To celebrate Māori Language Week, we hear from Trudi Ngawhare, Kaitiaki, Āo Hāpori (Community Ranger) and her son about their recent trip to Whangaokeno Island, East Cape, Hawkes Bay.
Mai i te Urunga o te ra! Ko Whangaokeno te moutere ki te rawhiti. He mahi Atawhai mo te oranga o nga hitori, nga manumoana, nga kekeno, nga tuatara me era atu mokomoko. Korekau nga nanakia ki reira. Anei he korero poto na taku tama, he tauira o Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o kawakawa mai tawhiti, i haere mai ki taku taha ki te ako nga mahi taiao ki reira.
Na Te Aho Matariki Haenga o Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Kawakawa mai Tawhiti te kaituhi:
“I nga wiki kua pahure atu, i hanatu ahau ki te moutere o Whangaokeno mo toku wa tuatahi. I reira i ako ahau i etahi mea hou, pera ki te hopu i nga manu, me te titiro haere mo nga Tuatara hoki. Ka puta mai nga momo kararehe nei i te po anake, a, ka mahi matou i te po.
Ko Whangaokeno te moutere! te tirohanga ma runga wakatopatopa ki reira. Whangaokeno is the Island! The view from the helicopter over to the island.
Ko toku tino mea pai i runga i tenei moutere ko te haerenga ki te wahi ra a Whangaokeno.
Ko toku nei mahi i runga i te moutere i te wa whiti mai o te ra, ka hikoi haere i runga i te moutere, a, ka whakapai i nga wahi hikoi pera i te topi rakau ka rehu nga taru a matua Joe hoki. Kia ata haere matou mo nga whare manu. Katahi ka haere ki te moana kia tiki he kai moana pera ki te kina, paua, koura, ika hoki mo te tina, a, i te wa po, ko tera te wa ka hopu manu me te titiro mo nga tuatara.
A muri i te hopu i nga manu ka hoki atu tatou ki te teneti. Ko tenei te wahi ka mahi a Papa Hal raua ko Matua Joe i nga “banding”. Ko nga “banding” kia tautuhi i nga manu me ona tipuranga. Ko oku nei whakaaro mo te haerenga, he tino pai! ka tino pirangi ahau kia hoki atu ki tera moutere. Ka tuku atu te mihi kia Papa Hal, Matua Joe, Matua Donny hoki, ki a Koka Lib me toku mama a Trudi mo te hari atu i ahau ki te moutere o Whangaokeno.”
I tuhia ahau te nama o te ‘band’ me era atu korero mo Uncle Joe. I recorded the band numbers and other information for Uncle Joe.
Na Trudi Ngawhare o Te Papa Atawhai ki te Tairawhiti:
Ko tenei mahi ki Whangaokeno hei tautoko te rangahau mo te oranga o nga manumoana o Aotearoa, hoki, te oranga o te whanau tuatara e noho ana ki Whangaokeno kua puta mai i te tau Ruamano tekau ma rua. He tino pai ki te haria toku tama ki te moutere o Whangaokeno, a, no te iwi nei a maua me te tima katoa i mahia ki reira. I mua i te haerenga, ka kii toku tama ki ahau “Eta Mama, kei te mahi koe i nga wa katoa, i nga hararei, i te po, mo te aha” ,a, ka marama ia inaianei he tino aroha moku mo te mahi taiao, ka noho tenei aroha kai roto i a ia inaianei tonu
I muri i te ‘banding’ me te ine taumaha, Ka matohu te manu, a, ka mohio matou te manu i whakaoti. After banding and weighing, we mark the bird so we know which are completed.
From the rising of the sun stands Whangaokeno! The Island through the eyes of our youth.
From the rising sun lies Whangaokeno Island off East Cape, where we work to look after the historic values, seabirds, fur seals, tuatara and other lizards. The island is pest-free. Here is a short story from my son, who is a student of the local school Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Kawakawa mai Tawhiti. He visited the island with me to learn about our conservation work.
By Te Aho Matariki Haenga of Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Kawakawa mai Tawhiti:
“A couple of weeks ago, I went to Whangaokeno for my first time. I learnt to catch birds and look for tuatara. I learnt that they only come out at night, so we worked at night. The best part was just to be on the island.
Pai kare manu! kaua e ngau toku ringa! i muri i te mahi, ka tukua te manu ki waho. Crikey bird! Don’t bite my hand! Once we have banded the bird, we release it outside.
During the day I walked around the island clearing tracks while Uncle Joe sprayed the weeds. We also had to watch out for the bird burrows when we were moving around. We went down to the beach to get seafood for dinner – kina, paua, crayfish and fish. Afterwards, we went out into the night to catch the birds and look for tuatara.
We took the birds back to the main tent. Here Uncle Hal and Uncle Joe weighed the birds and put a band on their legs so we can identify them later. If we catch them again we are able to see how much they have grown and where they have come from. I think the trip was very mean (cool)! I really hope I am able to come back to the Island one day. Thanks to Papa Hal, Uncle Joe, Uncle Donny, Aunty Lib and my mum Trudi for taking me to the island.”
Ko au me toku mama Ko Trudi, Wetiweti te tuatara! | Me and my mum Trudi, these tuatara are mean (awesome)!
By Trudi Ngawhare, Department of Conservation, East Coast:
Our work on Whangaokeno supports the national seabird monitoring programme and also monitors the health of the tuatara population that were translocated here in 2012.
It was awesome to take my son out to Whangaokeno representing our local Iwi. Before we visited my son said to me “Mum, you are always working, in the holidays and at night, what for?” Now he understands my love for conservation work, an appreciation that now lives on in him.
Ka po! ka Awatea! Te urunga o te ra! | Twas dark! Then the dawn! First to see the rising of the sun!
