title: Language, identity and parenting in acculturation: A case study of Saudi Arabian mothers sojourning in New Zealand

authors: Yaghi, Esra

subjects: acculturation

abstract: The international education sector is rapidly growing in New Zealand, with increasing numbers of students arriving from Saudi Arabia under the scholarship scheme, with the firm intention of returning home at the end of their study. These sojourning students are typically accompanied by their spouses and children, causing a noticeable influx of Saudi families in educational institutions as well as society at large. 

Sojourning students have been the focus of research in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia with the primary focus being on the experiences of the student and not on their accompanying family. As Saudi people are relative newcomers to New Zealand, local research about Saudi students is scarce and research on their dependants is non-existent, to the knowledge of the researcher.

The main objective of the present study was to gain a better understanding of the experiences of Saudi wives who have to navigate their way through an unfamiliar society in a foreign language, with a particular focus on how these women parent and educate their children in New Zealand while trying to maintain their own cultural values.
This explorative case study was conducted from August 2016 and March 2018 in Hamilton, a provincial town in New Zealand. Narrative data were collected from nine Saudi women through a series of in-depth interviews, focus groups and informal observation made at social gatherings. The narratives of the participating women, their discussions with one another on parenting values and the personal observations of the researcher helped provide a picture of the everyday sojourning experiences of Saudi mothers. 
The findings from the interviews are broadly organised into a retrospective look at life pre-sojourn, challenges and changes they made during their sojourn, and preparation for their future return to Saudi Arabia. Within each of these sections are a number of themes that arose from the analysis. Focus group data are presented by topic and informal observations are incorporated throughout the study. 

The findings indicate that these mothers renegotiate and redefine their own identities in relation to their changed circumstances and environment. They show that they are receptive to the influence of some aspects of local culture provided they do not contradict their Islamic identity. Maintaining their children’s Islamic identity was of concern to them: they found it challenging to instil desired values when mainstream society operates by a different set of values. They found that their role as mothers changed and they had to adapt their parenting practices. 

The mothers were apprehensive about their children’s return to Saudi Arabia, particularly their Arabic schooling. Most of their children did not have age-appropriate Arabic literacy and would foreseeably struggle to close the gap between them and their peers. However, mothers prepared possible solutions to ameliorating their challenges. Fitting back into the extended Saudi family was also of concern: the women were aware of the changes they and their children had undergone during their sojourn and that their repatriation would require further changes. As a result of these Saudi mothers’ greater sense of self-efficacy, they did not predict being faced with any insurmountable challenges. 
A grounded analysis of the findings suggested that Experiential Learning Theory could assist a situated explanation of the process of acculturation (Berry, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2011) that these Saudi mothers underwent, and the most recent model (Kolb, 2015) was refined to develop a construct of cross-cultural experiential learning. 
This study contributes a qualitative understanding of cross-cultural experiential learning of sojourning Saudi mothers. Recommendations are made about possible support that could be offered to sojourning families by the home and host societies, to aid in their transition and ensure their sojourn would be a rich and rewarding experience.

text: Language, identity and parenting in acculturation: A case study of Saudi Arabian mothers sojourning in New Zealand The international education sector is rapidly growing in New Zealand, with increasing numbers of students arriving from Saudi Arabia under the scholarship scheme, with the firm intention of returning home at the end of their study. These sojourning students are typically accompanied by their spouses and children, causing a noticeable influx of Saudi families in educational institutions as well as society at large. 

Sojourning students have been the focus of research in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia with the primary focus being on the experiences of the student and not on their accompanying family. As Saudi people are relative newcomers to New Zealand, local research about Saudi students is scarce and research on their dependants is non-existent, to the knowledge of the researcher.

