Maneo, Kairau and Ngatai Armstrong are proud to be Maori. Photo / Supplied
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See below for English translation
Ka nui te wehi, ka nui te whakamataku ki ēnei tangata e tū whakahīhī ana ki te ao o te whakatangi paipa. Tokotoru ngā tangata Māori nei. He mahanga a Maneo me Ngātai e rua tekau te rahi, ko Kairau te whakapakanga he kotahi tekau mā waru te rahi.
Purei taonga pūoro ēnei taniwha tokotoru.Nō te tau e rua mano, kotahi tekau mā ono ka whakawhirinaki ake rātau ki te rōpū Rotorua Highland Pipeband hai tauira whakatangi paipa me te patu pahū. Nā kai te pae kanohi te ao e takoto ana. I whānau i Ōtautahi. Ka takahia te whenua e te hūnuku ka tae ki Rotorua nō te tau e rua mano, kotahi tekau mā toru te tau. He hiahia nō Leslie tō rātau matua wahine te hoki mai ki te kāinga.
Ko te tikanga, ka hau kē ēnei taitamariki tāne ki te karaehe taonga pūoro ki te titiro anahe.
Ehara! Kua mau rātau i te wairua o te whare. Inaianei - ka nui te amuamu, ka nui te ngēngē ko te hakoke whenua ki te whakataetae taonga pūoro te take.Auahi ana! Nō te tau e rua mano,kotahi tekau mā tahi ka whakawhiwhiā e rātau ki te taitara ā motu, ka tuaruangia nō te tau whai muri ake. Hai te wā whakatā ā kura o te Raumati, e whakangungu hoki ana ngā rangatira.
Ko te tihi o te whakaaro ka kitea rātau e te tangata, ka kitea hoki tō rātau whānau.
Tāpirihia ki tēnei ko tūtakitaki tangata manawa pēnei i a rātau. He manawa whiwhita ki te ao taonga pūoro. Wheoi anō te pātai ka tū. Ko wai hoki ēnei tāne? Nō Tūhourangi-Ngāti Wāhiao Ngai Te Rangi – Ngai Tukairangi/Ngati Kuku; Ngati Awa – Ngati Pūkeko, Ngati Rangataua ngā kāwai rangatira.Tirohia hoki ngā ingoa ka kitea te whakapapa.
Ko Maneo Lee Armstrong. Nō Rātino te ingoa o Maneo. He mana heke iho nō te hapū Armstrong. Ko te pepeha o tēnei hapū e mea ana – Invictus Maneo. Ko tona tikanga e āhua rite ki te kōrero Māori, he toka tū moana.
Ko Ngatai John Armstrong: He ingoa tupuna nō Hariru Ngatai tō rātou kuia. Ko Taiaho Hori Ngatai te tangata, wheoi anō nō Ngai Te Rangi. Ko Kairau Te Mana Armstrong: He whakamihi nā te whānau ki a Wiremu Kainamu Waaka.
Kāti ake. Koia ko ēnei ngā taitamatāne mātanga nui. Kanohi kitea he ahakoa he kaupapa mihimihi, he ahakoa he tangihanga. Kai ētehi taima ka hōhā rātau ki te parakitihi, engari ka hua anō te maramatanga, mā te parakitihi e kaha ai o rātau pūkenga.
He kohinga taonga pūoro parakitihi ā rātau. Etehi peke paipa, ā, he taramu hoki.’
He kotahi hāora kau mātau e parakitihi ana. Ka wāwāhingia te wānanga. Ko te tuatahi he ako ki te mauri o te tangi, ko te wāhanga tuarua ko te whakakotahi te tinana ki te taonga ki a ngātahi ai.Kai te wātaka o ngā kaupapa tā mātau wānanga.
Me he kaupapa paipa me te taramu, ka aro mātau ki te whakapiki i te kaha ki a ea ai taua hui nā – he aroha hoki nō mātau ki ngā whānau e noho tata nei ki a mātau kia kāua e riria mātau i te kino o te turituri. Kai te pēne o Tamakimakaurau hoki mātau, wheoi anō ka whakatata mai aua whakataetae ka whakatepera atu mātau ki te parakitihi’.
Hai te Akuwhata o tēnei tau kai te rere atu rātau ki Kotimana ki te taha o te pēne paipa nō Tamakimakaurau ki te whakataetae nui o te ao. Hai te Hūrae o te tau hou ka kotahi atu rātau ki Kanata me Amerika ki reira whakataetae ai.’ Ka nui tō mātau aroha ki tēnei kaupapa, he oranga wairua e whakahīhī ake ai i tō mātau whānau, otia i a mātau anō hoki’.
Tapirihia ki ō rātau pūkenga whakatangi taonga pūoro he tokotoru kōrero Māori hoki ēnei tama.Nō rātau e kura ana i Ōtautahi ka tahuri ēnei tama ki te reo taketake o tēnei whenua.
Kai te whare wānanga o Wikitoria a Kairau e aru ana i tōna reo kia kāua noa tōna reo e noho tawhiti atu i a ia. Ko ngā paipa whakatangihia ai e rātau e rite ana ki ngā mea ka kitea i ngā kiriata Kotimana, ko aua peke taniwha nui te wana. E ai hoki ki a rātau, he mana nui hoki kai te pae tukutuku o Pukamata me You Tube.
