Rangimarie Rose Pere
Kua tanuku te tihi o Panekire, kua waipuketia te moana o Waikare i te roimata, nō te rironga o te māreikura, o Tākuta Rangimarie Turuki Arikirangi Rose Pere.
E waru tekau mā toru te pakeke o tēnei puhi taioreore nō Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Ruapani me Ngāti Kahungunu.
Rere ake ana tōna wairua, mahue mai nei ko ngā whakaakoranga kua takohatia e ia hei oranga mo te iwi Māori, mo ngā iwi taketake puta noa i te ao.
Te Ao Māori is mourning the loss of Rangimarie Rose Pere, a formidable leader who played a key role in opening the world’s eyes to the true potential of mātauranga Māori.
Continue reading below the video to hear the impact Rangimarie Rose Pere had on the delivery of matauranga Māori here at Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka – Unitec.
Rangimarie’s influence has helped shape and enhance the delivery of matauranga Māori across the world and here at Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka.
Yo Heta-Lensen pays tribute below to a great leader and outlines the significance of her impact on the lives of many, including her own…
“Whāea Rangimarie Rose Pere is a celebrated leader in education who was influential in the creation of New Zealand’s first bicultural curriculum framework, Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa. Early Childhood Curriculum (1996).
When she visited our programme in 2007, she spoke passionately about the sacred nature of childhood. As she spoke to our students, she did not start by discussing children, or about being a teacher, but about students being true in their own lives; to focus on self-love and care.
“Love yourself to the enth degree- there is no one else on this earth like you- you are unique. A miracle in expression!”
She advocated for teachers to care for themselves and wrote ‘My total wellbeing is paramount not only to me but to my children and my grandchildren’ She inspired many teachers that day and her influence continues as we embed our programme in understandings gained from years of engaging in and understanding ourselves through her renowned work and model of humanity, Te Wheke.
Our whānau at Te Puukenga were privileged with a presentation from her which led to in depth korero on our histories and whakapapa. She had the ability to link her in-depth knowledge of her Iwi and hapū affiliations across the motu.
A quote that truly resonated with me from Whāea was, ‘The Maori of New Zealand are still regarded as the greatest conservationists and social scientists in the world and those of us who were born in to our Maori heritage have a responsibility to transmit this heritage the best way we can’.
This vibrated strongly for my work as a teacher in mainstream, working at the interface between te ao Māori and western knowledge. It was affirming our skills and knowledge and challenged us to think about what our duty of care towards our heritage is.
In my case, she helped me realise, I am the line for my tamariki to access their own culture through language and it strengthened my resolve to pick up my own reo Māori. Even after her visit to us, she remembered our mahi and we would speak periodically. She left an indelible mark on us. We celebrate her work daily. We reconnect to Papatūānuku through the gift of the waiata she left for the world.
Aio ki te Aorangi
Aroha ki te Aorangi
Koa ki te Aorangi
Pono ki te Aorangi”