The main objective of the present study was to gain a better understanding of the experiences of Saudi wives who have to navigate their way through an unfamiliar society in a foreign language, with a particular focus on how these women parent and educate their children in New Zealand while trying to maintain their own cultural values.
This explorative case study was conducted from August 2016 and March 2018 in Hamilton, a provincial town in New Zealand. Narrative data were collected from nine Saudi women through a series of in-depth interviews, focus groups and informal observation made at social gatherings. The narratives of the participating women, their discussions with one another on parenting values and the personal observations of the researcher helped provide a picture of the everyday sojourning experiences of Saudi mothers. 
The findings from the interviews are broadly organised into a retrospective look at life pre-sojourn, challenges and changes they made during their sojourn, and preparation for their future return to Saudi Arabia. Within each of these sections are a number of themes that arose from the analysis. Focus group data are presented by topic and informal observations are incorporated throughout the study. 

The findings indicate that these mothers renegotiate and redefine their own identities in relation to their changed circumstances and environment. They show that they are receptive to the influence of some aspects of local culture provided they do not contradict their Islamic identity. Maintaining their children’s Islamic identity was of concern to them: they found it challenging to instil desired values when mainstream society operates by a different set of values. They found that their role as mothers changed and they had to adapt their parenting practices. 

The mothers were apprehensive about their children’s return to Saudi Arabia, particularly their Arabic schooling. Most of their children did not have age-appropriate Arabic literacy and would foreseeably struggle to close the gap between them and their peers. However, mothers prepared possible solutions to ameliorating their challenges. Fitting back into the extended Saudi family was also of concern: the women were aware of the changes they and their children had undergone during their sojourn and that their repatriation would require further changes. As a result of these Saudi mothers’ greater sense of self-efficacy, they did not predict being faced with any insurmountable challenges. 
A grounded analysis of the findings suggested that Experiential Learning Theory could assist a situated explanation of the process of acculturation (Berry, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2011) that these Saudi mothers underwent, and the most recent model (Kolb, 2015) was refined to develop a construct of cross-cultural experiential learning. 
This study contributes a qualitative understanding of cross-cultural experiential learning of sojourning Saudi mothers. Recommendations are made about possible support that could be offered to sojourning families by the home and host societies, to aid in their transition and ensure their sojourn would be a rich and rewarding experience.

year: 2019

title: Literacy, Freire and the university

authors: Roberts, Peter

subjects: Literacy

abstract: Literacy has become a popular topic for scholarly investigation in recent years. Historians, anthropologists, sociologists, linguists, and educationists, among others, have contributed to the development of 'literacy studies' as a field of inquiry. This thesis concentrates on the conceptual and ethical dimensions of literacy. The central argument is that people ought to become critically literate. This idea is developed and defended through a detailed examination of the work of Paulo Freire, and applied in evaluating contemporary debates in First World universities.

The first chapter focuses on three broad literatures. A brief critique of adult literacy research is followed by a more extensive review of the wider literacy studies literature. Four areas are highlighted for comment: the oral-literate divide; the relationship between literacy and economic growth; literacy, reproduction and resistance; and postmodernist perspectives on literacy. A case for further conceptual and ethical work on literacy is advanced. Attention then turns to controversies over 'political correctness', canons and core curricula in higher education. The potential value of literacy studies scholarship for assessing debates in these areas is noted, and the merits of concentrating on Freire are considered.

Freire's ideas are outlined and analysed in chapter two. Emphasis is placed on the importance of contextualized, holistic, anti-reductionist, critical readings in approaching Freire from the First World. The major tenets of Freire's philosophy are summarized, and key features of Freirean pedagogy are discussed. Liberating education, for Freire, is critical, dialogical and praxical. An exploration of Freire's theory and practice reveals a multifaceted notion of critical literacy, built around the central theme of 'reading the word and the world'. Freire speaks of critically engaging both texts and contexts, and of transforming the 'text' that is social reality itself.

The third chapter addresses some of the conceptual problems signalled in chapter one. The chapter offers a framework for analysing definitions and constructs of literacy, and applies this in evaluating quantitative, qualitative and pluralist responses to the question 'What is literacy?'. Pluralist stances appear to have the most to offer in understanding the multiplicity of distinct social forms reading and writing assume. The chapter advances the view that literacies are non-neutral and not necessarily worthwhile. The value of a given form of literacy, it is maintained, can only be determined through reference to a substantive ethical position.

