Rapua te mea ngaro
- Debate Magazine
- Apr 24, 2020
- 1 min read

A piece by Ruamano Te Koi dedicated to young urbanised Maaori moving away from home and committing to university life in the city
Rapua te mea ngaro
Seek that which has been lost
Noho-a-kiko, noho manene ana ki toona anoo whenua
I am like a visitor, a tourist to my own country
Teeraa Te Auahi-Nui-o-Taamaki,
There she blows up, the big smoke
E piirori ana I te uma o Ranginui
The rolling thick smoke overcasting the chest of Ranginui
Kei whea ngaa mata o ngaa ariki?
Where are my ancestors in the sky?
Teeraa aku hoa e rawakore ana I ngaa piriti
Look at my people out on the streets
E patipati noa nei, e unene a waha iho
Begging for a bite or a cent
Kei whea te oranga moo taku iwi Maaori?
Where is the well-being for my people?
Teeraa ia taku waha e memeha nei
My mouth is dry
Kiihaia te rongo I taku mauri, kiihaia a rokiroki haumaru
The spirit of my ancestors faded, I’m losing my sense of belonging
Kei whea taku reo Maaori?
Where is my language?
Te kupu a taa Matutaera
Matutaera once said
He mea korikori e te iwi, kia ngaaueue ki ngaa whakawai a tauiwi
Something that shook the nation, and awoken the rise of our ancestors within us
Rapua te mea ngaro
Seek that which has been lost
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