He ahakoa kai te rite tonu ngā taonga pūoro nei, e noho tūturu ana ngā tikanga hāunga iti nei te whakatika i te reo o te kame. Ka māmā ake ai te whakatika i te reo tangi i ngā hangarau ka kitea i te paetukutuku.
Hinga hoki ēnei tangata i te māuiui urutā, wheoi anō e kore e taea te pēwhea.Ka whakakorengia ngā whakataetae nui, he ahakoa he tau hou, he ahakoa he tau hou. Engari rā ka ū ngākau pono rātau ki te parakitihi me te whakakotahi i a rātau. He kupu whakamutunga ki te hunga pirangi ki te whai i tēnei huarahi.Rapua he kāhui tatangi pūoro.
Whītikia koe ki te maro o te Kotimana me ngā kame whakahirahira hoki. Nanaohia atu ngā ringaringa ki te peke pāoho. E hoa mā, tūturu, ka hau atu koe ki tēnei ao, ka huri te tai o te moana. Ka noho ngakau aroha koe ki ngā iwi rangatira me ngā tangata hou o te ao nei.
—Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori
The Armstrong brothers are proud to be Maori and that their whakapapa makes them unique in the pipe band world.
Twins Maneo and Ngatai, 20, are pipers and Kairau, 18, plays the snare drum.
They joined the Rotorua Highland Pipeband in 2016 as learner pipers and drummers as an interest after school. The rest, as they say, is history. Born in Christchurch, the boys relocated to Rotorua in December 2013 because their Mum, Leslie, wanted to come home.
What began as an extra-curricular activity has taken over a major part of the Armstrongs’ lives.
But they are not complaining because they have travelled the length and breadth of the country competing in solo and band competitions.
Among the highlights so far are winning back-to-back national titles with the Rotorua Band in 2019 and 2020.
They also value participating in Summer Schools which are week-long pipe band camps and being tutored by world-class tutors.
At the top of the list of highlights is representing themselves, whanau, the bands they are a part of and the regions they play for.
Then there is meeting like-minded people who share the same passion. That passion is encouraged by their parents who are avid fans.
They also love making connections with a range of people from across diverse occupations and age groups.
So who are these young men?
They whakapapa to Te Arawa - Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao; Ngai Te Rangi – Ngai Tukairangi/Ngati Kuku; Ngati Awa – Ngati Pūkeko, Ngati Rangataua.
Their names also reflect their whakapapa.
Maneo Lee Armstrong: The name Maneo is latin taken from the motto on the Armstrong clan crest– Invictus Maneo meaning “we remain unvanquished”
Ngatai John Armstrong: Ngatai is a tupuna name from their great grandmother Hariru Ngatai. Ko Taiaho Hori Ngatai te tangata. (Ngai Te Rangi)
Kairau Te Mana Armstrong: Kairau is a nod to and an alternative to their koro Wiremu Kainamu Waaka
They have been to all their pa for varying reasons. Te Pakira is closest to where they live. On occasion they have been a part of formal and informal occasions – tangihanga and wananga. Playing at special events such as tangihanga; Anzac commemorations, weddings, birthdays and celebrations is something they enjoy.
Although practising can be time-consuming the brothers like what they do and know practice is needed to get the most out of any activity. They have practice instruments – a practice chanter for bagpipes and a drum pad for a snare drummer.
“We can all spend on average an hour a day blowing and tapping on these instruments 1) for learning the necessary tunes or 2) as a way to relax.
“Playing the bagpipes and the snare drum as part of practice varies depending on the pipe band events calendar (and also in consideration of our neighbours). We play for an Auckland based band, the Auckland and District pipe band, so closer to competition times we will travel for weekend long practices.”
They have no firm plans for the future and at present the pipe band is a hobby they really enjoy.
In August of this year they are travelling to Scotland with the Auckland and District pipe band to take part in the World Pipe band Championships, 2023.
In July of next year, plans are in place for them to travel to Canada and USA as members of the National Youth Pipe Band of New Zealand.
“Being able to play these instruments is a passion for us all and will always be a part of who we are and our foreseeable future.”
The number of reo-speaking members of the pipe band community are few and far between.
The brothers began their schooling in a kura reo rua in Christchurch. Kairau has just recently reignited his former years of learning by taking papers at Victoria University. This is an avenue that is potentially on the horizon for the twins.
Ngatai and Maneo both play the Great Highland Bagpipe which likely originated from Scotland.
They say social media has been a major player in the expansion of the pipe band movement from Youtube to Facebook and livestream.
The instruments themselves have remained relatively unchanged but tuning the bagpipes has become simpler with phone apps and other handheld devices.
The covid pandemic meant the number of international players who play for bands in New Zealand were restricted from participating during the 2021 season. Cancellation of a national championship competition in 2022 also meant a downturn in events as a lead up.
Their advice for anyone who likes pipe bands is to join the nearest pipe band who are always on the lookout for new members.
Be a part of a worldwide music fraternity. Have an opportunity to wear a kilt and regalia associated with pipe bands. Being a part of a pipe band can provide a world of life long friends and communities from around the world.
If you would like to see the brothers Armstrong perform, come along and support their fundraising concert “Kilts ‘n’ Korowai” on Friday, July 7, 5pm to 7pm at John Paul College.
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