Chapter four responds to criticisms of the assumptions which underpin Freire's ethical and educational ideal. The notion of conscientization provides the central focus throughout the chapter. Freire's pedagogy is defended at some length against strong attacks from Berger, Walker and Bowers. Programmes of literacy education, it is argued, are necessarily interventionist. Freire's promotion of critical consciousness in his work with illiterate adults in Brazil, while not without its problems and contradictions, is ultimately supported. The chapter also considers postmodern critiques of universalist thought, and reaffirms the need for political commitment in times of dramatic change and uncertainty. An individualist reading of critical consciousness is rejected, and the concept of conscientization is reappraised in light of the postmodern recognition of multiple subjectivities.

The final chapter brings ideas from earlier parts of the thesis to bear on a discussion of battles over political correctness, 'Great Books', and the university curriculum. The chapter takes the position that Freire would oppose educational policies and practices premised on politically correct assumptions. This proposition is contingent upon a particular definition of 'political correctness': one which specifies intolerance of, or deliberate neglect of, opposing views as the pivotal criterion. Two main groups in the war over 'the canon' are identified: traditionalists and reformists. After finding fault with ideas from both sides of the debate, an alternative position is articulated. Building on the discussion of conscientization and critical literacy in earlier chapters, a programme based on the in-depth, dialogical examination of a small number of texts from a range of perspectives is outlined.

text: Literacy, Freire and the university Literacy has become a popular topic for scholarly investigation in recent years. Historians, anthropologists, sociologists, linguists, and educationists, among others, have contributed to the development of 'literacy studies' as a field of inquiry. This thesis concentrates on the conceptual and ethical dimensions of literacy. The central argument is that people ought to become critically literate. This idea is developed and defended through a detailed examination of the work of Paulo Freire, and applied in evaluating contemporary debates in First World universities.

The first chapter focuses on three broad literatures. A brief critique of adult literacy research is followed by a more extensive review of the wider literacy studies literature. Four areas are highlighted for comment: the oral-literate divide; the relationship between literacy and economic growth; literacy, reproduction and resistance; and postmodernist perspectives on literacy. A case for further conceptual and ethical work on literacy is advanced. Attention then turns to controversies over 'political correctness', canons and core curricula in higher education. The potential value of literacy studies scholarship for assessing debates in these areas is noted, and the merits of concentrating on Freire are considered.

Freire's ideas are outlined and analysed in chapter two. Emphasis is placed on the importance of contextualized, holistic, anti-reductionist, critical readings in approaching Freire from the First World. The major tenets of Freire's philosophy are summarized, and key features of Freirean pedagogy are discussed. Liberating education, for Freire, is critical, dialogical and praxical. An exploration of Freire's theory and practice reveals a multifaceted notion of critical literacy, built around the central theme of 'reading the word and the world'. Freire speaks of critically engaging both texts and contexts, and of transforming the 'text' that is social reality itself.

The third chapter addresses some of the conceptual problems signalled in chapter one. The chapter offers a framework for analysing definitions and constructs of literacy, and applies this in evaluating quantitative, qualitative and pluralist responses to the question 'What is literacy?'. Pluralist stances appear to have the most to offer in understanding the multiplicity of distinct social forms reading and writing assume. The chapter advances the view that literacies are non-neutral and not necessarily worthwhile. The value of a given form of literacy, it is maintained, can only be determined through reference to a substantive ethical position.

Chapter four responds to criticisms of the assumptions which underpin Freire's ethical and educational ideal. The notion of conscientization provides the central focus throughout the chapter. Freire's pedagogy is defended at some length against strong attacks from Berger, Walker and Bowers. Programmes of literacy education, it is argued, are necessarily interventionist. Freire's promotion of critical consciousness in his work with illiterate adults in Brazil, while not without its problems and contradictions, is ultimately supported. The chapter also considers postmodern critiques of universalist thought, and reaffirms the need for political commitment in times of dramatic change and uncertainty. An individualist reading of critical consciousness is rejected, and the concept of conscientization is reappraised in light of the postmodern recognition of multiple subjectivities.

