I roto i te whai ki te whakakī i ngā whāwhārua i te rāngai mātauranga hei whakaako i ngā hītori o Aotearoa, e whakapau kaha ana te kaiako Māori nei, a Lachlan Holt, ki te whakamahi i ngā pae pāhopori ki te kawe i te “Hitori o Aotearoa” ki mua.
E 24 tau te pakeke o Holt nō Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, he kaiako i Hamilton West Primary School.
Koia hoki te kaiwhakahaere i te whārangi Paeāhua “Aotearoa History,” ko tāna e nanaiore nei, kia whānui noa atu he māramatanga tītaha kore nei e pā ana ki te hītori o tēnei whenua.
Ko te mea e whakatenatena ana i a Holt ki te mahi i tēnei kaupapa, e ahu mai ana i te wā i ako hītori ia i te kura, i tōna tau 8.
“I te tipu ake (au), he iti noa te whānuitanga o taku mōhiotanga ki te hītori o Aotearoa.”
Ko tana whārangi Paeāhua hei tāna, he mea whakaatu i ngā hītori o Aotearoa mai i te tirohanga kāore anō kia pokea.
Hei tāna, e ngākau nui ana ia ki te whakaatu i te tika, i runga hoki i te huarahi ki tua o te “ara Pākehā” e whakaakona ana i ngā kura.
“I pīrangi au ki te ako atu mō ngā hītori o Aotearoa kia tika ake taku whakaako i aku tamariki,”
Ko tana whakapau kaha i ahu mai i te hiahia ki te whakarato ki ngā whakatipuranga kei te heke mai, he māramatanga ki ā rātau taonga tuku iho.
“Ko te whārangi mō au kaore rawa i tino pai ake, i ngā tirohanga rānei, engari he kaupapa hei ako māku i ngā mea e taea ana e au, ā, (ka) tohatohahia tēnā hei hono atu ki tētahi reanga tata ki aku tamariki kura.”
“Ko te nuinga o aku tauira karekau e aro ki ngā pakipūmeka roa.”
Ka whakaako a Holt i ngā tamariki tekau mā rua ki te tekau mā toru tau te ohinga. Ā, kua kite ia, he rautaki pai tēnei e rata pai ai rātou.
“He aha te mea he iti nei te whakatenatena, ki te hopu i tō rātau aro.”
He kūaha anō te mahi pāpāho e tūhono atu ana i a Holt ki ngā taonga Māori tuku iho.
Kua tūtaki ia ki ngā tumu hītori o te rohe, kua whai hononga hoki ia ki ētahi kaitotohe rongonui. Ko te ara e takahia ana ki te ako i nga hītori, he ara hoki e whai māramatanga ana ia ki a ia anō.
“Ki ahau nei, he Māori kiri ataahua, he tino rawe te kite i te iwi Māori e tino tautoko ana i tēnei kaupapa ina toro atu ahau ki a rātou.”
Hei tā Holt anō, i tipu ake ia i tētahi taiao i whakaarotia ai, kāore i pai ki te tū Māori mai. I karangatia ake te tū Māori, he kino kē.
“Ki taku whakaaro i roto i ngā tau kua pahure ake nei, kua rerekē aua whakaaro, ā ka kite i te awe o te kōrero ki te hunga pēnei i a Tame Iti me ētahi atu kaitotohe i hanga (hoki i) tō tātou hītori.”
