Ko Dante Karangaroa o Te Ātihaunui a Pāpārangi nō te awa o Whanganui, te tāne hohe rawa i Aotearoa. I riro i a Karangaroa taua tohu i tana toahanga i te wāhanga takitahi wātea o te whakataetae Whitirau ā Motu i tū ki Tauranga i tēnei tau.
Heoi hei tāna, ki te kore te whakatenatena a ōna mātua, kua kore ia e mōhio he aha te āhua o te haumāuiui, ka mutu kei te waia haere tonu ia ki tana ekenga hei tāne pakari rawa i te motu.
“He āhua rerekē,” te kōrero a Karangaroa. “Kaare tonu au kia āta whakaaro atu i te wā nei, heoi anō kua hoki tika atu ki te mahi i tēnei wā, ana ko te tūmanako ka tau haere hei ngā wiki tata nei, ā, ka tau te maramatanga. Engari tua atu i tēnā, kaare tonu au kia āta whakaaro atu.”
“Ko ōku mātua kua kotahi rau paihēneti te ranga wairua mai.”
Nā rāua i akiaki i a au kia eke ki taku taumata toa, ā i whai wāhi nui tērā ki roto i taku akiaki i a au anō, ko taku kotahi. Tūturu, ki te kore rāua, tērā pea kua kore au i kōkuhutia ki te hākinakina (nei).”
“I kōkuhutia atu ahau i taku taiohitanga. I mahi mekemeke au i mua i te whitirau. Ko ōku mātua i mahi whitirau, nāwai ka tōia au ki te waka, kātahi ia ka āhua titi iho, ā ka whāia e au i te wā o te kura tuarua. Ka mutu, i te putanga i te kura tuarua, ka whakatā ahau nōku e rangahau ana i Te Whanganui a Tara, ā, i ngā tau tata ki muri nei, ka hoki au, ka tīmata anō ki te whakataetae,” te kōrero a Karangaroa.
E 23 tau te pakeke o Karangaroa, hei tāna i whāia e ia he mahere kotahi tau te roa e whakangungu ai ia i ngā rā e ono o te wiki, e hia hoki ngā hāora i te whare whakapakari tinana.
Hei tā Karangaroa, i tahuri ia ki te kimi mātanga kai taiora hei awhi i tāna e kai ai, ā, i mate nui ia ki te tuku i tōna katoa ki te whakataetae, kia angitu i te taumata kairangi o te whitirau.
“I whakatakoto au i te whāinga i tōna kotahi tau ki muri, he tau kotahi i mua i te whakataetae i te hui ā motu, ko taku hiahia kia toa, āna koia hoki, i ia rā i mua atu (i te hui), ko ngā marama 12 ki muri, ko te whai, ko te eke panuku. Nā reira he nui nāku i tuku i te wāhanga ki taku noho i ia rā, i tamō au i te kāinga i ngā wā katoa, i nui ake te wā i pau i a au i te whare whakapakari tinana, tērā i te noho ki te kāinga. Inā te nui nāku i tuku i te ahunga atu ki te hui ā motu, he nui ngā mahi i whai wāhi atu ki te kaupapa, he nui hoki te whiriwhiri mahere.
“I tēnei wā, kua whai mātanga kai taiora au, ko Bailey Rogers, nāna hoki i toa ai te wāhanga takitahi wātea a ngā wāhine i te hui ā motu. Nā reira koia hoki te wahine hohe rawa i Aotearoa. Ko māua tahi i tū ki ngā ahurewa toa. Ko ia ka whakahaere i tāku e kai ai, he aha hei kai, hei āhea kai ai, ka mutu he mea nui tērā i roto i ngā mahi whakangungu.”
“Otirā, ka kore te kai i ngā kai kino e awhi i a au, nā reira he mea nui ia i roto i taku rōpū tautoko.”
“Ā, i ngā wā kaare au i te whakangungu, kei te whare haumanu koiri ahau, kei te whai tikanga haumanu rānei au, kei te noho pea ki rō whare mamaoa, kei te kaukau rānei. Ka mutu, i wāhia ērā whakaritenga i waenga hoki i aku mahi. Ka whakaako au i ngā akomanga e toru i ia rā, ā, ko aku mahi whakangungu hoki kei tua atu i ērā,” te kī a Karangaroa.
He kaiwhakangungu whaiaro a Karangaroa, i Awanui Cross Fit and Primal HQ i Whanganui. Hei tāna, ka kore te whitirau e rite te tautokona, te whai pūtea tautoko rānei i Aotearoa nei, tērā i te āhua i whenua kē atu, e āhei ai ia ki te mahi whitirau i ngā wā katoa. Heoi kei te wawe te tipu mai o te hākinakina nei, ā, e tūmanako ana ia, ā tōna wā ka pau katoa i a ia te wā, ko te whitirau te mahi.
“E hanga tētē tonu ana te hākinakina (nei) i Aotearoa, tērā i te hanga i Ahitereiria. Te nuinga o ngā kaiwhakataetae i reira ka āhei kia mahia i ngā wā katoa, hei aha rā te mahi ki mahi kē atu. E pērā ana nā te tautoko nui ake. Kei te hiahia kite au i a Aotearoa e tahuri mai ana kia nui ake te tauoko,” tā Karangaroa kōrero.
Kei te haere a Karangaroa ki Poihākena, whai muri i te hui ā motu, ki te tātāwhai i te huihuinga Down Under Cross Fit Champs, he hui i oti tuarima mai ai ia ko tōna kotahi, nō roto mai i ngā tāne pakari rawa e 30 o te rohe o Oceania.
“I whai wheako nui au i tērā whakataetae. Ko te wā tuatahi tērā i wehe au i Aotearoa ki te haere ki tētahi whakataetae pērā. Engari, he rite anō ki te hui ā motu, he wheako rerekē. Te tūtaki ki ngā kaiwhakataetae pūwherowhero i reira, he ngoi anō i puta i a rātou, he āhua rerekē i te ngoi ka puta i a rātou i Aotearoa nei. He nui ake ngā kaiwhakataetae i reira, he nui ake ngā kaiwhakataetae ka puta hoki i te rohe o Oceania. Engari ko ngā whakahaere o te whakataetae, he rawe. Ko tāku noa, he kai i te nui o te wheako i taea e au te kai,” e ai ki a Karangaroa.
Hei tāna, he nui ake ngā Māori me ngā tāngata Pasifika e tahuri ana ki te mahi whitirau, kaua mō te taha whakapakari tinana me te taha hauora noa iho, engari mō te whānui o ngā tāngata o ngā iwi, o ngā taipakeke katoa e pārekareka ana ki te hākinakina nei.
“He nui ngā tāngata ka whai kia pakari tonu te oranga. Kei te nui haere te Māori i ngā wāhi pērā i Rotorua, i ngā whakataetae Māori hoki pērā i Mata Toa. Nā reira he nui te Māori i ngā mahi whitirau, ā, kei te mātotoru haere.
“Taku mōhio, he whakataetae e tū ana mā ngā tamariki 12 tau te pakeke, ā, ko te kaiwhakataetae whitirau pakeke rawa, kei ōna tau e 80, nā reira he maha. Ka haere ki ngā whakataetae, ka hanga rite te mahi a te katoa. He hunga rite nei ngā whakaaro i tō taha i ngā wā katoa, ka hiahia whakapakari tonu i a rātou anō, ka hiahia tiaki i a rātou anō.”