The final chapter brings ideas from earlier parts of the thesis to bear on a discussion of battles over political correctness, 'Great Books', and the university curriculum. The chapter takes the position that Freire would oppose educational policies and practices premised on politically correct assumptions. This proposition is contingent upon a particular definition of 'political correctness': one which specifies intolerance of, or deliberate neglect of, opposing views as the pivotal criterion. Two main groups in the war over 'the canon' are identified: traditionalists and reformists. After finding fault with ideas from both sides of the debate, an alternative position is articulated. Building on the discussion of conscientization and critical literacy in earlier chapters, a programme based on the in-depth, dialogical examination of a small number of texts from a range of perspectives is outlined.

year: 1995

title: Kūpapa ki raro, titiro ake

authors: Papa, Pānia Christine

abstract: Ko tā te kaituhi e manako nei i roto i tēnei tuhinga, kia āta tirohia he aha ngā huarahi i whāia ai e ngā iwi o Pōhara, hei kawe i a rātou mai i te pōharatanga ki te oranga tonutanga; mai i te noho marara ki te noho tahi; mai i te korekore ki te ao mārama. Ko te tuarua o ngā pātai kei mua i taku aroaro, he wānanga mena i tutuki pai ngā kaupapa i wawatahia ai e rātou. 
E rua ngā kōrero matua e toko ake ana i roto i ahau hei taumarumaru mō ngā whakaaro me ngā kōrero kua whakatakotoria i te tuhinga nei, hei whakautu i ngā pātai matua e rua ō runga ake nei. 
Tuatahi, 'Ko te amorangi ki mua, ko te hāpai ō ki muri'. E hāngai ana tēnei whakataukī ki te pūmautanga o ngā whakaaro o ngā tūpuna o Pōhara ki ngā kaupapa i kōkirihia ai e tō rātou rangatira, me te āhua o tā ngā tūpuna hāpai i aua kaupapa. I te tīmatanga, nā Piupiu Te Wherowhero rātou i arataki. I te rā nei, ko Te Arikinui, Te Atairangikaahu te manu whakataka pōkai i te ata hāpara, e ngāngahu tonu nei i ngā iwi o te marae o Pōhara. 
Tuarua, 'Kūpapa ki raro, Titiro ake.' Koia tēnei tētehi whakataukī whakahau i ngā uri whakatupu o te marae, o Pōhara, kua waihotia e rātou mā hei kupu ārahi i ngā uri i runga i te marae, i roto anō hoki i te ao hou. He hōhonutanga anō tō te whakataukī nei e tika ana kia whakamāramahia i roto i tēnei tuhinga, hei whāki atu i ngā rerenga kētanga o te āhua o te whakaaro o kui mā, o koro mā, me te āhua o tā rātou noho i te wā i a rātou. 
Ko te whakatau o ngā kōrero, i tutuki pai i ngā tūpuna o te marae o Pōhara ō rātou manako, nā tō rātou kaha ū ki te kaupapa o te Kāhui Ariki, me tō rātou ū ki te kaupapa o te tupuranga o te papakāinga o Pōhara hei marae mō ngā uri whakatupu. Ka noho mai tērā hei whakatohu i tō rātou pakaritanga, me ō rātou whakaaro rangatira hei tauira mā ngā uri whakaheke e whai ake ana i ngā tapuwae o ngā tūpuna. 
Ko ēnei tuhinga hei whakatinana i te ngākau nui kia waituhia ngā kōrero ā ngā rūruhi, ā ngā koroheke, mō te marae o Pōhara, kei ngaro katoa atu ngēnā kōrero e here nei i te ao kōhatu ki te ao hou. 
Nā te ngākau māhaki o ngā kaumātua i whakaae ai kia tuhia te kaupapa nei, kia puta ai ngā kōrero mō Pōhara ki te ao mārama hei painga mō ngā uri whakatupu. Nā rātou i whakatūwhera te kūaha ki tō rātou ao hei kuhu atu ki roto mā te hunga mahira. Ko ngā kongakonga kōrero i taka iho mai i ō rātou puna mahara, kua kohia-ā-rīpenehia hei taonga tuku iho mō ngā iwi o te marae. E tika ana kia puruhia te mauri o ērā kōrero e ngā whānau me ngā uri o te marae. 
