Legacy

by James Kerr

Haere taka mua, taka muri; kaua e whai. Be a leader, not a follower. —— Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini. Any success should not be attributed to me alone; it was the work of us all. —— Waiho mā te tangata e mihi. Let someone else praise your virtues. —— Waiho kia pātai ana, he kaha ui te kaha. Let the questioning continue; the ability of the person is in asking questions. —— Kāore te kūmara e whāki ana tana reka. The kūmara (sweet potato) does not need to say how sweet he is. —— I orea te tuatara, ka puta ki waho. When poked at with a stick, the tuatara will emerge. (A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions.) —— He rangi tā Matawhāiti, he rangi tā Matawhānui. The person with a narrow vision sees a narrow horizon, the person with a wide vision sees a wide horizon. —— Ki ngā whakaeke haumi. Join those who can join the sections of a canoe. (Look for a leader who can bring people together.) —— Kohia te kai rangatira, ruia te taitea. Gather the good food, cast away the rubbish. —— Te tīmatanga o te mātauranga ko te wahangū, te wāhanga tuarua ko te whakarongo. The first stage of learning is silence, the second stage is listening. —— Ā muri kia mau ki te kawau mārō, whanake ake, whanake ake. Hold to the spearhead formation of the kawau. —— He iti wai kōwhao waka e tahuri te waka. A little water seeping through a small hole may swamp a canoe. —— Kia urupū tātou; kaua e taukumekume. Let us be united, not pulling against one another. —— Ko taku re...