Te Arawa
I tipu ake a Timoti ki ngā uta ātaahua o Rotorua nui o Kahumatamomoe i te taha o tōna kuia. I tōna matenga i whakahokia ia ki ōna pākeke i Horohoro, kei te taha o Atiamuri. Tokoiwa ōna tēina, tuakana, tokotoru ōna tuahine. Ko te reo Māori te reo o ngā pākeke ko te reo Pākeha te reo o ngā tamariki. E rua ngā kura takawaenga a Timoti, nā tāna hūnuku haere, mai whānau ki whānau, ko Ngongotaha me te Kura Māori o Horohoro.
I ōna rā i te kura o ngā tamatoa o Rotorua (Rotorua Boys High) i te tau 1962 i whiwhi karahipi a Timoti mai i a Māori Affairs, ka haere ia ki Hato Tipene. Mai reira ka hoki anō i a ki Rotorua (Rotorua Boys High) whai muri i te haikura ka haere ia ki te Whare Wānanga o Massey (Te Kunenga) ki te whakakoi ake i te hinengaro. Mai reira ka tono ia mō tētahi tūranga i Te Hohipera o Oakley i te tau 1971.
Ko tētahi o ngā hua whai wawata a Timoti kia kaha kitea, e manaaki pai a tinana, a hinengaro, a wairua i roto i ngā āhuatanga o te hauora me tōna whakapai ka manaakihia ēnei momo pūmanawa o te tangata. Ko tērā atu kia whakapau kaha te iwi Māori i tō rātau taha wairua me ngā taonga whakarerea o ngā tīpuna ki tōna pito mata.
He tohunga tētahi o ngā kuia a Timoti ka mataki ia i te rahinga tangata e whai ana i tona mātauranga e mate a tinana, a hinengaro, a wairua hoki. Ka wetekino e ia aua mate ka wehe atu te tangata ki ōna nei haererenga. E ai ki a Timoti ki te whakaora i te hauora o te Māori me te whakaora hoki i ngā āhuatanga katoa o te tangata. Ka aroha hoki, i mate atu tōna kuia me tōna taonga oranga, a, ka tohuhia tōna ara ki a Hori Gage rāua ko Alex Phillips he tohunga oranga i roto i te Ao Māori.
He tuakana hārukiruki ta Timoti e mate hukihuki ana ka kōrero ia ki ngā patupaiarehe ka haere a Timoti i tōna taha ki te tutaki i a rātau. Ka mate ia ka mate hoki ēnei momo kōrero tutakitanga mō ngā patupaiarehe. I a Timoti e mahi ana mō Winstone Concrete hei kaiwhakatakataka, i whakaaro ia ēhara tēnei i te mahi maaku, mai i te poipoia o ōna hoa mahi ka haere ia ki te whai i te tūnga hei kaitapuhi mate hinengaro.
Tokorua ngā neehi e noho ana ki te pae uiui, ko tētahi o ngā pātai mēnā e takoro whutuporo ana ia, ka whakahoki a Timoti 'Ae" me te whakaaro "he māmā tērā pātai". Ka pātai atu te neehi tuarua, me tūtaki koe ki te kaiwhakahaere a Takuta Savage. Ko tōna tuarua ko Frank Witherington. I whakaaro te pae uiui me māminga ia Timoti. Ka tohuhia ia ki te tari o Te Kaiwhakahaere. Ka waea atu te pae uiui ki te Te Kaiwhakahaere i a Timoti e tū ana ki waho. Ka mea atu "he tangata mahoe tēnei ki te takaro whutuporo e hiahia ana mātau i a ia, ka whiwhi a Timoti i te tūranga ki te uru atu ki te kura mō ngā neehi kaitapuhi mate hinengaro. I te hohipera o Oakley i te wiki whai atu. I te timatanga o ōna rā ako i tēnei hohipera, katahi ano nga neehi Māori rongonui a Shortland raua ko Harris ka mutu. Te nuinga o ngā neehi he Tatimana, he Pākeha. I reira tētahi neehi Māori ko Lewis Berry, ko tōna tuahine he kaikapa no te tima kapa o Pita Sharples. I moea a Berry i tētahi wahine o Tuhoe ko Tahuri tōna ingoa. I reira hoki ētahi neehi matua i tautoko i a Timoti i roto i ōna mahi ako. I ēnei wā he maha ake ngā neehi tane i ngā neehi wahine. I tēnei wā tonu i tūtaki i a ki a Winston Maniapoto i a Wi Keelan.
I roto i ēnei akonga me te mahi i te taha o ngā tangata whaiora Māori, ko tōna ahukahuka he Māori. He maha o rātau e pukuriri ana hēoi anō i to rātau kitenga atu he Māori koe, me te tutaki Māori me te hariru, hongi ka tau to rātau wairua.
