Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungungu
I whānau a Wi i Uawa, e ai ki a Wi, i whānau ia i raro i te rākau āporo. No te mea ,i mahi tōna pāpā i Waikaremoana, i eke ia i tōna pahikara ki te mahi ia ra, ka noho tōna mama ki te kainga ki te tiaki i ngā tamariki. Mēnā kāore ōna uri i hipa atu ma runga waka ki te heri I tōna mama ki whare whanau Pepe, ka whānau ia i raro i te rākau o te āporo.
I whāngai ia e tōna kuia e noho ana i Hiruharama i Ruatoria. Ko Wi tētahi o ngā mokopuna e whitu i whāngaia e tōna kuia.
I pakeke ake a Wi i roto i te reo Māori, i pāengaenga ngā tāngata i tōna kuia no te mea kāore e tika tāna whakatakoto kōrero Pākeha. I a ia e tata ana ki ētahi o ngā tamariki ko te reo Pākeha te reo whakawhiti kōrero. I kuraina a Wi i te kura o Tapu Te Ariki, he kura iwi whenua ā, kāore e tawhiti atu i te pāmu me tōna marae.
He whanaunga katoa ngā tāngata ki a Wi, i te timatatanga o ōna ra i te kura Kareti o Ngata, ko ōna hoa, he whanaunga, ko ōna kaiako he whaea, he matua kēkē, he papa. Kāore he whakawetitanga na te tokomaha o ngā whanaunga i reira ki te manaaki i a rātau. Mai tēnei āhuatanga he kaha te papa whenua ki te tipu i te whanaungatanga hei whakato ara pai hei anga whakamua. E ai ki a Wi, ko ēnei wā, ko ēnei whai tikanga o te kainga i Hiruharama, i te kura, i te marae me te whānau, ngā pouarahi mōna hai orangatanga i roto i ōna tumomo whainga pēnā i te turanga o te Chief Advisor Māori Health.
I te tau 1967, e tekau ma whitu ngā tau o Wi. I taua wā i te tapahi rākau manuka ia, ka karanga atu tōna tuahine e mahi ana i te hohipera o Porirua hei neehi ki te noho i tōna taha me tōna whānau. Ko te hiahia hoki o tōna tuahine ki a whiwhi tūranga ia ki te Hohipera. He whakaaro anō tō tāna koroua ki a whiwhi ia i te tūranga kaiako. Ma te aha i tērā ka tukuna e ia i a Wi kia haere ki Porirua me ēnei kupu mātauranga “kaua e wareware ki te Māoritanga ahakoa ka haere ko ki hea”.
I uiuitia ia, a, i tīmata me te toru tekau ma rima ngā tāngata i runga i te hōtaka nei. Ko Wi, ko Paul Love ngā Māori anake i roto i te akomanga nei. Ka piri tata ēnei tokorua hei hoa tata mo te rōanga o ngā rā i whai ake. He roherohenga hōtaka ēnei akonga, ko te ako a hinengaro ki te pepa me te ako a mahi. Ko ngā ako a hinengaro ngā tikanga mahi i whakatinanahia tōna tumu mahi.
I te mataku a Wi i roto i āna mahi, i te mataku ia i ngā tāngata whaiora i te mate wairangi. Hēoi anō i ako a Wi e pā ana ki te mate pōrangi ka kite ia i te āhua o tēnei momo matakutanga te whatungarongaro, ka pakari ka whakawhirinaki haere ia, a, ka kaha ake ia ki te mahi taurangi. I tēnei wā i kii a Wi, he maha nga whānau Māori, rangatahi pākeke he tūroro. Ka hoki ake a Wi ki ngā painga o tōna pakeketanga me tōna whānau, na aua āhuatanga i tumu i a ia. Ko tāna kōrero, ka mahue ake ia ki te tangata whaiora mena ka kore tōna whānau. Ko tōna whakatauāki “i ngā mata o te Atua, he rawe rawa atu o tātau whānau te manaaki tamariki”, I a ia e hoki mahara ana, ka ki ia “he maha ngā tāngata o tōku pakeke, kāore e mohio ana ki to rātau whakapapa, pepeha”. Pono ki ta Wi, i tau mai he whakaaro ki a ia i taua wā, he huarahi pai ake tō tātau ki te tiaki i tō tātau whānau. I tēnei wā ēhara tēnei i te huarahi tika ma rātau, tāpiri atu ki ngā tane Māori ka riro hei tangata whaiora.
