E rere ana a Rākau-nui i runga i Te Rimu Tahi i Tāmaki Makaurau. E tau ana ōna aho ki runga i ngā whare whakanikoniko o te rautau 19. I tēnei wā o te pō, he pōuri aua whare.
E tau ana hoki ngā aho o te atarau ki runga i tētehi tangata tūpuhi e tū noa ana ki mua i tētehi whare mā. E mau ana taua tangata i tētehi huri pango Nike e huna ana i ōna mata me te tarau hāwerawera pango, ngā hū omaoma hoki.
Ka huri te kanohi o te tangata nā ki te rangi, ā, ka tau ngā ata māhina ki tētehi kanohi taitamāhine. He porowhita, he pīwari tōna mata, ā, he rīngi i te ihu. He paku menemene i ōna ngutu.
Ka whāwhā ia i te pūkoro o mua o tōna huri. Unu mai ana ia i ngā komoringa porowhiu me te āta whakamau. Ka āta tuwhera ia i te kēti kia kaua tētehi paku hoihoi e rangona, ā, ka āta hīkoi atu. E tino areare ana ōna taringa. Kei tawhiti e doof-doof-doof haere ana tētehi waka.
Kāore ia e whai ana i te ara ki te kūaha matua o te whare. E kāo. Ka haere kē ki muri o te whare, ā, ka tae ki tētehi rueke me ngā taputapu o te ngahau, arā, he tēpu, he tūru, he rorerore. Ka kōruru te rae o te wahine. Kāore ia e pōwhiritia ki tēnei wāhi ngahau ai. E korekore rawa.
Toro atu ana tōna ringa ki te kūaha i te taha o te rueke. Kāore te kakau e neke. Ka tū noa te taitamāhine me te mātai i te pātū o te whare. Ka kite ia i tētehi mea kawata e tīrama ana ki te pātū o te whare kāore i tawhiti i te kūaha. Anā! tōna whakaaro, he pouaka raka. Kotahi atu ia ki reira, me te āta mātai i ngā pātene iti ki runga i tōna mata.
Ka patopato ia.
1-2-3-4
Kāore i tuwhera.
Ka patopato anō.
1-5-9-0
Kei roto o te pouaka rā, ka ngongoto. Ka tuwhera te taitamāhine i te pouaka, ā, i reira tētehi kī. Kātahi rā! ka whakaaro ia ki a ia anō, tōna rorirori hoki ki te whakamahi i tōna ake rā whānau hei nama hipa!
Hoki mai nei ia ki te kūaha, me te āta kuhu i te kī ki te raka. Ka kuku i tōna manawa. Ka āta huri i te kī, ā, ka paku ngongoto te raka me te tuwhera noa.
E ūhia ana te papa i tētehi whāriki. Ka uru mai ia mā te hītengitengi kia kore ai ōna hū omaoma e tī. Kei te wāhi noho ia. E puare ana ngā ārai, ā, e tau ana te atarau ki runga o ngā taputapu o roto. Tērā tētehi hōpa kirikau me ngā paretua muramura ki runga. Tērā tētehi pouaka whakaata mutunga kē mai o te nui. Kei ngā pātū ngā whakaahua taiao ātaahua e iriiri ana. Ko Taranaki maunga tērā, ko Aoraki maunga tērā.
Kei raro i te whakaahua o Taranaki e tū ana tētehi tēpu hōro me ngā pikitia ki runga. Ka whakatata atu te taitamāhine me te āta titiro. Kei ia pikitia, kei ia pikitia tētehi tāne mau mataora, tikitiki hoki e wehe ana i te rekareka i te taha o ngā rangatira tōrangapū o te wā. Kei te taha o te Pirimia o Aotearoa. E hongi ana ki te Kuīni Māori i Tūrangawaewae. E tū ana i te taha o te Pirimia o Hāmoa me te Pirimia o Aotearoa i mua i te Whare Pāremata i Apia. E! te whakaaro o te wahine, i whai wāhi hoki au ki te haerenga rā ki Hāmoa, i te taha o ētehi atu e mahi ana i te tari ote Minita Take Māori.
Āta hīkoi atu te taitamāhine ki roto i te rūma, ā, ka pā tōna ringaringa ki tētehi kōti e noho ana i te tuara o te hāneanea. He kōti tāne pango, he mea wūru. Hiki nei te wahine i te kōti ki tōna ihu me te kaha hongi i te wai kakara e piri tonu ana ki te papanga. Ka whakamau ia i te kōti, ā, ka hoki mai ngā mahara.
E rere ana ngā whakaaro ki tōna hirikapo. Ko tāna mihi tuatahi ki te Minita whai muri i tāna kopounga ki tō te Minita tari hei kaitātari kaupapa here. Ko ngā pātai maha a te Minita mō tōna 2 whakapapa, mō tōna mahi whai muri i tāna whakapōtaetanga i te whare wānanga e toru ngā tau ki muri nei. Ko te wā e noho anake ana te tokorua rā i tō te Minita tari me tāna raraku i tō te taitamāhine ringaringa. E whia kē nei ngā rā ā rāua tūtaki i tōna rūma horoi tūmataiti i ngā hāora muringa o te pō ...
Ka huri te taitamāhine ki te hōro o te whare me te hītengitengi. E puare ana te kūaha tuatahi, ā, whātare nei ia ki roto. Nā te atarau, kite atu ai ia i te āhuatanga o tētehi tokorua i te moenga. Rongo nei ia i ngā hā taitu o ngā tāngata e moe mārie ana.
