Tu-hinga | TranscriptTranscript: Opakaroa
17 Oketopa 1874
Kia Henare Matua
Tena koe tenei tau reta kua tae mai kia au he whakaatu mai i te hui a Ngati Hori e pai ana.
Heoi kaore aku kupu he kupu iti nei taaku kia rongo mai koe kaore i tika nga kupu o taua hui kore rawa atu no te mea ehara tenei mahi i te mahi hou e mahi nei koe kaore ano he kupu hou o naianei kotahi tonu i te i te timatanga tae noa tia naia nei kaore hoki taua whare i ngaro i tenei mahi te haere kua turia e au nga marae o Heretaunga kua whaatutia e taua te mate kia ratou kia ratou me ta taua whaatu whakaatu i te huarahi mo tatou kihai ratou i pai e kore au e hoki atu ano no te mea kaore he kupu hou hei hokinga atu mei whakarangona nga kupu o mua tera ahau e mohio ka whakarangona o na ia nei kupu.
Mehemea he kupu na Karaitiana kia haere atu au kia uia a maua he kia maua katahi ka marama ia au kia whakaatuia i taaku
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i taku kino kia ia kia whakaatu au i taana ki au.
Ko tenei ehoa ma kia kaha te mahi kaua e whakarongo ki nga kupu whakawehi a te tangata.
Na Apiata Hungahunga.Whakamāoritanga | TranslationOpakaroa
17 October 1874
To Henare Matua,
Greetings. I have received your letter informing me about the Ngati Hori meeting, which is good to hear.
I have little to add except this brief message: the statements made at that meeting were entirely incorrect. This work you are undertaking is not new - the message has remained consistent from the beginning until now. Nor has that house been lost in the process of this work. I have already stood on the marae of Heretaunga and presented both the problems we face and the path forward for all of us, but they rejected it. I will not return there, as I have no new words to offer them. Had they heeded our previous counsel, I would have confidence they would listen to what we say now.
If Karaitiana wishes me to come for a mutual discussion, then I would have the opportunity to express
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my disagreements to him directly, and he to me.
Therefore, my friends, remain vigilant in your work and do not be swayed by intimidating rhetoric.
