Nā TK Roxborogh tēnei arotakenga.

Nā Parekura Pēwhairangi i whakamāori.

Ka hīkina e Niko Te Kainga-mataa, he uri nō Hongi Hika, tētahi rangatira o Ngā Puhi, te mānuka ki te tiaki i te whenua taurikura o Taukere, te taniwha tapu o te rohe, i ērā e pīrangi ana ki te whakatū whare herehere. He rite tonu te whakahahanitia, te whakaparahakotia, te whakatoihia hoki o te hunga e māia ana ki te whakatikatika i te hē. Ka kīia he rorirori, he hārakiraki, he whanokē. Kāore te pāpori e whakaae ki ngā mahi a te hunga whakatutū puehu ki ērā e noho ana i ngā tūranga - otirā ērā ka noho noa ki konā kaiapo mai ai.

I roto i The Pōrangi Boy, e hāngai ana tēnei ki te koroua o Niko (Koro), otirā, ki a Niko tonu – he mea whakaparahako ia i te kura (e tōna whanaunga tonu), ā, kua whakarērea e ōna mātua (kua ngaro tōna pāpā, me uaua hoki ka kite i tōna māmā – te āhua nei ko tōna mate, he mate tarutaru, he mate waipiro rānei). Kātahi te tuhinga pārekareka. Anei tētahi tauira o tētahi kōrerorero moata i waenga i a Niko rāua ko tōna hoa, ko Wai:

‘Is that your mum?’ Wai’s holding an old black-and-white photo in her hands.

‘Yeah.’

‘Your mum was pretty as! Not saying she isn’t now… she just looks old, aye. How come she never comes out of the house? Haven’t seen Aunty in forever.’

‘Why don’t you ask her?’

‘Woah, angus. Sorry I asked.’

‘Well, how come your dad’s locked up?’

Her eyes stay on the photos. ‘The effects of colonization.’

‘Aye? Do you even know what that means?’

‘Nah.’ We both crack up.

‘That’s what my dad says. That the Pākehā colonized us, and now our people are all locked up. Anyway, he’s coming out next year! He’s got a flash job already with my uncle driving trucks, cool aye? Do you know your dad?’

‘Nah.’

‘Did he do a runner?’

‘Ask my mum.’

‘Is he a Pākehā?’

‘I dunno.’

‘Don’t you wanna know who your dad is?’

‘My koro was my dad.’

Kāore i horokukū te kōrero, ā, e kitea ana te hōmiromiro o ngā kanohi i ia rerenga kua āta tīkina ake. Mā tēnei kōrerorero waingōhia e ako ai, e mārama ai hoki te kaipānui ki ngā āhuatanga o te ao o Niko - ōna taumahatanga me ōna wero - ka mutu, he mea kōrero noa me te kore i pāpouri, i whakahīhī rānei. Koirā te huringa o ō rāua ao, ā, ahakoa te mingo kata o roto i te whakarongotanga atu ki tā rāua kōrerorero, ka ngāueue te manawa i te āhua o ō rāua ao.

He nui ngā painga ki a au i tēnei pukapuka: ko te aunoa o te rere o ngā kupu, te tūturu o ngā kōrerorero (me te mārama o ngā oro ki a au - i wareware i a au te kupu 'Far' me te 'Aye' i puta i a mātou nō mātou e tamariki ana i Te Tai Tokerau), te pono o ngā kiripuaki, te aweawe o te raupapa o ngā kōrero matua (i Mua, i Muri hoki hei ingoa mō ngā upoko i te haurua tuatahi o te puka) hei whakatau i te horopaki me ngā ākinga o ngā kiripuaki.

I oti i a au te pānui i The Pōrangi Boy nōku e mātakitaki ana i te urutomotanga atu ki te US Capitol i te pouaka whakaata. Ki a au nei, mārakerake ana te kitea o te rerekētanga o tētahi kōrero i tētahi: ka nui kē atu taku whakamānawa, taku whakanui hoki i te kāhui tāngata (kiri parauri) i te pukapuka, ka ngana ki te tiaki i tētahi wāhi tapu e kerikeria ana mō tētahi whare herehere hou (he tohu tēnei whakatūnga whare o ngā uara e mau nei i ngā tāngata kei aua tūranga e noho ana), i te whakahāngaitanga atu ki tētahi māpū mōrearea o ngā kaitautoko, kaitātami kiritea o Trump nō te taha-katau, i ngana rā ki te haukoti i te whakamanatanga o ngā pōti ā-motu o Amerika.

E tika ana ngā mihi kua utaina ki runga i a Huia Publishers e ngā kaipānui, e ngā kaihoko pukapuka mō ā rātou pukapuka - ko ngā pukapuka e whakaputaina ana e tika ana kia mihia. Heoi anō, me tino whakanui hoki a Shilo Kino i te whakaputanga o tētahi puka pārekareka rawa atu. Ka tae atu ia ki ngā ringaringa o te hunga mō rātou tēnei pukapuka (nā te mea e whakanuitia ana tō rātou ao), otirā, te hunga mā rātou tēnei pukapuka (te hunga me mātua hīkoi i te hīkoi kua hīkoitia e ngā tamariki pēnei i a Niko rāua ko Wai). Ka rawe tēnei pukapuka hei pukapuka rangahau mā tētahi akomanga - arā te āhua o te tuhi (te whakamahinga o ngā kupu wātū, ngā kōrerorero), ngā kaupapa (te porotēhi, te pōharatanga, te whānau, te whakaweti, ngā whanaungatanga/ngā piringa), me ngā tāhū kōrero (te tū amorangi, te hirahiratanga o te tiaki i te taiao, i ngā tikanga, otirā, te ito o te tū hei toa).

E koa ana te ngākau i tā Kino whakamahi i ana pūkenga rarawe hei kairīpoata ki te tuhi kōrero paki. E tika ana kia tae atu āna pukapuka ki ngā tamariki o Aotearoa.

Nā TK Roxborogh tēnei arotakenga.

Nā Parekura Pēwhairangi i whakamāori.

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