"He aroha whakatō, he aroha puta mai" (if kindness is sown, than kindness you shall recieve). 

I whakanuia e mātou te wiki o te reo Māori me te wiki, te wiki Kia whakatika.

This week we celebrated te wiki o te reo Māori and Social Justice Week. 

We focused on 'te toa o te rā', 'champion of the day’.  These toa fought for social justice within Aotearoa.  The kupu o te rā, the word of the day, comes from our Catholic Social Teaching Principles, which represent the toa o te rā.

Our Year 10 te reo Māori class created the posters of each toa, which were posted around our kura.  On Mane, te toa o te rā was Professor Ngāhuia Te Awekōtuku.  She was the first Māori wahine to earn her PhD from the University of Waikato.  She was also a member of Ngā Tamatoa, who fought for Māori land and language rights.  They also campaigned for te reo Māori to become an official language.  The kupu o te rā that connected to her was 'whakawhanaungatanga - solidarity'. 

Tūrei acknowledged Dame Whina Cooper.  Dame Whina led the famous hīkoi - land march in 1975 from Te Hapua in the far north of Aotearoa to Parliament, in Whanganui-a-Tara.  This hīkoi was to protest against the loss of Māori land.  The kupu o te rā was 'mana whakahaere - subsidiarity'.

Te toa o te rā on Wenerei was Te Whiti o Rongomai.  Te Whiti was known as a saint of peace.  He was the leader and founder of Parihaka, promoting non-violent protest.  He established the Parihaka community as a place of sanctuary and peace for Māori, many of whom were seeking refuge because their land had been confiscated.  The kupu o te rā was 'whakatairanga i te rangimārie - promotion of peace'. 

Tāite, the toa o te rā was St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, our tīpuna of our kura.  She, along with the Sisters of St Joseph, established schools to educate tamariki, especially tamariki of the poor, across Australia and Aotearoa.  The kupu o te rā was 'te mana o te tangata - human dignity'. 

Lastly, Suzanne Aubert was a toa for Paraire.  Suzanne Aubert established the religious order, the Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion at Hiruharama (Jerusalem) on the Whanganui River.  She was a woman who saw a need in the community and responded to help, such as establishing the Compassion Soup Kitchen that feeds many whānau, especially whānau Māori.  The kupu o te rā was '(He whakaaro nui mō te) hunga ora- preferential option for the poor. 

We continued with the theme 'Imagine Peace For All - Pohewatia te Rangimārie mō te Katoa' from Caritas.  Each Whānau contributed a brick to the wall, either writing karakia of peace, or providing kupu (words) associated with peace. 

Article added: Friday 19 September 2025