Ae Marika! 24 September 2013

Posted on September 24, 2013 by admin in Ae Marika

It’s been a couple of weeks now since the Tai Tokerau Primary and Secondary School Kapahaka Competitions were held, but I gotta say it again … big ups to everyone who participated – every school, every child, every mother, father, uncle, aunty, grandmother, grandfather, brother, sister, mokopuna (even the haututu ones), teacher, tutor, driver, cook, cleaner, judge, volunteer, stall holder, and the thousands who just went along to watch the kids all strut their stuff.

I know people don’t have a lot of money so I know families make a massive commitment to get their kids from first practice to final performance, and my thanks goes out to you all on behalf of everyone who loves kapa haka.

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned after years of watching kapahaka it’s that I am clearly not cut out to be a judge. I always expect Te Rangi Aniwaniwa to do well (and they never fail to do so) so I look for how well others are going. And this year one group I thought were really cool didn’t even figure, so best I just stick to enjoying the occasion along with everyone else.

The greatest challenge for kapahaka though is to turn it into a truly national pastime, something New Zealanders of all races want to go and watch. Maori love it, no question there, but for some reason it just doesn’t register with Pakeha … well, not in the North Island anyway.

I watched the Dunedin Primary Schools Kapahaka Festival a few years ago and I thought I’d wandered into the wrong hall because nearly 60% of the audience was Pakeha! But then I turned to watch the groups who were performing, and they were chock full of pakeha kids! There’s not a lot of Maori down Dunedin way so it was nice to see all these Pakeha families cheering for their little darlings pulling the pukana and doing some pretty mean haka as well.

Oh yeah, almost forgot – something else for the Far North to be really proud of – Nga Mahuri o Te Rangi Aniwaniwa won the 2013 Tai Tokerau Kapa Haka Intermediate Section and Te Wharekura o Te Rangi Aniwaniwa won the Secondary section. Nga Mahuri will be one of the groups representing the Tai Tokerau at the nationals which will be held in Tauranga, 4-7 November 2013, and Wharekura goes through to the National Secondary School Competitions which will be held in Tai Rawhiti in 2014.

Nga mihi ra ki a koutou katoa.

AE MARIKA is an article written every week by Hone Harawira, leader of the MANA Movement and Member of Parliament for Te Tai Tokerau. You are welcome to use any of the comments and to ascribe them to Mr Harawira. The full range of Hone’s articles can be found on the MANA website at www.mana.net.nz