Kua rongo ake au…
I tēnei rangi tonu toro atu
Tōu ringa ki tō tamaiti, whāngaia tōu hinengaro
Patua he waea ki tetahi atu, ki atu,
’Ko au e whakaaro nui atu nei, kia kaha’
I have learned…
Today reach out
Hug your child
Pat a cat, appreciate our country,
Phone someone today and say, ’I care…’
From Words of a Kaumātua by Haare Williams, edited by Witi Ihimaera
Dr Haare Williams MNZM has been Dean of Māori Education and Māori Advisor to the Chief Executive at Unitec. He was General Manager of Aotearoa Radio. He set up a joint venture with the South Seas Film and Television School to train Te Reo speakers as producers and operators in film and television. He has worked closely with iwi claimant communities and was responsible for waka construction and assembly at Waitangi for the 1990 commemorations. He has published poetry, exhibited painting and written for film and television. He was a cultural advisor for the Mayor of Auckland and is Amorangi at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
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