Chad | Tokomaru Bay, Gisborne

“Kia ora, mauri ora. Ko Chad Chambers tēnei e noho ana ki kōnei. He uri ahau mai te whānau o Te Aotāwarirangi me Ruataupare, mai i te ākau o Tokomaru. Mauri ora. Ko tōku nei kōrero e pā ana ki tēnei o tō tātou nei ākau. Mai tōku tipuranga i konei, he maha ōku, me kī, ngā tāngata e titiro atu au ki runga.

Tuatahi, ko ōku tīpuna, ōku kaumātua me ōku whaea. Ko rātou i whakaako i ahau, me kī, ngā tikanga me ngā kawa hei ora ai ahau, hei haere mā rungā i tōku haerenga e haere ana ahau.

He tangata kaiwaiata ahau i tēnei wā. He maha ngā, me kī, rangatira e tiro atu au ki a rātou kia pērā ai ahau. Ko tōku nei tino tangata ko tōku koroua. Nānā i hoatu ki awau te reo rangatira, ngā tikanga me ngā kawa o te ākau nei. He maha ngā taonga me ēra momo mea i hoatu (e ia) ki ahau hei whakatipu au, ki te tangata i konei e noho ana ki mua i a koutou. 

Mai i ō rātou akoranga ki ahau i hoatu rātou, me kī, te discipline (mana whakatipu). Mai i ērā kōhetehetetanga ki ahau, me kī, i tango au i ērā kōrero, i pupuri au ki tōku ngākau kia whakaputa i ō rātou akoranga ki te haerenga huri noa i te ao e haere ana ahau. 

 Ko te kapa haka. (he kaupapa e matapoporetia ana e Chad).

 Tētahi pūrakau kei ahau, i te wā i wikitōria ahau i te whakataetae Homai te Pakipaki, me kī, mo ngā kaiwaiata. I reira, i kite ahau te mauri, te kaha me te wehi o te ākau ki roto i ahau ki te whakaputa, hei wikitōria. (E kī ana te kōrero) Champions of all champions. Mai i tēra (wikitōria) ka taea e au te hoki mai ki tēnei papakainga hei whakaako i aku tamariki, hei whakaako i ngā tamariki rangatahi nā te mea ko rātou ngā rangatira mō āpopo. 

 Ae, he tokomaha ōku nei tangata e kite atu ki runga (iho-pūmanawa). 

 He kaimahi ahau i te kōhanga reo. He mea pai, hei whakaputa i te hari o te wairua, te hari o te tinana, te hari o te māhunga (hinengaro) hoki. Ki awau nei, ka hari te wairua, ka hari hoki te tangata. Ki roto i te reo pākeha, ‘ A happy spirit is a happy person’. Koina ōku whakaaro mo tēnā. He mea nunui ki ahau ki te whakaputa i te pai ki roto i te tangata, te positivity (ngākaupai).

 I tipu, i whāngai mai ahau i konei, ki te ākau o Tokomaru. Mai i te kōhungahunga(tanga), mai te pīpī i haere au ki Te Kohanga Reo o Te Aotāwarirangi. Whai muri i tēnā, i haere au ki ngā kura tuatahi i konei, arā, ko Hatearangi, kātahi ka tae atu au ki te Kura Kaupapa Māori o ngā Taonga Tūturu ki Tokomaru, mai ngā tau 5 ki te 12. I te tau 1997 – 1999, i wehe atu au ki te taha o ōku tīpuna ki Akarana, i kuraina au ki Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi ki Tamaki-Makaurau.

 Ka hoki mai ki konei, ki te ākau, ki te whakaoti i aku mahi kura ki konei, ki te kura kaupapa. Mai i tēna i wehe atu au ki te kura o Hato Paora, ki te Papaioea. I reira ahau mo ngā tau e rima, ā, koinā te wāhi i huaki ai ōku nei whatu, i te wā i kuraina au ki te kura o Hato Paora. I kite ai he nui rawa te motu nei e noho nei tātou, ngā tangata o Aotearoa. Ko tērā te wā tuatahi ki runga poti, wā tuatahi kia eke ki te Waipounamu. He maha ōku nei haerenga i te wā i kuraina au ki Hato Paora. A muri mai i tēnā, i hoki mai au ki te kainga mo ngā tau e toru, e whā. I te mahi au ki runga i ngā pāmū, i roto i te ngahere, ā, ka heke au ki Mātene, ki Rangitīkei. Ki reira i hopu au i taku whaiaipo, ā, mai i tērā kua 13 tau ahau me taku whaiaipo e piri ana. I roto i ērā 13 tau i whānau mai e toru o aku nei taonga, aku tamariki. I reira au, i Rangitīkei, e hiahia ana ahau ki te whai i ōku moemoeā. Ko tōku moemoeā kia tū hei kaiwaiata pērā ki a Bob Marley. Koia i haere au ki te whakataetae o Homai te Pakipaki, ā, i reira au ka wikitōria. Koina ōku nei tino wawata mōku. Mai tōku wikitōria i tērā whakataetae i taea au te haere ki runga waka rererangi, kia whai i tōku moemoeā, Koinā te kōrero ka kōrerotia e au ki aku tamariki, me whai koe i ōu moemoeā, ehara i te uaua mēnā e mahi ana i te mahi. I wehe au ki Ahitereiria, Rarotonga, e kore au e whakaaro ka tae au ki runga waka rererangi. I ako ahau i ētahi mātauranga e pā ana ki te ao hurihuri, ki Aotearoa, ki te ao katoa. 