E ai ki ngā kōrero a Timoti ki ngā kaihaumanu ko to mauiuitanga to whakapapa ēhara ko to ingoa whānau. Koinei te pouritanga no te mea ki te Ao Māori e ora ana ngā tikanga o te whanaungatanga ki a mōhio ki te tangata ki to rātau whānau ēhara i te mauiuitanga.
Ka akiaki a Timoti i ngā neehi Māori ki te mau pūmau ki to rātau reo rangatira. I a Timoti ma e mahi ana e kore e tukuna te reo Māori ki a rongohia kia kōrerohia, hēoi anō i ngā tau e waru tekau i kitea i te reo Māori hei reo a motu mo Aotearoa. E ai ki a Timoti, ma te tiaki, ma te manaaki i ngā tangata whaiora ka ora tere ngā tangata whaiora, me te maumaharatanga o te hohonutanga o te aroha ki te tangata ko te manawa o te oranga mō te iwi Māori. I ngā momo whare hauora e taki tū tū haere, ka whakaoho ake te hauora mō ngā Māori hoki. Ko ngā whare hauora pēnā i te whare hauora i Kirikiriroa, Te Whare Marie i Porirua, Te Whatiki Mauria me Te Whare Paia I Tamaaki, e kawe ana ngā tikanga kawa Māori hei piki ake i ngā oranga mō ngā tangata whaiora e kaha ana te mate.
Ko te kōrero i te reo Māori hei whakatau tinana, hinengaro e ai ki a Timoti he mahinga. Na te mea ka kitea ngā tangata whaiora tērā reo he reo o ngā tipuna e whakaora ana i te wiarua o te tangata. E maumahara ana a Timoti i tētahi whakatau me tētahi tangata whaiora i porowhiua i ngā teepu me te kii atu "kei te mōhio ahau ko wai au, no hea ahau", Ēhara ahau i te tangata pōrangi, ko taku hiahia ki te kōrero ki tētahi i roto i tōku reo ko te reo Māori tōku rongoa.
Ko te reo tētahi taonga oranga ātaahua mō to tātau iwi, ēngari ki a pai to ngākau ia koe e kōrero ana i te reo nei.
Ka tohaina e Timoti, ēhara ngā rongoa Māori i tukuna e Takuta Savage, hēoi anō ko Ranginui Walker tōna māngai, tōna kaiarahi hoki. Nana hoki te wero kaua e maharahara "mena ka timata iti, ka puawai, ka ora". Nōreira ma te karakia whakamoemiti ka tauoko i ngā tangata whaiora.
I a Timoti e ako ana, i pukuriri ia ki te kite i te rahinga o ngā neehi Māori kāore e whakaaro ki to rātau Māoritanga, te whai i ngā ture o te rongoa Pākeha, (he aha te mauiuitanga? he aha te rongoa? e hia ka tukuna?) Ki ta Timoti i whānau Māori koe, ka hoki puehu koe hei Māori. Na ki te whakatinanahia i tōna Māoritanga ki te taha tinana, taha wairua, taha hinengaro, taha whanau me tū mana motuhake.
I tohaina e Timoti i ngā rā o mua kāore e tukuna ngā karakia ngā whakamoemiti ki ngā whānau ko te takuta te kaikawe o ngā uiui, Ko ēnei rā noiho kua timata te whakaū i roto i ngā uiuitanga. E whakapono ana a Timoti kei te tiini haere ngā wā kua rite a Māori ki te kōrero Māori ki te whakaaro Māori me te whakaū hoki i ngā mahi-ā-rēhia ki te whakaoho i te mauri o te tangata whaiora, me te whakahoki i to rātau ake mana motuhake ki te tū ki tōna ake whenua ki tōna ake maunga kia purea ai e ngā hau a Tawhirimatea. Ia ia e mahi tata ana ki ngā tūpapaku ka hoki ake ngā mahara a Timoti ki a ia e horoi ana i tētahi koro. I a ia e horoi ana ka korero mihi hoki i a ki te tupapaku i te kōrero me te mutu ake i te karakia ki a mutu tika tērā tū āhuatanga.
Ka kōrero hoki a Timoti mō tētahi wā i haere ia ki te tautoko i te tima momori. I taua wā i awhia ia ki te tanoa i te tūpapaku nei kua momoritia. Kiki ana a Timoti i te mataku ka maumahara ia i tōna tipuna e kōrero ana "Timoti, karakia, kōrero". I kōrero ia ki te tūpapaku mai te timatatanga tae noa ki te mutunga me ngā āhuatanga ka whai. Ma tēnei whainga ka māmā ake te mahi me ēnei tūmomo āhuatanga.