He karakia
Hei kurupounamu ki te ao
E aku whare tiketike, e aku manu huia, e ngā manutaki, e aku manu taiko, tēnei koutou ka tīkina atu e mātou hei hahu ake i te mahara, hei whakaoho i te wairua, hei kaiwhakaawe i te hinengaro, hei kaitīkaro manawa! E taku ngakau kia tau, e aku manako nui kia hiwa ra. Tēnā ra mātou e Rongo whakatāirihia ki te rangi, tūturu whakamaua kia tinā, tinā, hui e taiki e!
Me pēhea he kupu kia koutou kua puta i nga ākinga a nga tau kua hori, kua waia kē ki ngā hau pūkeri o te wā, kua hoea ngā wai tāpokopoko o te raru, kua hīkoi kē i te ara o te tika kua karo i te hē. Kua mōhio ki te pai, kua mātau ki te kino. Koutou kua rongo i te reo o te pani, kua kite i ngā pēhitanga o te rawakore. E te ha o te ora, ngā pae o te mātauranga, ngā pepeha o te hunga kua ngaro, te whirinakitanga mo te ngākau pouri, tēna e Rongo whakatāirihia ki te rangi, tūturu whakamaua kia tinā, tinā hui e tāiki e.
Kāti ra e koutou kua kūwhetia e te o tai koroheke, kua korowaitia ki nga raukura o tāi kūia, na koutou nei i tauira te oranga, kia tū mai ko te mauri tangata. Tāwharautia ratou e Rongo, hei whetū mārama ki te ao. Hei mihi ki te mauri whenua, hei kurupounamu mauri Atua.
Kia tau te mauri, kia ū te mauri, kua mau te mauri.
A treasure to the world
Bearers of our highest regard, revered and noble holders of age and wisdom, stir our memories, arouse our spirits, inspire our minds, prise open our hearts. Give me comfort and yet let my ambitions soar. Rongo, purveyor of peace, raise us all to the highest of heights. Make us resolute.
What can we say, to you who have come through years of change, the storms of time, sailed through troubled seas, walked paths that were both straight and narrow, who have known good and bad times, who heard the voices of the destitute and seen poverty? Breath of life, keepers of knowledge, hope of the lost, haven to the bereft. Rongo, purveyor of peace, raise them to the highest of heights. Make them resolute.
And so, to you, who have aged with grace, and been refined by time itself, you who have epitomised life and the essence of humanity itself; Rongo, purveyor of peace, let them shine like stars in the firmament enlightening the world, a natural creation of a divine treasure.
The essence of life is the soul that finds solace, a heart that knows peace and a mindset to hold them both.