Words and Music: Earth the slumbering pūriri

In the Beginning Earth Breath on me Earth the cool breath of life Earth the slumbering pūriri Earth the misty valley Earth the departed sun Earth the tingling blue sky Earth the dark sheen of a woman river Earth the mottling tides tumbling ashore Earth the sweeping godwits Earth our home Earth the giving landContinue reading “Words and Music: Earth the slumbering pūriri”

Words and Music: Kua rongo ake au

Kua rongo ake au…. Kia kaha rā te puāwaitanga o tōu kaha Kei konā rā te puāwaitanga o tōu rangatirangatanga I have learned that… We can enjoy our jobs by changing our attitude Always do more than what you’re paid for, One day you’ll be paid for more than you do Kua rongo ake auContinue reading “Words and Music: Kua rongo ake au”

Kaumātua Wisdom: Raparapa

The spiral begins at the marae which is the forum where every word and the silences in between are heard te whare tangata cycle of birth in the whare nui where Rongo of the peaceful arts ascends and connects us to the universe and nature to the propensity to give, receive and return and toContinue reading “Kaumātua Wisdom: Raparapa”

Comforting Thought: Saying sorry will go a long way

Kuoa rongo ake au… Akakoa iti noa te kuru pounamu He taonga tuku iho kia kaha, kia toa, kia māiai, kia mataara kia manawanui I have learned… A thoughtful note to someone you’ve avoided Saying sorry will go a long way

Comforting Thought: Destiny doesn’t create success, determination does

Kua rongo aku au.. Ētahi ka tau ki tōna taumata Nā te whai rawa rānei Kō te tini maha ka ū tonu nā te kaha rawa O tē whawhai manawapū I have learned that… Some succeed Because they are destined to But most succeed Because they’re determined to ~ Haare Williams, Words of a Kaumātua

The Songs of Tangaroa ~ Ngā Waiata o Tangaroa

Te Au o te Moana Our nation was born in the bosom of the ocean where the sea leans on the land Our stories are intimately written in the narratives of ocean canoes sailings driftings taniwha whirlpools discoveries making our world wider The salt in our veins brought us together to find each other TheContinue reading “The Songs of Tangaroa ~ Ngā Waiata o Tangaroa”

Words and music: Go East To Your Mountain

Go East of your mountain Where he founded a home Rest there – nothing said Rest there – nothing unsaid Go East beyond the swelling Richness of oil, siphoned To a father of a dying majority You might see the clear water Go east to my fortress There look through my mountain Again see theContinue reading “Words and music: Go East To Your Mountain”

Words and Music: Pets, plants, places and people long for the intimacy of touch

Ka tau te kārohirohi te katoa O te taiao nei I have learned that… Pets, plants and places And people long for The intimacy of the Human touch  Kua rongo ake au… Na, tirotiro ana mō te aroha me te rangimārie Mehe e tirotoro ana kei whea te rangimārie ka kitea e Te aroha eContinue reading “Words and Music: Pets, plants, places and people long for the intimacy of touch”

Kaumātua Wisdom: Hawaiki nui Hawaiki roa

Whakarongo ki te Au Our truth is this: We come from the sea this is where our bones lie not on the summits of mountains Hawaiki nui Hawaiki roa Is our ancestral Pacific land and its location in history can only be found in legend yielding only to the sea’s timelessness He Kuaka Mārangaranga KotahiContinue reading “Kaumātua Wisdom: Hawaiki nui Hawaiki roa”