Ko Te Raukahikatea he kura o te Hāhi Mihingare, he kura mō ngā minita Māori. Kua whakaatūria i roto i Te Kopara kua huri ake nei ngā ingoa o ngā minita i te whakanohoanga tuatahi tonu o te Kura i te tau 1883. Timata mai i te tau 1884 tae noa ki te tau 1894 i te takiwa ko Renata Wiremu te kaumatua o te Kura, koia ēnei ko ngā tangata i akona i motuhia mō te mahi minita:

Kei te taha mauī ko Renata Wiremu (1829-1916); kei waenganui ko Pīhopa Wiremu Kātene Cowie (1831-1902); kei te taha matau ko Kēnana Hāmuera Wiremu (1822-1907), he minita o te Hāhi Mihingare

Matenga Waaka, Herewini Nopera Paerata, Hone Piwaka, Temuera Tokoaitua, Hone Waitoa, Nikora Tautau, Eruera Kawhia, Ranapia Mokena Hape, Piripi Te Awarau, Hoeta Te Hata, Wiremu Paratene Te Waaka, Hone Teri Paerata, Hakaraia Pahewa, Rameka Haumia, Taimona Hapimana, Aperahama Tataikoko Tamihere, Hare Maihi Ruarangi, Tawhai Timutimu, Ratema Te Awekotuku, Reihana Ngatote, Katene Manahi, Tiopira Nopera Pirika Paerata, Timoti Kiriwi, Hemi Pititi Huata.

Ka kapi katoa te motu nei i tēnei rarangi ingoa, ko te nuinga kua moe i te moenga roa, otirā tērā anō ētahi kei te mahi tonu inaianei. Ko tētahi mea whakamīharo ko te tokomaha rawa o ngā akonga apiti atu hoki ki ngā wahine, i aua wā. Inahoki i te tau 1889 ko te kaute o ngā akonga 18, apiti atu ki ngā wahine ka 28 katoa ai. Koia anō tēnei ko te tokomaha i te tau 1898. Tētahi whakanohoanga nui anō i te tau 1901, e 21 ngā akonga 10 ngā wāhine.

He kaumātua hou takatā

I te tau 1889 ka tu ko Rev. Hapata Wiremu te kaiwhakaako i raro i tōna papa, a i te tokomaha o ngā akonga i taua tau, ka noho ētahi i te whare i hanga nei ki tērā taha o Berry Street (koia nei te whare Perehi inaianei) ka noho ētahi ki " Wai-kahua," ko ētahi i te Kura tonu.

I ērā wā he nui ngā wahine nā reira i a rātou katoa te tikanga mō te whakamaoa kai. Hei a whakatepe haere, tokorua ngā wahine ki te kuki i te rā kotahi. Haere ai ngā akonga i ngā Ratapu katoa ki te karakia haere tokorua, tokorua i ngā kainga anō e haerea nei inaianei, engari e taea ana a Pouawa me Whangara i aua wā.

I te tau 1895 ka tū te Rev. Hapata Wiremu hei kaumātua mō te Kura tae noa ki te tau 1901. Ko ngā akonga i raro i a ia ko ia ēnei:

Turuturu Ngaki, Reweti Kohere, Ehekiera Manawanui, Iwiora Tamaiparea, Mokai Kereru, Tuahangata Tamihana Pereiha, Wiremu Keretene Poihipi Kohere, Te Ropere Tahuriorangi, Reweti Kerehoma Taukiri, Karira Arama Karaka, Paraone Turei, Makoare Tepana Taurere, Pene Hakiwai, Henare Te Wainohu.


Te wā i a Te Tiatitana takatā

I te tau 1902 ka tu ko te Rev. F. W. Chatterton hei kaumatua mō te Kura. He maha tonu ngā tangata i raro i a Hapata, i noho ki raro i a Tiatitana, a i whakapangia i raro i a ia. Ara a:- Te Ropere, a Makoare, a Kerehoma Taukiri, a Poihipi Kohere, a Te Pereiha, Karira Karaka, Paraone Turei, Pene Hakiwai, Henare W. Te Wainohu, Hori Raiti. Tae noa ki te tau 1918 ko te Tiatitana te kaumātua o te Kura. He Kaumatua ngohengohe, humarika, kai-ngākau ki ngā akonga i raro i a ia. I roto i ēnei tau 16 i noho ai ia i roto o Turanga, i tae te painga o ana mahi me ana whakahaere ki ngā tangata katoa ahakoa rangatira rawakore rānei. Nā konei ka kaingakautia ia e ngā tangata katoa i mōhio ki a ia, me ngā akonga katoa hoki i noho ki ōna waewae. Koia ēnei ko ngā mea i akongia i raro i a ia:

Ko Wi Paraire Rangihuna, Hetekia Heke, Peni Topi, Hoani Paerata, Hoani Wi Kaipo, Matene Keepa Pine Tamahori, Mutu Kapa, Henare Keremeneta, Hemipiri Manaro Tame Katene, Hone Karaka, Keina Poata, Rewi Wikiriwhi, Patihana Kokiri, Manihera Manahi, Paora Temuera, Wiremu Waaka, Tamati Te Kanapu, Ereatara M. Eruini, Henare Paraone, Wiremu Tureia Puha, Tokoroa Poihipi, Metera Aomarere, Makarewete Wharehuia, Waewae Ratapahi, Waata Kopae, Nepia Hotene, Hohaia Taurau, Wi Pere Mataira.

I roto o tēnei rarangi ingoa, he nui ngā mea i hinga i roto i te mate uruta ka huri ake nei. Ko te nuinga o ngā mea i tangohia ko ngā mea e timata hou atu ana ki te mahi. Inahoki a Nepia Hotene rāua ko Waata Kopae, nō te tau 1917 ka whakapangia, nō te tau 1918 ka moe i te moengaroa. A Metera Aomarere nō te tau 1916 ka whakapangia, i mate i te mate uruta i te tau 1918. A Tame Katene i whakapangia i te tau 1911, i hinga anō i te mate uruta i te tau 1918. A Hetekia Heke nō te tau 1919 ka moe i te moengaroa, i mate aitua noaiho, i whakapangia i te tau 1908. He tangata taitamariki katoa ēnei, he tangata papai, kaha ki te whakahaere tikanga, otirā i te timatanga tonu atu o te mahi kua tangohia, ko ētahi kīhai i kite i te hua o ngā purapura i ruia e rātou.

Ka mutu a Te Rau takatā

Ko te tikanga ia e mutu ana a Te Rau i te tau 1918. Kua rite ngā mea katoa koia rā hei tau whakamutunga mō te Kura ki konei. Nō konei ka whakatūria te Rev. F.W. Chatterton hei minita pākehā mō Rotorua, hei kai-whakahaere hoki mō te rohe katoa o te Pei o Pereti ki te taha Māori. Otirā i runga i te piki o te utu o ngā mea katoa kīhai rawa i taea kia oti te Kura o Hoani, Tāmaki-makau-rau, hei tukunga atu mō ngā akonga. Nā reira ka whakaritea me waiho tonu a Te Rau mō ngā tau e rua, kia whai wahi ai ngā kai-hanga o te Kura i Tāmaki-makau-rau ki te whakaoti i ta rātou mahi. Nō konei ka whakaritea ko te Rev. Alfred Nield hei kaumatua mō te Kura. He tangata mātauranga tēnei i puta mai i roto i ngā Kura nunui o Ingarani. Kua maha rawa ngā tau inaianei ōna ki Aotearoa nei. He maha ngā tau ko ia te kaumatua o te Kareti o Herewini, Ōtepoti, Waipounamu, he kareti ako i ngā pākehā e haere ana mō ngā mahi minita. I muri mai i tēnei ka tu ia hei Atirikona mō Meranīhia, a koia nei tōna turanga ka haere mai nei ia ki konei.

Nā reira me mutu noa iho ēnei kōrero i konei. Ko te mea nui tēnei ki a tātou kua kite tātou i te tupunga ake o Te Rau i roto i ēnei tau e 36 e tu ana ia i roto i te riu o Tūranga. Kua kite tātou i ngā hua o Te Raukahikatea kei tēnā wahi horapa noa te motu nei. Kati kei te mu te Hahi i tēnei mu hou i runga i te whakaaro kia piki te āhua o to tātou whakapono. E te Hahi Māori, waiho tēnei hei putake whakaaroaro mau inoi hoki mau. Ehara tēnei i te wā e whakawa ai koe kei te he rānei kei te tika rānei tēnei mu hou. Kua tau te mea, nō reira homai to awhina homai hoki to inoi nō roto i te takere o te ngākau.