Ae Marika! – 5 August 2014

Posted on August 5, 2014 by admin in Ae Marika

Last Friday I flew to Gisborne for the Secondary Schools Kapa Haka Finals. I had ear muffs as part of a ‘Silent Leadership Challenge’ to support the hard-of-hearing but every time I put them on I couldn’t hear anything! And all the groups were so awesome that I ended up taking them straight off again! It was real frustrating not being able to hear the kids – lesson learnt.

Raukura (Rotorua Boys & Girls) and Waiorea (Western Springs) were so good they could have made the senior nationals. They were strong, well-drilled and very professional.

But they were unable to top the spectacular performance of Rakaumanga (Huntly) whose bracket was more of a play than a kapahaka, a memorial to those who died fighting for their lands in the Waikato in battles against the government in the 1800s. It was very powerful, well deserving of the victory, and a marker for how kapahaka may be performed in future.

Other teams to make the Top Nine (the first time this format has been used) included Ritana (Gisborne) Hoani Waititi (Henderson) Taiohi Tataki (Massey) Kura ki Uta (Opotiki) Te Puku o Te Ika (Central North Island), and our own Kura Kaupapa Maori o Rawhitiroa (Whangarei).

And my favourite was … Rawhitiroa. Their performance included a poignant reference to the 200th anniversary of the coming of Christianity to the north and the strife we have suffered since, and a reversioning of the haka ‘Ngapuhi E’. They were tutored by ex-students, and for those who worry about whether a single Kura has enough big guys for the haka? Rawhitiroa simply dipped down into their Year 9s and 10s and came up trumps. The kids may have been small but their heart was big and their effort was top class. Rawhitiroa did us all proud and set the standard for the Tai Tokerau to meet or better in the years ahead.

And then on Sunday I was at Pipiwai for the start of the Ngati Hine hearings. We were challenged outside the marae by an ope taua with one of the warriors brandishing a sword from the colonial days, and then as we came onto the marae atea itself we were confronted with a powerful group of women warriors as well. I’m used to seeing the men step up and they were great, but the performance by the women was special.

The mihi began with a long dissertation from Hirini Henare who began his korero with a bitter condemnation of crown officials who had killed his ancestors and pointed up the connection with crown officials in attendance that day. He then proceeded to lay down a global perspective of the Ngati Hine claim with historical references to ancestors and family connections from Waikato all the way to Te Hapua. He spoke of great deeds and great misfortune, relationships of promise and those best forgotten about, honourable and not-so honourable land dealings, the failings of local government, and he even managed to link all the 4 MPs in the room to his own tupuna – a master class from a master orator. It was a privilege to hear it and I hope to catch more of it in the days ahead.

This is my last AE MARIKA till after the election. Catch you back on the 23rd September!