Melanie Drewery me te hokinga mai a Nanny Mihi

E hia kē nei ngā pukapuka i tuhi ai a Melanie Drewery i ēnei rua tekau tau. Ko te whāinga o ēnei pukapuka kia Rongo rawa te taki i te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori mā ngā tamariki. Navana Matthews e kōrero ana ki a Melanie.

E hia kē nei ngā pukapuka i tuhi ai a Melanie Drewery i ēnei rua tekau tau. Ko te whāinga o ēnei pukapuka kia Rongo rawa te taki i te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori mā ngā tamariki. Ko Nanny Mihi pea te raupapatanga pukapuka rongonui rawa a Drewery. Ko te whāinga a Nanny Mihi, he tirotiro i te piringa torowhānui a Nanny mihi ki āna mokopuna. Ko tāna pukapuka hou, a Nanny Mihi and the Bellbird te pukapuka tuaono o te raupapatanga nei, ko te pukapuka tuarima o tēnei raupapatanga i puta te tau 2005. Ko te pukapuka hou nei he hokinga mahara atu ki ngā wā o mua me te tō mai i aua mahara ki te ināianei, e kitea ai te ngāwari noa o te noho i aua wā.

Navana: He aha te whai wāhi o āu nā haereere ā-motu ki ō pūrākau, me te pūrākau o Nanny Mihi?

Melanie: Kāore aku kuia pērā i a Nanny Mihi, heoi i ngā tau kua pahure he maha ngā wheako kua huri mai hei pūrākau mō Nanny Mihi. He nanekoti tō mātou i mua, he rite tonu tana puta i ngā wā katoa, ko te nanekoti rā i tōia mai ai ki te pukapuka o Nanny Mihi’s Birthday Surprise. Ko tēnei pukapuka hou nei ia e kōrero ana mō te korimako i tō matou whare ki Te Tai Poutini. I ngaro te korimako rā mō te wā poto engari i tāna hokinga mai, kua whānau mai āna pepi.

N: Nōnāhea tō whakapono tuatahi he kaituhi koe? I tīmata i hea?

M: Mai i taku tamarikitanga i hiahia au ki te tuhi pūrākau. Mai i taku tīmata i te kura tuarua i mōhio au ki taku hiahia tuhi pūrākau taitamariki. I taku tau 17 i tono au i tētahi pukapuka ki te kaitā. Nāwai ka whakahēngia e te kaitā, engari, ia tau whaimuri mai ka whakamātau tonu au ki te tono i aku pūrākau kia tāngia mai. He maha ngā wānanga i haere ai au ki te kohi i ngā whakaaro a te kaituhi hei tautoko i aku mahi. Ko te whāinga i āwhina ai i aku mahi kaituhi, ko taku tohu pōkairua pāpāho i whakaakona au kia ngāwari taku reo tuhi, kia kaua e kupu nui, e kupu roa. Engari ko te tino whakakipakipa i ahau, ka kawea atu e au aku tamariki ki te whare pukapuka, he iti ngā pukapuka Māori mā ngā tamariki ki reira. Ko The Kuia and the Spider tētahi, nā Patricia Grace, me ngā pūrākau a Māui, koirā noa iho. I tua atu i ērā kāore he tino pukapuka e māmā ana te whai, koirā ka puta mai te whakaaro kia tuhi i ētahi pukapuka he māori noa te reo, kāore he rārangi kupu o muri. I hiahia kē au kia hokihoki mai te kapānui kia pānuitia anō, e tangata whenua ai aua kōrero rā, kāore ia e warea e te pukapuka e taipurupuru kupu ana ki roto i a ia. Nā, he ara hou pea tērā i taua wā i te mea i ahau te kaha ki te tuhi pukapuka mō aku tamariki, he pukapuka manaaki i te reo Māori me nga tikanga Māori, kāore i mate ki te whakamāmā i ngā kōrero.

N: He aha tō manawaroa ki te tuhi?

M: Ko aku tamariki tokorima te tino whakaohooho i te tuhi pūrākau nā te mea he pukukata katoa rātou. He nui taku aroha ki te tuhi, ka mutu ko taku tino koa ko te tuhi pukapuka i roto i te wairua pai me te whakaaro ngāwari. E hia kē nei ngā kōrero kāore anō kia tāngia mō te aha noa iho te take, kei te puritia hoki ētahi i roto i ahau. Kei ēnei rangi pea kua āhua wātea ahau ki te noho me te āta whakaaro noa, he mea nui tēnā kia tukuna taua kākano pūrākau kia whanake, kia tipu rawa – kātahi koe ka huri ka aro nui atu ki a ia. Tokomaha ngā kaituhi Māori pai ināianei kua mutu pea taku hiahia whakakīkī i tētahi whārua pukapuka, engari kei te hiahia tonu au ki te tuhi.

N: He aha i hua mai ai a Nanny Mihi?

