He tauira o Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Uri a Māui e whai wheako ana, e whai pūkenga ana, e whiwhi ana i ngā Tohu Mātauranga o Aotearoa anō hoki i a rātau e whakatere atu ana i a Tairāwhiti waka ki tai. He kaupapa ako tēnei e whakahaeretia ana i raro i te maru o Tairāwhiti Voyaging Trust.
Hei tā Aroha Kerekere (Te Whanau a Kai, Tuhoe), "Kei roto i te akomanga mātau te nuinga o te wā, he pai te puta atu me te rongo i te taiao, ka tino tau te wairua i waho rā i runga i te moana."
He whai i te ara o Horouta te mahi, arā te waka i ū atu rā ki Te Wherowhero, neke atu i te kotahi mano tau i mua.
Ko tā Nellie Brown (Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Tuwharetoa), "I whakatumu mātau ki te Muriwai, ki Te Wherowhero, ki te wāhi i ū mai ō tātau tīpuna ki runga i te waka o Horouta. I rangona e au tetahi wairua mīharo, e mea ana ko te ihi rangaranga ki tōku whakaaro."
Ko ngā whakaakoranga nei kei te hōtaka mātauranga o Tairawhiti Waka, e ruruhau ana i ngā kura maha o te rohe. He whiwhinga ki ngā tauira mō te Mana Tohu Mātauranga o Aotearoa, ka mutu he pūkenga mō te ao whānui anō hoki.
Hei tā Aoatea Gardiner (Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Waikato), "Ko ngā pūkenga kua akona e au, he here i ngā taura me ngā momo noti rerekē.
Ko tā Nellie Brown,"I ako te pānui i ngā momo mahere, i te kāpehu, te whai i tētahi huarahi tika.
Heoi anō tā Jarrod Hill (Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau a Kai, Te Aitanga a Māhaki) "Kaiurungi, nā te mea e āhei koe ki te kite ngā mea katoa, me pēnei he āhua pērā ki te fullback."
Ko tēnei te tuarima o nga wa e tere ai te ope nei ki tai, a kei te rongo nga rangatahi nei i te auto o Tangaroa, ara kia puta ki nga tai ara rau, ki pamamao.
Koia tā Nellie Brown (Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Tuwharetoa), "Kia whai i ngā tapuwae kia whakatumu ki whenua rerekē, ki ngā moutere o Te Moana Nui a Kiwa."
E rikarika katoa ana ngā tauira nei ki te whakatere waka i te pō.