Kia koe e te Etita, Kua mataora au i te kite i te au aronga katu marama no te au university tuketuke o te pa enua i vao ake ia Rarotonga tei tere mai i teia epetoma i topa ake nei.

Inara, kare au i mataora i te kite i te tuatua taravake tei tata ia, e tei taangaanga ia i roto i ta ratou conference.

Ko teia tuatua e “taonga” – me kore ra “taoanga”: ko ta tatou aiteanga i teia kupu ko te turanga o tetai tangata, me kore ra e taonga mei te mataiapo, ariki,  e pu (boss).

Kare i te “treasure” mei ta teia au aronga e taiku nei. Na te Maori Nuti Reni teia aiteanga, kare e na tatou.

I roto i tetai puka ou kua taiku taravake katoa ia te kupu “taunga” e kua tuku ia te aiteanga e “treasure”. Kare katoa teia i tano. Ko te taunga e puapii me kore ra e tangata karape i tana angaanga. Akatano ia mai ta tatou tuatua kia tamou ta tatou au tamariki i te tuatua tano e kia vai matutu uatu rai to tatou reo.

I was happy to see many scholarly people from many different overseas universities visit our shores last week, however, I did not like the incorrect use of our maori language in some of the documents presented at the conference they came to attend.

Taonga or taoanga in the Cook Islands means a boss or title, such as ariki or mataiapo, or chairman, not “treasure” as claimed at the conference. This is the New Zealand maori definition of the word.

Unfortunately, they are not the only ones to misuse a word for “treasure” here.  A recently launched book claims “taunga” means treasure. It does not.

Taunga is a teacher or expert. If we are to teach our children our language properly, in order for it to survive into the future, then use the right words with the correct meanings, please.

Toke Enua

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