Kua tū te rā ki a Simon Bridges, kaiarahi o te pāti Nāhinara, ki te poukai ki Ngāti Maniapoto i tū ki tōna marae kāinga ki roto o Te Kūiti.
Kua roa ia e noho tawhiti ana i tōna marae, i a Oparure.
"It's a very humbling, special experience, a real homecoming. I've been here before as a child, as an adult once or twice but not for a few years. So to come back and to have a very warm welcome is a very touching experience."
E ai ki ngā whakaritenga o te rā, i te whakaeke tahi a Bridges me te Kiingitanga, engari, i noho kē ia i te taumata o Ngāti Kinohaku. Nā te pou tikanga o Ngāti Unu rāua ko Ngāti Maniapoto, nā Shane Te Ruki ia i manaaki.
"I'm very conscious it's not my day, lowkey for me really but it was very important for me to come back for the personal side but also with the mantle that I have as leader of opposition I wanted to pay my respects to the king and here I think it's a nice way to do it at my home marae."
Ko Mīnita Bridges te Māori tuatahi kua pōtihia hei rangatira mo tētahi rōpū tōrangapū matua ki Aotearoa. I mana ai tōna haerenga ki Oparure ahakoa ngā whakawhiu a ētahi ki tōna whakapapa Māori.
"That's life in the fast lane, people are allowed their views. I suppose at the end of the day whakapapa is whakapapa and my grandmother Naku Joseph grew up not far from here. These are whānau and talking with a number of them, very close whānau actually. So that's a korero people can have but it doesn't really affect me too much or what I know about my whakapapa."
E manako nui ana tōna hapū ka hokihoki mai ia ki te kainga i ōna wā hei kaiārahi i a Nāhinara.
