hats are to unite the families of the coast to our Ngāti Poroutanga,” Huriwai says.
The hats feature words and designs that connect people of the East Coast to their whakapapa while honouring the soldiers of the 28th Māori Battalion.
“Ko te momo pōtae he momo pōtae kaupoi pērā ki ngā pōtae i mau ai i a rātou ma o rua tekau ma waru. Ko ngā kupu, ko ngā maunga o Ngāti Porou Titirangi, Marotiri me Hikurangi. Ko te tohu, e hāngai ana ki te tohu o te rua tekau ma waru o te kamupene C,” says Waititi, of Te Whānau-a-Apanui.
“The hats are similar to the cowboy hats worn by the soldiers of the 28th Māori Battalion. The words represent the mountains of Ngāti Porou; Titirangi, Marotiri and Hikurangi. The design represents the C Company of the 28th Māori Battalion,” Waititi says.
Te reo Māori celebrated
Judge Raimona Tapiata, who is also fluent in te reo, said he was impressed by the product presented by Huriwai and Waititi.
“He mea nui tērā ki ngā whanaunga o Te Tai Rāwhiti i tuituia ngā whakaaro ki tērā hunga o Te Hokowhitu a Tū te 28 Māori Battalion me tā rātou ingoa ko ngā kaupoi. Nō reira e kite ana i te auaha o te whakaaro engari te hāngai anō hoki te wa kainga. Na reira ka mihi ki tērā āhuatanga,” Tapiata says.
“This is a big thing for the descendants of Te Tai Rāwhiti who were linked with those of the 28th Māori Battalion or, as they say, kaupoi. So I can see the creativity and innovation in their ideas, so I thank them for that,” Tapiata says.
But what was even better was listening to their pitch in Māori.
“E miharo ana. E miharo ana. E koa ana te ngākau i te rongo i te reo, i tō tātou reo Māori e pahotia ana i roto i tēnei horopaki me te mihi anō ki ō tātou rangatahi nō roto o Horouta Wānanga i tō rātou māia ki te kawe mai i te reo.”
“It’s awesome! I’m so happy to hear the language, our Māori language spoken and I say thank you to the students from Horouta Wānanga and their bravery to bring their language.”
Tuakiri sells hats online with three designs to choose from.
“Inaianei he timatanga tonu. Engari ko ētahi kaupapa i whai nei pērā ki Te Matatini, ngā kaupapa o Toitū Te Tiriti. Ka whakapakari, ka whakawhanui.”
“This is just the beginning. But some events that do follow are Te Matatini and any organised by Toitū Te Tiriti. We’re developing and expanding.”
Huriwai says, “Nō reira e te whānau haere mai ki tō mātou paetukutuku nei o kaupoi.nz ki te hoko he pōtae ma hau mā tō whānau rānei.”
Huriwaissays, “So whānau come to our website kaupoi.nz to buy a hat for you or your whānau.”