I tutuki ai te taha rangahau i ngā kōrero kaumātua i te whakatū wānanga, me te uiui kaumātua. I whāia ngā huarahi e rua nei hei kohikohi i ngā kōrero-ā-waha mō te hītori o Pōhara. Arā noa atu ngā painga i kitea, o te noho tahi a ngā kaumātua i runga tonu i te marae, ki te whakawhitiwhiti whakaaro, kōrero hoki mō ngā rā o mua i waenganui i a rātou. Ā, hei whai ake i ngā kōrero i puta i ngā wānanga, i haere māua ko taku matua ki te torotoro i tēnā, i tēnā o ngā kaumātua e mōhio pai ana ki ngā kōrero, hei whakakīkī i ngā whārua, hei whakawhānui hoki i ngā kōrero. I ngāwari ake taku mahi i te haere tahitanga mai o taku matua, hei hoa mōku. Ko tāna, he āta whakamārama atu i te pūtake o te rangahau, he whakamārama hoki i te whakaaetanga o ngā kaumātua ki tērā mahi. I mōhio pai hoki ia ki ngā kōrero whānui mō te marae, ki ngā tāngata ka kōrerohia, ā, nā konā i taea e ia te whiu atu ētehi pātai, te whakamārama hoki i ahau i muri mai mō te āhua o ētehi o ngā kōrero kāore i tino mārama mai ki ahau. I tū hoki taku matua hei piriti i waenganui i te kaikōrero kaumātua me te kaiuiui rangatahi kia whakawhiti pai ai ngā pātai me ngā whakautu ki waenganui i ngā taha e rua. Koia tērā taku waimarie i roto i ngā mahi uiui kaumātua, ā, koia hoki i tutuki pai ai tērā taha o te rangahau. 
I tae mai ki aku ringa tētehi rīpene o tētehi wānanga i hopukina ai i te tau 1978. Nō taua tau, i haere ake ētehi akonga o te Tari Māori o Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato, i raro i te maru o Wharehuia Milroy ki te rapu i ngā kōrero mō te marae o Pōhara. Heoi anō, i tō rātou hokinga atu ki te kāinga, kāore te nuinga o ngā kōrero i hopukina. Ka waihotia te take nā kia tārewa, ā, tae rawa ki te tau 1990, kātahi ka riro i ahau te rīpene kotahi i ora mai, hei āwhina i aku mahi rangahau mō tōku marae. 
I rapu māramatanga ahau mō te āhua o te noho a te iwi Māori whānui i ngā rā o mua, i roto i ngā pukapuka maha kua tuhia kētia. Mō ngā kōrero mō te whenua e tū nei te marae ināianei, i haere ki te Kooti Whenua Māori, ki reira kimi ai i ngā kōrero mō te rohe o Maungatautari whānui, mō te marae o Pōhara hoki. Nā ēnei whaiwhainga, kua puta he kōrero, kua puta hoki he whakaaro hei whakawā i ērā kōrero, hei whakamārama rānei i ērā kōrero, ā, koia tēnei e takoto nei i roto i tēnei tuhinga. Ka huri ināianei ki te wetewetetanga o ngā wāhanga o roto i te tuhinga nei. 
Nō namata mai anō i tīkina atu ai te rākau i te Wao-nui-ā-Tāne hei tārai i te waka o ōku tūpuna. Tēnei au e tiki atu nei i te rākau hei tauira hanga kōrero mōku. Ko tō te rākau tupu, ki ngā whakaaro o tēnei e tuhi nei, e pērā ana ki te tupu o te kaupapa kia nohoia te marae o Pōhara e tū ana i raro i te maru o Maungatautari. 
Arā noa atu ngā tauritenga o te tupu o te rākau me tō te marae o Pōhara tupu, mai i ōna pūtakenga hei papakāinga, ki te puāwaitanga o te whakaaro kia tū hei marae mō te mokopuna a te motu, mō ngā uri whakatupu, otirā, mō te iwi whānui. 
E whitu anō ngā wāhanga o tō te rākau tupu e whakatauritehia nei i roto i ngā whārangi o tēnei tuhinga. Ko te whenua tonu hei papa mō te tupu o te rākau, mō te tupu hoki o te marae Nō reira, ka tīmata ake i konā.

