The Nati Dream - Tavita Ngata

With all the advancements in technology, improvements in education, the internet and the ability to do things quicker and smarter, why do we live in a world so dumb?

Technology was supposed to make things easier! Now we are available 24 hours a day and seem to have less time to get “more” things done. It is a wonder that eventually, the humble Nati caves in to the relentless grindstone of surviving in this “civilised” existence.

Hope is a concept I see less and less, in the eyes of many. I meet kids who cannot even dare to dream or set goals, when they don’t even have the basic necessities of life. I have met kids who are sent to Vocational Schools to learn their ABC’s, and yet their goal that day and every day, is where my next kai comes from, or where am I going to crash tonight. And this is the future that my children will inherit one day?

So what is education? Is it always about getting the magic certificate? Is it about passing exams? Or is it about teaching the ability to think, act, fall over, get up and try again? Richard Branson had no qualifications, and yet he has exceeded beyond expectations. But whose expectations are those? I bet they weren’t in his model of the world.

So have we missed the most basic part in education? As Martin Luther said “I had a dream....” is this the part we have overlooked in our quest for advancement? Isn’t this the most important piece of being a Nati! Don’t get me wrong, academia is important, but what added value can we give to be more holistic in its approach? And what is success and how do we measure it?

Nati are blessed with a land steeped in history and learned people. Is our success to be measured on the economic success of Ngati Porou? Or is it to be measured on the happiness and sustainability of its people in this world? Or do we measure our success by the dream in our Nati eyes?

The conclusion I have come to is this...no amount of money can replace Hikurangi or the Waiapu. And no amount of money can ever replace whanau. Perhaps the greatest lesson we need to understand is remember the words of Ta Apirana...

“E tipu e rea mo nga ra o tou ao” – grow and set the standard for the world around YOU today!

So I guess the real question is this, “What would our communities look like today, if we all remembered how to dream?”