Toitū te mana, toitū te whenua. Whatungarongaro te pepa, toitū te whenua.
The land endures, the mana remains. Paper disappears while the land remains.
Engari kei hea te whenua?
But where is the land now?
Kia tū rangatira me whai tūrangawaewae. Engari he aha te tūrangawaewae?
A chief needs his place to stand, but what is a place to stand in today’s ever changing world?
I ngā rā o mua ko te whenua tū, te kāinga, te taura tangata.
In days of old, it was the land, the home, the anchor of community.
He aha pea hei tūrangawaewae ināianei?
But what serves this purpose now?
Kei hea te whenua hei tū, te kāinga hei noho, te taura hei here tangata?
Where is our place to stand, our home to base ourselves, where can we bind our community together?
Kua riro atu te nuinga o ngā whenua ā-kikokiko nei.
Although much of the land may be lost physically;
Engari ā-wairua nei kei ō tātou tūpuna te mana o te whenua, o te taiao.
Spiritually, the mana of the land and our environment remains with us and our ancestors.
Nō reira, kimihia tō tūrangawaewae ā-wairua, ō wawata, ō moemoeā, ō kāwai heke, tō whānau, hei tūrangawaewae mōu.
Therefore, find your place to stand spiritually, in your dreams and aspirations, in your lineage, with your family, therein lies your belonging and purpose.
Kei reira anō te puna o tō Awe.
That is the source of your power.