M: He hoa tōku ko Mihi tōna ingoa, he kuia ia, nōna te ingoa o Nanny Mihi, ki a au nei hoki tokomaha ngā kuikui i tutaki ai au he pērā i a Nanny Mihi. He kui whāngai i te katoa ahakoa ko wai. Nā, ko taua momo rā ka tere rataina e te tamaiti Māori. Engari ko te tino pūtake ko tōku māmā, me ngā mahi i mahia e mātou me ngā tamariki i a rātou e ririki ana. He kuia rawe katoa taku māmā ki aku tamariki. I ēnei rangi nei kua warea katoa tātou e te kaupapa utu nui, e te hangarau, e te hākinakina rānei kua kore e aro ki te haere ki tāwāhi, kerikeri i te oneone me te rapu taonga. Ko te kaupapa matua mō ēnei pūarākau, kia hua mai ko te wairua pai me te ngākau ngāwari.

N: He aha i hoki mai ai a Nanny Mihi? He whaitake anō tāna i ēnei rā?

M: I hīkina aku mahi tuhituhi pēnei i aku tamariki ka taiohi. Engari ināianei kua wehe aku tamariki i tōku whare kua wātea au ki te hoki ki te tuhi. Mō te whaitake o Nanny Mihi ki te ināianei, ko te manako ia ka tūmau tana noho mō ake, ko te manako anō he whānau anō e hiahia ana kia mahi i ērā mahi māmā noa iho me ā rātou ake tamariki, pēnei i te whakatipu māra me te noho atu i te ngahere. E tino hiahia ana au māna anō tōna mana e kawe atu ki te ao hou me tēnei pukapuka, kia kī mai ai te tokomaha te rawe hoki kua hoki mai a Nanny Mihi!’, ka tūponohia rānei e ngā tāngata hou.

Ka toro tonu au ki ētahi kura tuatahi kāore anō te tokomaha o ngā tamariki kia tutaki atu ki a Nanny Mihi. Ka pānui ana au ki a rātou ka hikohiko ō rātou wairua kāore anō kia rongo i tēnei kōrero hou, ana kei te hīkaka tonu au.

N: Me mau rānei ngā pukapuka tamariki ki te whakaoratanga o te reo, me whānui rānei tōna titiro?

M: Ki ahau nei me nui ake ngā kōrero, ka mutu me hanga kōrero hou, me aro nui hoki ki ngā kura reo Māori. He nui tonu ngā wāhi horapa i a Aotearoa kāore e pāngia ana e te reo Māori, i tua atu i te ako i te tatau me ngā tae, taea atu anō pea ki ētahi kupu mihi ruarua noa iho. He nui aua wāhi reo kei te hiahia tonu ki ngā kōrero āhua māmā ake nei.

N: Pene, pepa, rorohiko rānei? Waiata, ngū rānei? Ka tatari kia heke mai i te rangi, ka āta whakaritea rānei? Ka pēhea rawa ō mahi tuhituhi?

M: I te tuatahi ka tuhi au ki te penerākau, kātahi ka whakawhiti ki te rorohiko, ka tutu haere au. Tērā ētahi tau ka toru pea aku pukapuka i te tau, ko aku ture rā kia tuhi au i roto i taku moenga kāore i whakaaetia kia urutomohia aku mahi e te whānau, koinā taku tino whakamarumaru. Ki te raru au i te tuhi kua moe poto pea. I te ohonga rawa kua mōhio au he aha hei tuhi māku. Me Rongo taku wāhi tuhi, me parea te waea ki rāhaki, me mōhio pū ka kore aku mahi e urutomohia e te tangata. I ngā wā ka puta maia Tamanuiterā ka tuhi au mai i taku hōpa He uaua te tuhi i te rāngi kino.

Mō tō pātai mēnā au ka tatari kia heke mai te kaupapa tuhi i te rangi, ka āta whakaritea rānei, ko aua mea e rua he tikaI ngā wā he whakaaro tōku ka tuhia ki roto i taku pukapuka pūkoro. Kua hia kē te roa o ētahi kōrero, he rite tonu taku hokihoki atu kia pai ai te rere. Ā tōna wā ia, ka rite.

N: He tikanga tā tatou o te ‘Sapling’ ko ‘Ngā pukapuka i tangata mai ai au.’ He aha ētahi pukapuka i pakeke mai ai koe i runga i aua kōrero rā?

M: He uaua rawa te whakaaro ake ki ngā pukapuka tamariki pērā i pakeke mai ai ahau nā te kaha o taku pānui nōku e itiiti ana. Engari ki te karangahia kia whiriwhiria kia kotahi noa, ko te pukapuka rā ko The Monster at the End of this Book tērā, ko taku aroha nui rawa ki te pukapuka rā. He reo pānui tōna, he reo kōrero anō tōna ka taea e te pukapuka te whakahau atu ki te kaipanui ‘kaua e tahuri i te whārangi nā’. I pārekareka katoa ki ahau tērā momo wehi, kia wehi ki te aha o mua. He rawe katoa te pukapuka rā.

You can read a version of this interview in English tomorrow.