He wānanga te whakaaturanga Turakanga nā Alex Chalmers (i whānau mai i Whangārei nei i te tau 1991) mō te rangitahitanga o tēnei mea te mana. Mā te whakamahi rawa noa iho nei ka whakaatu ia i te pikinga me te hekenga o tēnei mea te rangatiratanga, ā taka te wā. Ko te kīanga “caput mundi” – he kupu Rātini mō “te ūpoko o te ao” – te iho o tēnei kaupapa. I ahu mai ēnei kupu i ngā tohu e rapa ana ki ngā wāhi hanga whare i Roma, te wāhi i kohia ai ēnei rawa mō te whakaaturanga nei. I mua he whakapuakanga whakahīhī tēnei mō Roma hei pokapū o te ao whānui, ināianei kei runga kē i ngā ārai rangitahi e huna ana, e whakatairanga ana hoki i te panonitanga tonutanga o taua tāone nui rā.
E whakatewhatewha ana a Chalmers i te poka kētanga i waenganui i te mana nui o Roma i ōna wā, me te hanga houtanga tonutanga ōna e kore nei e mutu i ēnei rā. Kua panonitia e ia te kupu “caput” ki te “kaput” – he kupu māori noa nei mō tētahi mea kua pakaru. Ka toko ake te pātai i tēnei panonitanga iti nei: ka pēhea te toitūtanga o ngā pūnaha o te rangatiratanga – ahakoa o tuauki, o nāianei rānei?
Ko te tauarotanga i waenga i te korōria me te pirautanga, te hanganga me te turakitanga – koinei te iho o te kaupapa. Ehara i te whakanui, i te whakahē rānei, engari he arotake kē i te āhua o tēnei mea te panonitanga. Ko Roma – he tāone kua hangaia, kua whakatikahia i roto i ngā rau tau – he wāhi tika hei whakatinana i tēnei whakaaro. Engari kei tua o tētahi wāhi kotahi, o tētahi wā kotahi ngā whakaaro o Chalmers e haere ana. Ki a ia, kāhore ngā waihotanga pēnei e tohu ana i te hītori nahe anō, engari he wāhi kī tonu i ngā pātai horekau anō kia whakautua, he pitomata ā taihoa ake ka whai hua.
Mā te whakatōpū i ngā rawa nō Aotearoa (tōna kāinga tupu) me ērā nō Roma (te wāhi e noho nei ia ināianei), ka whakakōrerotia e Chalmers ēnei wāhi tawhiti e rua. E whakaatu ana ia i ngā waihotanga iho o tēnei mea te mana ki ngā tū whenua me ngā tū reanga maha anō hoki. Ka huringia e te whakaaturanga nei te rite o Te Whare Toi o Whangārei hei wahi whakatūtū whare. E kī ana te whare toi i ngā ārai, ngā tīrewa, me ngā rawa ahumahi – anō nei e hangaia tonutia ana te whare. Mā tēnei ka whaiwhakaaro ai e tātou ko ēhea hītori e maumaharatia ana, ā, mā wai hoki ngā kōrero tuku iho e āta waihanga. I konei, ehara te whare toi i te wāhi whakaatu toi nahenahe – engari ko ia anō hoki tētahi wāhanga o te mahi toi: e panoni ana, e panonitia ana.
Ko tētahi wāhanga matua o Turakanga, ko tētahi ararewa tawhito, kua tangohia i tōna pouaka, kua whakairihia ake ki te rangi tare ai. Kua kore e mahi ināianei. Mahue kē ana tāna kawe tāngata, ināianei e iri noa ana – kua mau. I te nuinga o te wā he tohu te ararewa o te angitu, o te kokenga whakamuatanga. Heoi, ko te tauaro tēnei e whakaatahia mai ana - te rangiruatanga ka pā i tēnei ao hurihuri, me ōna pūnaha i whakaponohia i ōna wā, ināianei e hē haere ana i te takanga o te wā.
Ka whakamaharatia tātou i te roanga atu o Turakanga, mō te rangitahitanga o tēnei mea te mana, mō ngā pāhekeheketanga o te kokenga whakamuatanga, me ngā tāruaruatanga ka hoki anō mai, ka hoki ano mai, i te takanga o te wā. Ka huri te ao, ka rahi kē atu te whaipānga o ngā kaupapa o tēnei whakaaturanga. Pēnei me ngā waihotanga emepaea ō mua, kua hangaia ngā pūnaha o ēnei rā i runga i ngā tū tirohanga e tohe nui ana kia mana ai rātou. Ka uia e Chalmers: Ka aha ina ka hē haere ā tātou nei pūnaha?
Nō reira, ehara i te mea he titiro whakamuri nahenahe a Turakanga – engari kia āta whakaaro hoki tātou mō te huarahi kei mua i te aroaro. He tono kia whakaaro mō te wā e noho nei tātou, me te āhua o tā tātou waihanga tonu pea i te ao o āpōpō.