I ngā ra akoako o Wi, he maha nga neehi Māori. Ka haere mai rātau ki te tautoko i ngā tauira Māori e whakarite ana mo ngā whakamatautau. Noreira, kaore he wa haere ki te paati, i reira he tangata i to taha i te nuinga o te wā ki te noho tahi i to taha ki a marama ai koe ki o mahi. E ai ki a Wi, i aua wā i rongo ia i te reo o tōna koroua e ki ana “kaua e heahea ngā whakaaro, kaua e inu waipiro”. Kāore tonu a Wi kia mutu te warewaretanga o aua kupu. Ko ngā neehi tautoko i a ia ko Wally Barton, Henry Paul, Tom Johnson me tana tuahine.
I te tau kotahi mano iwa rau, whitu tekau ma tahi, (1971) i mutu pai ōna whakamatautau tatauranga, ka rēhita ia hei neehi ka whiwhi mahi ia. I tūtaki hoki ia i tōna hoa wahine tuatahi, ka whānau mai ōna tamariki tokotoru. I te tau kotahi mano, iwa rau, whitu tekau ma wha, ka hunuku rātau ki Lake Alice ka mahi i te wahanga kaingita. He maha ngā tangata whaiora Māori i reira. Ko te kaiwhakahaere o tērā rātonga, ko Dutchman Harold Wright, i tūtaki hoki a Wi ki a Winston Maniapoto. Koinei hoki te wā i tīmata a Mason Durie me Rose Pere te whakaū mau i ngā tauira Māori hei kawe i o tātau whakaharatau.
Tokoiti ngā neehi Māori e mahi ana. Na kōna, ko te wawata a Wi kia mārama pai ngā neehi Māori o te tangata whaiora i o rātau oranga a tinana, e hono atu ki tō rātau oranga katoa hei whakamana i te oranga hinengaro. Nā, me tohatoha rauemi, whai whakaaro ki a mahitahi, e ai ki ta Wi ko te āhuatanga Māori.
I te titīni haere te huarahi i Porirua, he kaitautoko kaiwhakahaere a Wi, he kaiwhakahaere matua a Janice Wilson, ā, i raro i tōna maru me tōna tautoko, i whakau mai ngā kaupapa Māori, ka whakawātea he huarahi ma Māori ki a tautokohia i roto i ngā āhuatanga o te ao Māori. I tautoko a Dr Eru Pōmare i te āhuatanga waahi ngaro ta Māori. Ko ia te Kaiako Matua o te kura rongoa i Pōneke i te taha o Dr Pat Ngata.
Ko te wairua o ngā whānau te taonga nui i Porirua te kī a Wi, ko ngā kaimahi i taua wā ko Paul Love, Chas McCarthy rātau ko Whaea Mere Hammond, ko ia te kuia e manaaki ana i tērā kaupapa. I ngā wā taumaha e mahi ana i te taha o ngā tangata whaiora me o rātau whānau, ka tika rā, ka noho tahi a tangata whenua ki te tautoko hoki i te whānau, he āhuatanga pai tēnei, kei te pērā tonu i ēnei rā.
E pono ana a Wi, he minaka mo ngā neehi Māori kei ia wahanga o te hauora, ēngari, ki te whai kitenga mō tō tātau iwi, me anga whakamua rātau ki ngā tūranga kaiwhakahaere ki a tau ngā rerekētanga ki tērā taumata.