Ko Tangaroa
Tēnā koe,
E te atua,
Ko te atua moana,
Ko te atua wai,
Kei te pōuri ahau,
Nō te kore aroha o ētahi atu,
Kei whea mātou?
Tō iwi,
Kei te tatari mātou,
Kei te tangi tonu,
Kua mauheretia atu mātou ki te hinaki,
Koia hoki tō mātou wāhi noho,
Aroha mai, e te atua nui,
Auē, te mamae o te momoturanga,
Auē!
Tangaroa
Greetings to you,
Oh god,
Oh great god of the Ocean,
Oh great god of the waters,
I am saddened,
Because of the disrespectfulness of others,
Where are we?
Your people,
We are waiting,
Crying without end,
We are being held captive in the eel catching nets,
That is our island home,
Aroha mai, oh great god,
Auē, the pain of departure,
Auē!
A poem about the latest foreshore and seabed customary ownership rights debate, and also, about the mistreatment of our waterways by colonial oppressors, in honour to the Polynesian god of oceans, Tangaroa.