text: Kūpapa ki raro, titiro ake Ko tā te kaituhi e manako nei i roto i tēnei tuhinga, kia āta tirohia he aha ngā huarahi i whāia ai e ngā iwi o Pōhara, hei kawe i a rātou mai i te pōharatanga ki te oranga tonutanga; mai i te noho marara ki te noho tahi; mai i te korekore ki te ao mārama. Ko te tuarua o ngā pātai kei mua i taku aroaro, he wānanga mena i tutuki pai ngā kaupapa i wawatahia ai e rātou. 
E rua ngā kōrero matua e toko ake ana i roto i ahau hei taumarumaru mō ngā whakaaro me ngā kōrero kua whakatakotoria i te tuhinga nei, hei whakautu i ngā pātai matua e rua ō runga ake nei. 
Tuatahi, 'Ko te amorangi ki mua, ko te hāpai ō ki muri'. E hāngai ana tēnei whakataukī ki te pūmautanga o ngā whakaaro o ngā tūpuna o Pōhara ki ngā kaupapa i kōkirihia ai e tō rātou rangatira, me te āhua o tā ngā tūpuna hāpai i aua kaupapa. I te tīmatanga, nā Piupiu Te Wherowhero rātou i arataki. I te rā nei, ko Te Arikinui, Te Atairangikaahu te manu whakataka pōkai i te ata hāpara, e ngāngahu tonu nei i ngā iwi o te marae o Pōhara. 
Tuarua, 'Kūpapa ki raro, Titiro ake.' Koia tēnei tētehi whakataukī whakahau i ngā uri whakatupu o te marae, o Pōhara, kua waihotia e rātou mā hei kupu ārahi i ngā uri i runga i te marae, i roto anō hoki i te ao hou. He hōhonutanga anō tō te whakataukī nei e tika ana kia whakamāramahia i roto i tēnei tuhinga, hei whāki atu i ngā rerenga kētanga o te āhua o te whakaaro o kui mā, o koro mā, me te āhua o tā rātou noho i te wā i a rātou. 
Ko te whakatau o ngā kōrero, i tutuki pai i ngā tūpuna o te marae o Pōhara ō rātou manako, nā tō rātou kaha ū ki te kaupapa o te Kāhui Ariki, me tō rātou ū ki te kaupapa o te tupuranga o te papakāinga o Pōhara hei marae mō ngā uri whakatupu. Ka noho mai tērā hei whakatohu i tō rātou pakaritanga, me ō rātou whakaaro rangatira hei tauira mā ngā uri whakaheke e whai ake ana i ngā tapuwae o ngā tūpuna. 
Ko ēnei tuhinga hei whakatinana i te ngākau nui kia waituhia ngā kōrero ā ngā rūruhi, ā ngā koroheke, mō te marae o Pōhara, kei ngaro katoa atu ngēnā kōrero e here nei i te ao kōhatu ki te ao hou. 
Nā te ngākau māhaki o ngā kaumātua i whakaae ai kia tuhia te kaupapa nei, kia puta ai ngā kōrero mō Pōhara ki te ao mārama hei painga mō ngā uri whakatupu. Nā rātou i whakatūwhera te kūaha ki tō rātou ao hei kuhu atu ki roto mā te hunga mahira. Ko ngā kongakonga kōrero i taka iho mai i ō rātou puna mahara, kua kohia-ā-rīpenehia hei taonga tuku iho mō ngā iwi o te marae. E tika ana kia puruhia te mauri o ērā kōrero e ngā whānau me ngā uri o te marae. 