Uru nei ia me te tū ki te taha o te moenga. I tōna taha e tīraha ana tētehi wahine. He tino poto ōna makawe, he paratinamu hoki. Koia nei te wā tuatahi e kite atu ā-tinana nei ia i te mea e moe ana. Āe, te whakaaro o te taitamāhine, e tika ana ngā whakaahua Paeāhua, he wahine waiwaiā.
Huri nei tōna aronga ki taha kē o te moenga. I reira te kuku o tōna manawa e moe āio ana me te noho mai i tōna taha. Ka kai ngā whatu o te taitamāhine i taua kanohi e maimoatia nei e ia, mai i ōna tikitiki pango ki ngā rārangi kōpiko o tōna mataora.
Rongo nei te taitamāhine i tētehi io i tōna puku. Te waia hoki o te kanohi nā ki a ia! E whia kē nei ngā wā i haumiri ai ia i ngā rārangi o tōna kanohi mā te matimati. E whia kē nei ngā wā i kai rāua i ō rāua tinana, ngākau ki te ngākau, pito ki te pito ... tae ana ki te rā i whitia whakareretia te wahine ki minitatanga kē, ā, kua kore te Minita mō te kōrero mai.
Hoki nei tōna titiro ki te wahine ātaahua e moe ana. Komo mai nei te taitamāhine i tōna ringaringa katau ki tōna pūkoro me te maunu mai i tētehi māripi. I te māhina o te rūma, e ūiraira ana te mata o te māripi. Ka panoni tana pupuri o te naihi kia aro ai te mata ki te papa. Kātahi ka toro atu tōna ringa me te whakahekenga o tō te māripi toi kia kātata ki te kanohi o te wahine moe. Pupuri noa te taitamāhine i te naihi i reira, me te mātai i te kiri mōhanihani o te pirinihehe moe.
Mea rawa ake, ka rongo ā-wairua e tirohia kētia ana ko ia. Ka mau tonu te taitamāhine i tōna pupuri i te māripi me te āta huringa ake o tōna upoko. I tūtaki ōna mata i ngā karu o tōna ipo matapopore e whetē ana. Heoi e wahangū katoa ana. I kite rāua i a rāua anō nei he pakoko. Titiro atu, titiro mai. Whakamōtu atu, whakamōtu mai. Kua roa te wā e pērā ana. Rongo nei te taitamāhine i te tōtā o te winiwini e puta mai ana i te tinana o tōna ipo.
Ka tuwhera te Minita i tōna waha, heoi, kāore he paku aha i puta. Ka āta ruru te wahine i tōna upoko. Ka pā te koroa e wātea ana ki ōna ngutu, ā, ka pā te koroa ki tētehi taha o tōna kakī me te neke atu ki taha kē.
Kātahi ka hoki te titiro o te taitamāhine ki te pirinihehe e moe tonu ana i te moe o te harakore. Ka whakahoki ia i tāna māripi ki tōna pūkoro. Ka huri me te āta puta atu i te whare.
Mōhio pai te taitamāhine kāore tōna ipo e tuku nawe ki ngā pirihimana. E kāo! Mā tērā, ka mōhiotia tōna pirinihehe me te ao katoa kua moe tētehi Minita o te Karauna i tētehi o āna kaimahi mō e whia kē nei ngā marama. Ka mōhiotia te ao katoa i te wā i māwhe ai te pohane a te Minita, i panaia tōna ipo muna ki tari kē. Ka mōhiotia te ao i te nuuui o te whāruarua ki waenga i tā te Minita kōrero tūmatanui mō ōna uaratanga me tāna mahi tūmataiti. Komo nei te taitamāhine i ōna ringaringa ki roto i ngā pūkoro o te kōti pango. Āe mārika, hei tāna ki a ia anō, e taku ipo, e taku kaitokomauri, mō ngā rā o tō ao, ko au pea tō namu. 4
Judge, Nuki Takao's comments:
Tēnā koe te tautoko mai i te kaupapa whakatipu i ngā tuhinga pakipoto reo Māori, he moemoeā tēnei nō ngā kaituhi o Te Tauihu o te Waka a Māui. Nā runga anō i te pai o tāu tuhinga, kua eke ki tētahi kairangitanga, e kīia ana ko te ‘Highly Commended Award’ Ā, kua kawea katoatia tēnei kōrero ki te reo kairangi, ki te tirohanga Māori anō hoki, me mihi ka tika!
Mai anō i te wāwāhinga kōrero, kua āta whakaahuangia tā tātou kiripuaki matua. Ehakē i te mea ko ōna āhuatanga o waho anake, engari anō ko ōna piropiro tonu. Waihoki, ko ōna kare ā-roto tērā te kawe i a tātou ki tōna mutunga ohorere. Ahakoa hoki āna mahi toropuku i waenganui pō, tokona kē ake ko te aroha, ko te māramatanga ki a ia.
Nā te whiu o te kōrero, ka tere piki haere te poho tārewa me te manawapā o te kaipānui. He aha hoki – he urutomo whare, he kohara tau rānei? Mutunga iho ko te muru! I a te marama e tiaho mai ana …
Thank you for supporting our endeavours to increase short story writing in te reo Māori, an aspiration of the authors of Te Tauihu. Due to the high standard of your story, we would like to confer a Highly Commended Award. And let’s also acknowledge the quality of the written word and consistent Māori perspective throughout!
From the opening sentence, we come to know our main protagist. Not just her appearance but a deep insight into her inner feelings of turmoil. It is in fact the emotions of our main character that carries the story to its shocking conclusion. And in spite of the fact that we are witnessing something untoward taking place in the middle of the night, our feelings towards our character are rather those of compassion and understanding.
The thrust of the narrative quickly creates and maintains a reader experience of suspense and tension. Is it a home invasion or a crime of passion? Then the ultimate reconciliation… whilst the moon’s light continues to shine.