He mihi
E ngā purapura ora, e ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā hau e whā, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Ki Ngā Wairiki me Ngāti Apa, tēnā kōrua – ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou.
Kei ngā purapura ora, ngā purapura tuawhiti, ērā e pura mai ana i te poho o Ranginui, ērā hoki e takahi tonu nei i te mata o te whenua, nō hea rā koutou e tawhiti i ō mātou whakaaro. Kei ngā mana whenua, ngā iwi kāinga o te rohe, Ngā Wairiki me Ngāti Apa, tēnei te mihi ake.
Ko te taitara o tēnei pūrongo mō te Manga Tamariki me te Rangatahi ki Lake Alice, ko [Tamariki Ātaahua]. Koinei ngā kupu nō te waiata “Sensitive to a Smile”, i waiatahia ai e te rōpū waiata nō Aotearoa, e Herbs. He mea whakauru tētahi mema o mua o Herbs, a Carl Perkins, ki Lake Alice nōna e tamariki ana. E ai ki a Carl, nā te pūoro ia i ora ai i tōna taitamarikitanga. I hinga a Carl i te tau 2018, e 59 ōna tau. Ka whakamahia e mātou ngā kupu nō “Sensitive to a Smile” i ngā whārangi o tēnei pūrongo hei whakamihi i a Carl me ngā tamariki, rangatahi katoa i whakaurua ki Lake Alice. Ka nui ā mātou mihi ki a Herbs mō rātou i whakaae mai kia whakamahia ēnei kupu ki tēnei pūrongo.
E mihi ana mātou ki a Ngā Wairiki me Ngāti Apa, ngā mana whenua o te rohe e karapoti nei i a Lake Alice. Kāore anō tētahi i toro i ō rātou whakaaro. Nō mātou te hōnore ki te tuitui i ēnei whakaaro ki te pūrongo. Kei te mihi mātou ki a Ngā Wairiki me Ngāti Apa mō rātou i takoha mai i te karakia hei anga ki tēnei pūrongo. Ka noho haumaru te kaupapa o te pūrongo i te karakia nei.
Ko te mihi a te ngākau ki te huhua purapura ora, i runga hoki i te tautoko a ngā whānau me ngā kaitautoko, i kōrero mai ki a mātou e pā ana ki ō rātou wheako tūkino, pāmamae, kohuki anō hoki i pā i Lake Alice, me ngā pānga mauroa o ērā tūāhuatanga. Kei te mārama mātou i te taumaha nui i taka iho ki te oranga nā te hahū ake i ō koutou wheako, ā, i pērā ai koutou hei hāpai i te huringa o te tai. Ka noho tūāpapa ō koutou wheako, ō koutou whakaaro me tō koutou māramatanga ki tēnei pūrongo. Mei kore ake tō koutou māia, manawa piharau anō hoki, i taea ai tēnei pūrongo te tuhi mai. Ki a koutou ngā purapura ora kāore nei i taea te kōrero mai – tēnei te mihi ki a koutou ko ō koutou whānau e takahia nei i tā te purapura ora ara.
He nui te hunga i pāngia ki Lake Alice i hinga tōmua. Ahakoa kāore rātou i konei ki te tuari i ā rātou kōrero, kei te mihi mātou ki a rātou ko ō rātou whānau. Moe mai rā koutou.
Kua kore nei tēnei whakatewhatewhatanga, waihoki tēnei pūrongo i taea, i te korenga o ngā kaiwawao me ngā kaitūhura i whakapau kaha i ngā rautau nei ki te whai i te tika mō ngā purapura ora. Nā rātou i whakaū kia kaua e wareware ngā whakamatakutanga o te Manga Tamariki me te Rangatahi ki Lake Alice. Kei te hia mihi mātou ki ngā mema o Auckland Committee on Racism and Discrimination me Citizens Commission on Human Rights.
Kei te mihi mātou i ngā mahi a ngā mema o te [Survivor advisory group of experts, Te Taumata, Pou Tikanga, me Te Ara Takatū] mō ā rātou takohatanga mai ki tēnei pūrongo.
Ka nui te mihi ki te rōpū report reference o Lake Alice, ki a Frank Bristol, rātou ko Dr. Brigit Mirfin-Veitch, ko Dr. Lynne Russell, nō ō rātou wheako me ō rātou mātangatanga ki te kaupapa i nui ai tō mātou māramatanga.
E rere ana ā mātou mihi ki te Kōmihana o mua, ki a Julia Steenson, mō āna takotahatanga mai ki tēnei pūrongo.
