Te timatanga | The beginning
Te Tīmatanga, the waiata, has been composed for Pharmac staff use. It was composed and gifted to Pharmac by matua Whetū Tipiwai, kaumātua of the New Zealand Māori All Blacks.
The waiata is conceptually similar to the haka performed by the team before every match and spins off well-known Māori folklore relating to the creation of the world the separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku by their children.
The waiata talks about climbing to the highest peaks of lofty mountains, resonating achievement and ambition.
The waiata goes on to describe the importance of whānau and the achievement of all-round wellness, embracing the Whare Tapa Whā holistic health model created by Professor Sir Mason Durie.
Te Timatanga
Ū, ū
E te tīmatanga e (echo)
Ko te pō nui, ko te pō roa
Āue ko te kore
Wehe nga mātua e
Here ngā tāngata e
He toa rangatahi
He toa rangatira
Whakakī ki te maunga
Tae atu ki te whenua
Āue
Hoki ki te rangi
Tae ki te puke runga
Piki ake ki te ara poutama
Ki ngā taumata e.
(2x)
Wairua hinengaro
Me te tinana e.
Tae ātu ki a tātou katoa
Āue, te whānau e.
Ū, ū
The Beginning
Be established
In the beginning
There was the big and long darkness
And there was the nothingness
Through the separation of the parents
Came the permanence of the human form
Youthful passion
The creation of a chief
Be fulfilled by the mountain
As it is on the land
Great balls of fire
Return to the heavens
As you rest
(However) ascend along the path of achievement and fulfil your ambitions
The spiritual intent,
the mind and the body
are infused in all of us
as well as our family
Let us rest and rejoice