  Katahi ka noho au ki Rangitīkei mo ngā tau 10, ā, ka tae atu ki te tau 2019, i whakaaro au kia hoki mai au ki te kainga. Hei aha? Hei hoatu ōku nei mātauranga ki o tātou nei tamariki, o tātou nei rangatahi. Kia whakaatu ki a rātou e kore ngā moemoeā e uaua mēnā ka tino hiahia ki tōu moemoeā. Ko tērā te take i hoki mai ahau, kia kite ai rātou, It can be done, dreams (do) come true. Kia kore ai tātou e noho ki roto i tērā tikanga o te ao kaore pai mo te tangata. 

  Kei te harikoa ahau, kei te hari tōku wairua, kei te hari ahau kua hoki mai au ki te kainga. 

 Tōku waimarie me tōku hūmarie kua whai mahi ahau hei kaiako, hei kaiāwhina i roto o tātou nei kōhanga reo. Ka titiro ki ngā tau e heke mai, ā, kei hea ahau. 

Translated

Hi, my name is Chad Chambers. I am a descendent of Te Aotāwarirangi and Ruataupare from Tokomaru Bay. Mauri ora

I want to talk to you today about my upbringing, here in the bay. When I was young, there were a lot of people I looked up to. Firstly, my ancestors, my elders and my aunties and uncles. They taught me about our traditions and customs that carry with me, wherever I may go. Right now, I am a singer/songwriter. There a lot of people in this industry I look up to. The person I look up to the most is my grandfather. He gave me my language and taught me the customs and tradition of Tokomaru Bay. There were a lot of things he taught me that shape the man you see sitting here today. They (my elders) were very tough on me, they showed me discipline. But from that discipline I have become a better person and I carry that with me wherever I go in the world. They taught me Kapa Haka. When I won the Homai Te Pakipaki signing competition, it was the customs and values they taught me from Tokomaru that helped me win that competition. Champions of all champions as they would say. After that victory I was able to return back to my hometown and share my experiences with the children and youth of this area because they are the leader of the future.

I am a teacher at the local Kōhanga Reo. I really enjoy making the kids happy, that makes my spirit, my body and mind happy as well. To me, if all of those things are happy then you, yourself, will be happy. As the saying goes, ‘A happy spirit is a happy person’, well that’s what i think anyway. It’s a big thing for me to try and bring out the best in people, sharing positivity.

I grew here in Tokomaru Bay. As a child I attended Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Aotāwarirangi. After that, from the age of 5-12, I attended Hātearangi and then Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o ngā Taonga Tūturu ki Tokomaru. From 1997-1999, I left the bay with my grandparents to Auckland. Whilst there, I attended Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi. I returned home in 1999 to finish my primary schooling. I then moved to Palmerston North, where I attended Hato Paora College. I was there for 5 years. It was there at Hato Paora where my eyes were opened to how big and how populated our country really is. It was the first time I had gone on a ship, my first time going to the South Island, we had gone on a lot of trips at Hato Paora. Once I finished school, I returned home for 3 or 4 years. I worked here on the farm or in the forest. Then I moved to Mātene, to Rangitīkei where I met my partner. My partner and I have been together now for 13 and in those 13 years we have had 3 precious kids. 

 It was in Rangitīkei where I dreamt of being a singer/songwriter. I wanted to be a singer like Bob Marley. That’s when I entered Homai te Pakipaki and luckily went on to win. That was my biggest aspiration at the time. By winning that competition I was able to fulfill another dream of mine and that was to fly on a plane. That’s why I always tell my kids,’always follow your dreams, no dream is too big or too hard’. I’ve been to Australia, to Rarotonga, places I never thought I would ever get to see. After my travels I returned to Rangitīkei and then in 2019 I decided to move home, to Tokomaru. I decided to move home to share my story and experiences with my people and especially our children. I want to show them that no dream is too big or too hard if you really want it. I want to show them that it can be done, that dreams do come true. I want to show them that if you don’t enjoy the position you are in, that you have the power to change it. I’m so happy that I have come home. I feel very honoured and privileged to be given a position to teach at our Kōhanga Reo. As for my singing career, we’ll just have to wait and see in the years to come.”