E te tī, e te tā, e ngā ākonga Māori o te motu, mauri ora ki a koutou katoa.
Pararē
(verb) to speak or call out loudly, bawl - as with other words for shouting, it is the mouth, rather than the person that does the action.
Te Pararē is your voice. It is your platform to say your piece, inspire your peers, confront your demons, stick it to the man, or just full-out fangirl/boy over something you love. It doesn’t really matter what you want to say or create, just the fact that you finally have a place to say it.
Nōreira, nau mai! You’re officially one of Te Pararē's ‘Day Ones’.
I’ll save the full whakapapa behind why we (Te Mana Ākonga - National Māori Tertiary Students’ Association) began this magazine for another time and instead ask you a couple questions. Yeah, flipped the tables on you didn’t I?
Are you a coffee or cuppa tea person? And how do you drink it?
Have you been to Ihumātao?
Who was your cartoon crush growing up?
E mōhio ana koe ki te kōrero i tō tātou reo rangatira?
Did you break any one of the many low expectations society has for us lately?
Have you washed your hands today? With soap?
I don’t know about you but I want to know all of these things. Except maybe the hand-washing one, but you all better be listening to Aunty Jacinda #stayathome.
For too long Māori have been silenced by the mainstream. White-washed. Censored. Stereotyped. Marginalised. Probably a whole bunch of other big Pākehā words and definitely a few good kupu Māori too. How many mainstream student magazines actually include Māori student voices beyond just the token? How many local newspapers neglect the voice of authority of iwi or hapū?
Well Te Pararē is one solution, but we need you to write for us, support us and follow us on this journey to indigenise student media.
Write like your nans standing behind you with a wooden spoon.
Tell us what you like, love and what you absolutely despise.
Share your art and talent with the whole world.
Tell your story, because it matters.
Then? Send it.
And I mean to our email please.
If you're keen on writing but stuck on what to write, email us anyway. We'll work with you to get your voice out there.
Let’s do this whānau. In these coming weeks let’s use this time to be productive and socially connected as much as we have to be physically disconnected. Be kind, be safe, and be bloody proud to be a Māori in the 21st century.
Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui.
Taylor Terekia
Te Pararē Kaiwāwāhi Matua / Editor
