Rangitiaho Mahuta

Rangitiaho Mahuta

As long as I believe or Waikato believes in the power and the healing in the water, my river will never die.

Whitebaiting, going to get harakeke, pick kiekie and all the rest of it, because it’s within those activities that lie your tikanga. It’s in there. If you lose the activity, you have no more use for the tikanga. So that would be my biggest concern is that we no longer participate in those activities, whatever they may be.

It’s not just about the fishing. Even if you’re just going to get kaimoana, if we don’t bother and just go to the shop and buy it, well, we lose that tikanga too. So when you lose your tikanga, you lose a part of who you are, your culture. You lose a big chunk of yourself.

If you can find yourself an activity – whether it be waka ama, rowing, whatever – take it up, go out on the water, experience it, live it, and then I think when you start to live it and experience it, you start to understand.

Acknowledgement:
The Waikato Tainui College for Research and Development acknowledges the financial support given by the Waikato River Cleanup Trust Fund which is administered by the Waikato River Authority.

The Waikato River Cleanup Trust does not necessarily endorse or support the content of the publication in any way.