Tihei Mauri Ora!
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa, te whānau o Te Mauri o Ngā Waiata.
E te iwi, e ngā mātua, e ngā rangatira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.
It is with humble pride that we acknowledge the commitment and dedication of our whānau who attend our weekly wānanga with such consistency. Your presence and participation are vital to upholding the foundations that have ensured the continuation and future aspirations of our people.
As we gather each week to nurture the Mauri (life force, you the people) of these waiata, we recognise that this is but one aspect of the rich cultural heritage we are privileged to explore and uphold together. Through our shared kōrero (discussions), we will delve deeper into the essence of this kaupapa.
In the words of our beloved kaumātua, Mauri is the spark of life, the source of our emotions, the central quality that imbues each being with its unique vitality and fertility. It is this Mauri that we seek to honour and protect through the practice of our tikanga (customs) and the recitation of our whakapapa (genealogies).
For it is through the careful preservation of our cultural knowledge and the unwavering commitment of our people that the Mauri of our traditions will continue to thrive, guiding us into the future with the wisdom of our tīpuna (ancestors).
E te whānau, your presence at our wānanga and others like it, shared openly to you all, is a testament to your reverence for this sacred knowledge. May your voices continue to blend in harmony, weaving the Mauri of our Nation’s waiata and karanga into the very fabric of our community.
Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.
Ngā mihi,
Te Mauri o Ngā Waiata
