Matariki: Te whetu o te tau,.A time for reflection, gratitude and aspirations.

I woke up this morning. The dawn of a new year on the Māori calender and moved from the comfort of my bed into the fresh air of a cloudless winters dawn. Both my wife and I have been waiting for this moment. This is a chance to connect with our tipuna, our ancestors. To connect with loved one that we have lost. To connect with our dreams for our whanau. It is a time for reflection, gratefulness and aspirations. It is a time for aroha (Love), whanaungatanga (Family connections) and kotahitanga (unity).  

I acknowledge those who have past this past year. In particular a student of mine that went far too soon... Arohanui dear N xx and a leader whose legacy will live on in the rangatahi that I am fortunate enough to walk with now and in the future. Papa Hec you are a man I wish I knew better, a man that truly made the world a better place. You are both inspirations to me to become better and more courageous than I have been... 
This karakia is from my sister. It was one I felt was fitting for our Matariki dawn. It struck me because of how right it felt to include the whanau that were taken in the act of terror on March the 15th this year. This was important to do. Thank you, Tina. Your aroha is matched only by your wairua. x

E rere ngā roimata mamae aroha,
Te tangi a te ngākau kua haehaetia e te aroha mōu,
Taku tūngāne, taku tuakana, taku taina.
Koutou e tū mai nei i te papa mākū i te marangai,
Koutou kua koroewetia i te pō
Te Pō uriuri, Te Pō tango-tango
E rere ngā roimata, e rere, e rere.

E rere, e te whānau kua riro atu ki te pō.
Tāne ma,
Wāhine ma,
Tamariki,
Koroua,
Kuia.
Haere hoki atu ra ki o tini whanaunga ki tua o te arai, e tatari ana mō koutou.
Ngā ringa kua tūwhera atu, ngā karanga pōhiri, ngā whatu piataata i te aroha.
E rere ki te taha o tō koutou Kaihanga, a Allah, okioki ai i tōna aroha, i tōna korōria.
As-salāmu ʿalaykum

Our tears flow,
Our hearts hewn by our anguish for you,
My brother, my sister,
Standing on soil sodden with tears
Folded over in grief, in this darkness
In the darkness that swirls
In the darkness that takes
Let the tears flow.

Return as a family, the spirits that have been received into the night,
Men
Women
Children
Elders
Return to your loved multitudes who wait beyond the veil for you
Arms outstretched,
voices calling you,
eyes ashine in love for you,
Return to the side of your creator Allah, to rest in his love and glory
Peace be upon you.

There is so much I am grateful for. My whanau and their wellbeing,  the love from my wife and children. Over this last year, I have been fortunate to meet many new people and this has been linked to my love for waka hourua. I have begun to explore nga whetu and the knowledge that our tipuna drew from them. The language that has been within me for as long as I have existed is beginning to emerge more and in this happening my eyes are being opened. Something is stirring and I don't know where it will take me but I am willing look to the heavens, to set the sails and navigate my way.

I don't know what this coming year will reveal. I have many dreams and many aspirations to work towards both personally and professionally. 

• One is to use Maramataka in my life to align my actions with our tipuna and nga atua. 
• Another is to strengthen my use of te reo. Make it more prevalent in my daily life. 
• The third is to be actively involved with social justice. 

These goals are my focus. At home, at school, in the forest, on the waka, in front of students or in front of staff. The racism and bias (including unconscious bias) that happens in our current society needs to become something of the past. White privilege definitely has no place in our education system. I am a māori that has been successful in a white privileged society... I've managed this and I am proud of being able to provide for my whanau the way I have. But I am not complete. My ability to assimilate to a western monocultural society came at a significant cost. This, in all honesty, makes me cry. Not knowing my identity for so long has caused much confusion and hurt. I am committed to healing that hurt. 

When I learn with our rangatahi I want them to know that they are holders of great knowledge and skills, they are powerful people that are capable of fighting against unjust people and systems. We are capable of making this community and world something worth passing on to our future generations. 

I don't know if anyone will read this.. It's more for myself than anyone else. But it is important to share these insights at times and that what Matariki is about. Nga mihi whanau.