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Ko Te Arawa he waka, he iwi kaore e kirimata nei ona korero, Engari ngoto atu ki te wāhi hōhonu haere ai.
Paora Te Hurihanganui is of Te Arawa, Ngāti Awa and Ngāti Tūwharetoa descent. He is currently the Chief Executive of Te Papa Tākaro o Te Arawa an Iwi (tribal) mandated trust working within the sport and health sectors in Rotorua. He has a passion for the revitalisation of ancestral and cultural pursuits and has a diverse background in Māori arts. A particular interest is in the revitalisation of traditional waka (canoe) and ancestral games. Paora specialises in the practical application and testing of traditional tribal methodologies for the generation of contemporary solutions and growing the realisation of whānau (extended families), hapū (kinship groups), iwi and Māori potential. Paora is a firm believer in the use of traditional sites of significance (such as mountains, rivers, seas, lakes, marae (tribal meeting place) as authentic connection for positive individual and collective transformation and whakapapa (genealogy/kinship) as providing pathways to optimum health and wellbeing. |
Abstract
“Tohi ki te ahi Rū-ā-nuku, whano koe tūngaengae”
“Advancing the divine spark of excellence”
Excellence is a notion familiar to Te Arawa mind, as the pursuit of excellence has been a sacred decree recognised as a personal and collective obligation since time in memorial. We descend from the best of the best. We are the sum total of all that has come before, all that is, and all that will become, the noblest and most resilient of bloodlines.
This korero will provide insight into the trend of thinking of our genetic origins (ancestral profiling) and how this can help individuals and groups attain better life fitness and wellbeing. It will explore ancestral activities and exemplars as aspirational modes of maximising potential. Te Arawa tribal successes will be told through story and will describe the reintroduction of inherent traditional Māori philosophical practices that embody important cultural imperatives deeming all peoples to be of ‘boundless-potentiality'.
This korero will provide insight into the trend of thinking of our genetic origins (ancestral profiling) and how this can help individuals and groups attain better life fitness and wellbeing. It will explore ancestral activities and exemplars as aspirational modes of maximising potential. Te Arawa tribal successes will be told through story and will describe the reintroduction of inherent traditional Māori philosophical practices that embody important cultural imperatives deeming all peoples to be of ‘boundless-potentiality'.