Rev. D. Manihera leads the clergy from Mahinarangi for the unveiling rongo-ā-taringa ai i te reo e korerotia ana e ngā tāngata e tohunga ana ki tēnei mahi, te tu ki te marae. Kua tae mātou ko aku akonga ki ngā marae o Tūrangawaewae, ki Kai-ā-te-mata, ā, ki Hukanui. Katoa ngā marae i tae ai mātou i tino whakarangatiratia mātou e ngā pākeke ahakoa nāku kē rātou i kī atu i te haere atu mātou! Āpiti atu hoki i kī atu au ki a rātou kia waiho mai mā mātou e kōhuru atu tā rātou waiata tangi, arā, a ‘E Pā Tō Hau’. E kore kē e ea i a au ngā manaakitanga maha mai ā koutou, i a au, e kare mā, otirā mātou katoa ko aku akonga kua tae nei ki runga i ō koutou marae. Nā reira tēnei mōkai ā koutou, o roto mai o Tūhoe, i tuhi ai i ēnei whakaaro ruarua ōna hei whakamōhio atu a koutou i tana kaha whakamihi me tana kaha whahamīharo ki a koutou. Me pēhea kē atu he kōrero ki a koutou? Heoi ano rā, tēnā koutou katoa. Koīnei anake te marae o te motu tū ai ngā whakataetae haka ki te aroaro tonu o te whare nui. Whakaeke mai ana he kapa haka ki te haka, tū ana ngā kuia o Waikato ki te karanga i taua kapa, arā, ki te whakanui i taua kapa. Ko tēnei tau te mea tuatahi i pēnei rawa ai te nui o ngā rōpu i tae mai ki te whakataetae i ngā mahi, ā, nā tā rātou mahi kātahi ka kitea te āta kore e ngaro o ēnei tāonga ā tātou i te mata o te whenua. Nā, i tū ngā mahi whakataetae haka i te 19 me te 20 o ngā rā o Mei, kia āhei ai ngā mea e mahi ana ki te haere mai ki te hui. I tēnei tau i whiriwhiria au hei whakawā i ngā haka, ā, ko taku tau tuawha tēnei e can also hear the language being spoken by those people who are expert in this field. My students and I have visited the marae of Tūrangawaewae, Kai-ā-te-mata and Hukanui. We have been treated very kindly on every marae we have been to even though it was I who did the inviting! In addition, I have had the nerve to tell them to let us ‘murder’ their well known lament, E pa to hau. My students and I who have been onto your marae will never be able to repay the many kindnesses extended to us. That is why this mokai of yours, of Tuhoe descent, has written down these few thoughts of his to inform you of his gratitude and admiration. What more can one say other than, tēnā koutou katoa. This is the only marae in the country where cultural competitions take place in front of the meeting house. As each group comes on to perform the old women of Waikato rise to karanga that group and thereby honour it. This year was the first in which so many groups had arrived to compete in the cultural activities bequeathed to us by “they who have gone beyond the veil”. If these groups were seen performing one would be convinced that these treasures of ours will never disappear from the face of the earth. The Arikinui with Henare Tuwhangai and Mrs Hura, who unveiled the stone The cultural competitions took place on the 19th and 20th days of May so that those people who work would be able to attend. This year I was selected to adjudicate in the cultural competitions, and this was the fourth year I have done so at