Kua whati te tihi o Hikurangi maunga, kua tikoki te waka o Nukutaimemeha i te ngarohanga o Taina Ngarimu (Te Aitanga a Mate), e 85 tau te pakeke.
I whānau mai a Ngarimu i te 29 o Hepetema 1940, i mate atu i te āhurutanga o tōna kāinga, o tōna whānau i te 15 o Tīhema 2025.
He tohunga mō te haka, he kaiaka e whāngai nei i ngā miro mātauranga ki ngā uri maha puta noa i Te Tai Rāwhiti.
Hei tā Ngarimu Parata o Te Aitanga a Mate, kei te memeha haere te momo i a Pāpā Taina mā.
“Ko te tangata nei, i tupu mai i Whareponga i te pūtake o te maunga nei a Kōkai.”
“Nā ōna tīpuna ia i whakatipu i reira - nā rātou i whakatō tētahi momo ki roto i te tangata nei.”
Kua mōhiotia whānuitia a Pāpā Taina i te ao mātauranga, i ōna rā hei kura māhita.
“E hia kē nei ngā tau e whakaako ana i te tamariki, i te tangata,” te kī a Parata.
“I puta ia hei kaiako i tōna wā, i noho hoki ia hei hei tumu reo Māori i te Kura Tuarua o Rītana i roto o Tūranga.”
Nā wai rā, ka anga atu ia ki ngā mahi whakaako i te Kōhanga Reo.
I te tau 2022, i whakawhiwhia a Papa Taina ki te taonga Tuakiri EIT Medal of Distinction mō ana mahi i te ao mātauranga, me te aha, koia tonu tērā e noho nei hei pou, hei pakeke ki ngā whare wānanga pēnei i a EIT, i a Mātai Medical Research hoki.
“He tangata toa ki te mahi pakihi, ki te hoko whare, ki te whakatikatika whare, ērā momo āhuatanga.”
Kāre hoki he painga i a ia mō te mahi haka - he kanohi kitea a Pāpā Taina ki ngā marae kāinga o Ngāti Porou, ki ngā whakataetae haka pēnei i a Karaitiana Tamararo.
Hei tā Parata, “I a Taina Koroua tētahi kawenga, tētahi tāera haka kāre pea e kitea i wētahi atu wāhi.”
“Ko ngā turi, ko ngā pona kia heke, kia whati. Ko te hope, ko te uma kia tīraha.”
I roto i ngā kura, i roto hoki i tōna ake kāinga, he whakaako, he whakaora i te reo me ngā hītori o Ngāti Porou.
“He rawe hoki ki a ia te whakaora anō, te whakaako i ngā waiata koroua o o tātou mātua, o tātou tīpuna.”
“Ka tangi ake te ngākau i te riro o o ērā mātauranga me te mahara anō kei tēnā, kei tēnā o ōna tauira i roto i ngā tau, kei a rātou tētahi paku wāhanga ōna, ka taea te whakapipi i roto i ngā tau.”
Kua hoki tōna tūpapaku ki Te Poho o Rāwiri Marae i Tūranga i tēnei ahiahi, kātahi ka hoki ki Whareponga, ki reira poroporoākitia ai e tōna rahi o Te Aitanga a Mate. Hei te Taite e tū mai nei, nehua ai tōna tūpāpāku i te rua kōiwi o ōna tīpuna.
Tangi huahua ko taumata wahine ki Houku, ko taumata tāne ki Taikehu. E te pāpā, hoki atu rā ki Whareponga, kia whakamātau koe i ngā wai parapara o te Hotohoto e.
