Te Waka me te Whakatere

Ko te iwi te wairua o te waka, ko te waka te wairua o te iwi.

I Aotearoa, tētahi o ngā whenua whakamutunga o Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa i nōhia PAPAKUPU nōhia - ka ū ki runga, ka nōhia ai ai e te tangata, he hononga tō ia iwi Māori ki tētahi o ngā tupuna i heke mai mā runga i tētahi o ngā waka tuatahi. Koinei te tīmatanga o tō rātou whakapapa. E hia kē nei ngā momo whakamahinga mō tenei kupu, waka – arā, hei whakakaupapa, hei haerenga rānei e mahi ngātahitia ā-tinana, ā-wairua tahi.

He hiranga nui tō ngā waka ki ngā iwi o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa i mua rā, i nāia tonu nei. I ngā wā o mua, hei kawe tangata, hei hokohoko, hei kohi kai. I kiwaitaratia, ā, i whakamahia ia rā, ia rā. Ka waihangatia e ngā iwi o Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa ngā tūmomo waka, tūmomo whakatere hoki, he hāngai ki a rātou tūmomo kaupapa.

Sir Tom Davis (Papa Tom)
Kaitārai waka, kaiwhakatere waka o ngā Kuki Airani Sir Tom Davis (Papa Tom): E whakapono ana ahau, he ōrite te whakawhanaketanga o te whakaterenga waka me te mātauranga o ngā tohunga whakatere o taua wā ki te whakahaerenga waka ātea.