"E kore au e ngaro he kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea.

Nā te whakaaturanga awe ko "Rangiātea; Ko ahau te huarahi te pono me te ora," i tū ki Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, te pūtake o tēnei tāunga ipurangi. Ko te whakaaturanga nei i waihangatia tahitia e Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa me Te Rōpū Whakahaere o Rangiātea, ki Pōneke, Aotearoa nei 1997. I takina mai i ngā kōrero mō te whare karakia whakahirahira, mō Rangiātea i tū rā i Ōtaki. Ko Rangiātea te whare karakia Māori tawhito katoa o te Hāhi Mihingare ki Aotearoa. Nō te tau 1995 ka kainga a Rangiātea e te ahi; Aue taukiri e!. Heoi anō nā te tino pai o te whakaaturanga nei me te mahi tahi a Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa me Te Rōpū Whakahaere o Rangiātea, ka puta he pukapuka whakamaharatanga mō Rangiātea. Ko 1839 te tau i tae mai ai te Rongopai ki tenei pito o te motu, e kawe tonu nei ō mātou iwi e toru, a Ngāti Raukawa, ā Ngāti Toa Rangatira me Te Āti Awa i ngā kaupapa Karaitiana.

Kua takoto te kupu me hangā a Rangiātea tuarua kia rite tonu ki te whare karakia matua. Mā te whakapono me te whakaaro kōtahi a ngā iwi nei e tū ai he whare karakia hou mō ngā uri whakaheke. Kua pā anō te karanga a Te Rauparaha i mea atu rā ki a Te Pohotīraha:

Haere mai, tangohia ake te taonga nei!
Kua mutu taku rūri i te whenua,
Ka rūri ahau i te rangi.
Hangā he whare karakia mō tātou.

Maranga ake ana te tini o ngā iwi e toru!

He mea tāpae tēnei tāunga ipurangi a Te Rōpū Whakahaere o Rangiātea ki ngā uri o Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Toa Rangatira me Te Āti Awa. Mā te wāhi ngaro tatou hei arahi, hei whakakaha, kia tutuki pai te kaupapa. Tēnei hoki mātou te mihi atu nei ki ngā kaimahi o Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa mō tā rātou tautoko i te tāunga ipurangi nei.

Nā reira, kia tau ki a tātou katoa te atawhai me te rangimarie o te Atua

Andre Baker
Heamana
Te Rōpū Whakahaere o Rangiātea

Pouaka Poutāpeta 111
Ōtaki
Aotearoa