Stacey Morrison

hei te wa titoki

There are many ways to say goodbye in te reo Māori, many of them specifically express an extra detail of the parting, as to whether you’re talking to someone who is leaving, or someone who is staying, and you are the one leaving. Look up “Goodbye” in a Māori dictionary and you’ll see what I mean. Here are just a couple of entries:

Haere rā — goodbye (said to someone leaving)

E noho rā — goodbye (said to someone staying) I like the inherent acknowledgement of movement, who is staying and who is leaving. It means you’ve taken notice of the actions and next intention of the person you’re farewelling. To me that seems respectful. I’ll notice and feel Sarah’s departure as the editor of Canvas and as a luminous presence in our workplace. Picture someone who seems to buzz with kind energy, their āhua — nature, vibe always bright, that’s Sarah. She always looks at you properly. You know that sort of look, that’s not just a passing glance from a busy co-worker? It’s the look you receive when someone is genuinely interested in how you are and what you have to say. Small talk is barely present, Sarah always dives in to bigger, deeper, more important issues first, with a light giggle thrown in so it’s not all too earnest.

If I manage nothing else, I’d like Sarah to know that I have always appreciated how she cares, who she amplifies, the stories she carefully chooses and crafts. So, I will say I’m sad you’re the one leaving, Sarah, but I’m not going to say haere rā. Instead, I’ll say hei te wā tītoki — I’ll see you some time in the future, literally “when the tītoki blooms”.

As Sarah blooms in my world, whenever I see her. Hei te wā titoki.

Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngai Tahu) is a TV presenter, broadcaster and author of many books, including My First Words in Maori and Kia Kaha: A storybook of Maori who changed the world.