I tutuki ai te taha rangahau i ngā kōrero kaumātua i te whakatū wānanga, me te uiui kaumātua. I whāia ngā huarahi e rua nei hei kohikohi i ngā kōrero-ā-waha mō te hītori o Pōhara. Arā noa atu ngā painga i kitea, o te noho tahi a ngā kaumātua i runga tonu i te marae, ki te whakawhitiwhiti whakaaro, kōrero hoki mō ngā rā o mua i waenganui i a rātou. Ā, hei whai ake i ngā kōrero i puta i ngā wānanga, i haere māua ko taku matua ki te torotoro i tēnā, i tēnā o ngā kaumātua e mōhio pai ana ki ngā kōrero, hei whakakīkī i ngā whārua, hei whakawhānui hoki i ngā kōrero. I ngāwari ake taku mahi i te haere tahitanga mai o taku matua, hei hoa mōku. Ko tāna, he āta whakamārama atu i te pūtake o te rangahau, he whakamārama hoki i te whakaaetanga o ngā kaumātua ki tērā mahi. I mōhio pai hoki ia ki ngā kōrero whānui mō te marae, ki ngā tāngata ka kōrerohia, ā, nā konā i taea e ia te whiu atu ētehi pātai, te whakamārama hoki i ahau i muri mai mō te āhua o ētehi o ngā kōrero kāore i tino mārama mai ki ahau. I tū hoki taku matua hei piriti i waenganui i te kaikōrero kaumātua me te kaiuiui rangatahi kia whakawhiti pai ai ngā pātai me ngā whakautu ki waenganui i ngā taha e rua. Koia tērā taku waimarie i roto i ngā mahi uiui kaumātua, ā, koia hoki i tutuki pai ai tērā taha o te rangahau. 
I tae mai ki aku ringa tētehi rīpene o tētehi wānanga i hopukina ai i te tau 1978. Nō taua tau, i haere ake ētehi akonga o te Tari Māori o Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato, i raro i te maru o Wharehuia Milroy ki te rapu i ngā kōrero mō te marae o Pōhara. Heoi anō, i tō rātou hokinga atu ki te kāinga, kāore te nuinga o ngā kōrero i hopukina. Ka waihotia te take nā kia tārewa, ā, tae rawa ki te tau 1990, kātahi ka riro i ahau te rīpene kotahi i ora mai, hei āwhina i aku mahi rangahau mō tōku marae. 
I rapu māramatanga ahau mō te āhua o te noho a te iwi Māori whānui i ngā rā o mua, i roto i ngā pukapuka maha kua tuhia kētia. Mō ngā kōrero mō te whenua e tū nei te marae ināianei, i haere ki te Kooti Whenua Māori, ki reira kimi ai i ngā kōrero mō te rohe o Maungatautari whānui, mō te marae o Pōhara hoki. Nā ēnei whaiwhainga, kua puta he kōrero, kua puta hoki he whakaaro hei whakawā i ērā kōrero, hei whakamārama rānei i ērā kōrero, ā, koia tēnei e takoto nei i roto i tēnei tuhinga. Ka huri ināianei ki te wetewetetanga o ngā wāhanga o roto i te tuhinga nei. 
Nō namata mai anō i tīkina atu ai te rākau i te Wao-nui-ā-Tāne hei tārai i te waka o ōku tūpuna. Tēnei au e tiki atu nei i te rākau hei tauira hanga kōrero mōku. Ko tō te rākau tupu, ki ngā whakaaro o tēnei e tuhi nei, e pērā ana ki te tupu o te kaupapa kia nohoia te marae o Pōhara e tū ana i raro i te maru o Maungatautari. 
Arā noa atu ngā tauritenga o te tupu o te rākau me tō te marae o Pōhara tupu, mai i ōna pūtakenga hei papakāinga, ki te puāwaitanga o te whakaaro kia tū hei marae mō te mokopuna a te motu, mō ngā uri whakatupu, otirā, mō te iwi whānui. 
E whitu anō ngā wāhanga o tō te rākau tupu e whakatauritehia nei i roto i ngā whārangi o tēnei tuhinga. Ko te whenua tonu hei papa mō te tupu o te rākau, mō te tupu hoki o te marae Nō reira, ka tīmata ake i konā.

year: 1997