Tauranga kapa haka group to honour fallen Māori Battalion soldiers in Italy

Ngāti Ranginui kapa haka group are flying to Italy to perform in an Italian International Folk Festival. Photo/George Novak

A group of Tauranga kapa haka performers will perform in an Italian folk festival to honour fallen Māori Battalion soldiers.

The contingent of 26 Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Ranginui members left on Wednesday to return to an Italian International Folk Festival , which celebrates its 50th year this year.

Coach Charlie Rahiri said the group took part last year and usually every other year a different group from New Zealand was invited "but we were lucky to get two years in a row".

Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Ranginui, ranging in ages from 17 to 60-plus, will perform 12 times as part of the festival which is being held in a series of towns in the northern part of Italy.

Rahiri said their visit last year, in the southern part of Italy, was well received and the group was excited to take part this year. They will visit towns where members of the Māori Battalion were based during WWII. The group will also visit three cemeteries where fallen soldiers lie.

"We are just going to reconnect with some of those soldiers who never came home. It's really sad. Last year we went to Monte Casino, and it is an overwhelming feeling of emotion - all of those young New Zealanders and young Commonwealth soldiers, none over 25, they lost their lives in a land so far away from home."

Rahiri said the Māori Battalion was fondly remembered and well respected in Italy.

"After nearly every performance last time we had some elders come up and people in the community come up [and talk about the Māori Battalion] because they helped save their town," he said.

Rahiri said Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Ranginui would mainly perform "a lot of our older songs that are a tribute to our soldiers that are buried over there".

This includes Waiata-a-ringa Te Hokowhiti Toa, a dedication to those soldiers buried in Italy.

The group will be away for 21 days, 16 of which will be involved in the festival which ends on August 15.

Rahiri said New Zealand culture was popular in Italy.

"People love the haka and love the poi. I guess to the untrained eye a lot of their dances can look quite similar and I think the South Pacific offers something different."

Rahiri said the group was especially grateful for sponsors to help fund part of the trip.