Debate over wāhine speaking on marae sparks new show at Te Pou Theatre

Kōpū will premiere at Te Pou Theatre in May. Photo / Supplied

The celebration of wāhine Māori is the theme of the new Te Pou Theatre show, Kōpū; a showcase of music and theatre that pays tribute to our nannies, mothers, and aunties and was developed in response to National MP Judith Collins’ criticism of women not being able to speak on the marae.

Seven talented wāhine Māori actors have joined forces to create and produce this ground-breaking show; director Amber Curreen, and performers Tuakoi Ohia, Jane Leonard, Te Huamanuka LuitenApirana, Brady Peeti, Te Arohanui Korewha, Ngākirikiri Kershaw.

Curreen, Ohia, and Tainui Tukiwaho developed the show after seeing what they felt was biased coverage of Collins criticising the Māori protocol of not allowing women to speak on the marae.

National's Judith Collins at the party conference in Napier. January 19, 2023. Photo / Paul Taylor

“We saw that Green MP Marama Davidson’s eloquent response was not as well publicised as the voice of a Pākehā woman. We wanted to ask the question- who gets to speak on our behalf and why aren’t our wāhine Māori voices taking precedence?” Curreen explains.

“Kōpū has become a no-holds-barred celebration of wāhinetanga [womanhood]. I’m excited to direct six talented creatives and present the faces of wāhine who we rarely see on stage.”

The multi-talented performers weave live music, performance, poetry, and poi to tell a hilarious and honest narrative about wāhine Māori.

Kōpū was slated to present at Auckland Arts Festival in 2022 before being cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions. It was developed further over workshops in 2022 and will premiere at Te Pou in May before touring at the Kia Mau Festival in Wellington.

“We are looking forward to finally presenting this piece to a live audience,” Curreen says.

Performer Brady Peeti, is an award-winning whakawahine (trans) actor who has been gracing the stage and screen in Aotearoa for more than 10 years, on TV shows like Ahikaaroa and the professional Australian production of the musical Jekyll and Hyde. She says it’s a privilege to express her femininity and Māori culture in Kōpū.

Brady says: “We’ve created a sisterhood of creatives who are fiercely protective and highly supportive of each other. We will empower wāhine Māori voices by being visible, being loud, telling the truth, even if it makes people uncomfortable.”

Writer and performer Tuakoi Ohia says Kōpū was written to inspire others to create work that will empower wāhine Māori.

“I want people to see us multitalented wāhine being whoever we want to be on our stage and feel empowered to do the same in their everyday life,” she says

• Kōpū will premiere at Te Pou Theatre, Corban Estate Arts Centre, Henderson, Auckland from May 4–14. For tickets, visit: www.tepoutheatre.nz/kopu-premiere/