Kāhu ki Rotorua: Eastside schools celebrate and showcase kapa haka

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

See below for English translation

E te hapori, piki mai, kake mai ki Te Hiwi o Toroa

Nā te māuiui kōwheori me te māuiui urutā kua uaua kē ngā mahi whakahou whakarauora i te tīati o Sir Howard Morrison hai wāhi kawe ngā mahi a Rēhia mō ngā kura tuatahi o te Waiarki.

Ko ngā tamariki o te kāinga te hunga ka matapouringia i te korenga o tētehi wāhi hai whakatairanga i ā rātau tū kapa haka, nā reira kua toko ake te whakaaro ā te kāhui ako schools ki a whāia kētia e rātau tētehi huarahi e tutuki ai ngā matahiapo o ngā tamariki. Ko ngā kura kai tēnei kāhui ko Ōwhata rātau ko Lynmore ko Rotokawa me Mokoia.

Hai te tuaono o Tīhema ka tū tētehi ahurei motuhake ki te kura o Lynmore hai whakanui ngā tamariki me ā rātau kaha ki te tū kapa haka. He rautaki, he whakaaro whakakotahi te iwi me te whakaatu hoki te wehi, te ihi me te wairua toa o ngā tamariki me ā rātau pukenga kapa haka.

I puta tēnei whakaaro tuatahi ake nā runga i ngā hiahia o ngā tamariki. Nā te kōmiti whakahaere tēnei rautaki i āta whakaarongia kia whai wā hoki ai te hāpori ki te whakawātea rātau mō tēnei rangi whakaharahara kai te haere.

Nā Matua Taimona Panapa (Nō te kura o Mokoia) tēnei ahurei i tapā ko Te Hiwi o Toroa. Ko te take hai tuitui ngā kāwai huhua o te whenua me te moana ki a kotahi mai, whaihoki hai whakarangatira ngā tātai kōrero o te takiwā.

Tokorima ngā pouako kai te kōmiti o Te Hiwi o Toroa. Ko Callie Raureti rātau ko Christina Roberts, ko Hine Taute, ko Kimberlee Fields, ko Stevee Raureti.

E hīkākā kau ngā kokonga o te whatumanawa e tata nei te wā e tū ai ngā tamariki ki te whakaputa ihi me tō rātau muri aroha ki te ao o Rēhia. Nō reira anō te reo pōwhiri a ēnei mātanga ki te hāpori o te Waiariki ki a piki mai, ki a kake mai ki te tautoko ake ngā tamariki o te kāinga.

Ko te tino hiahia ki a tū tēnei ahurei ki te ātea nui o te ao, nā reira te tumanako nui ki a mārakerake kau te wehi o Tamaterākura.

Me he marangai kai whare, e pai ana, kua whakaritea e ngā rangatira whakahaere tētehi atu wāhi e mana ai tēnei rangi. Kāti, anei anō te mihi ki te kura o Lynmore e whakapūare nei te whatitoka ki te hāpori hai wāhi kawe i tēnei kaupapa. Ko ngā tātai kōrero a Uenukukopako kai te kamunga ringaringa o ngā uri.

Tokotoru ngā wāhine rangatira a Uenukukopako. Tokorua he tamāhine nā Tamakauwhata te rangatira nui o runga o Te Pukeroa, ā, ko te tuatoru ko Taoitekura he wahine māia nō Hauraki.

I Mokoia rātau noho ai, engari ngā tini raruraru ka pā ki a rātau katoa, he ngutungutu, he whakanehenehe, he ahakoa te take ka whakakitea e Uenukukopako tētehi oranga e rarata ai āna wāhine.

Wheoi anō ka wā iti anō kua tutū anō te puehu , kua kekeaongia ngā rae. Kai te moana rātau e ruku kēwai ana ka toko ake te whakaaro kai kōnei pea he oranga e tika ai āna wāhine rangatira nei.

Kua titia e Taoitekura ngā rau toroa ki tana ūpoko. Ko te wāhine toa ki te ruku moana, koia te wāhine matua o ngā wāhine nei. Ka whakaae katoa ngā wāhine. Ka ruku. Ko Taoitekura te wāhine i toa.

Kai wē moana tēnei wāhi ko Te Hiwi o Toroa te ingoa o tēnei tāhuna oneone, he wāhi rangatira ki te hao me te ruku kākahi. —Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori

Covid restrictions and renovations at the Sir Howard Morrison Centre have made organising the Primary School Ahurei Kapa Haka Festival a challenge.

The ones missing out would have been the tamariki so kaiako from the Kahui Ako Schools — Owhata, Lynmore, Rotokawa and Mokoia decided that was not good enough.

So, on December 6, at Lynmore School, the Kahui Ako Schools will have their own ahurei to celebrate and showcase kapahaka.

This is the ideal way to bring our community together and share in the brilliance that is our tamariki, the organisers have declared.

The organising committee opted not to wait on the Ahurei organisation but instead went ahead with the campaign in a planned and purposeful manner, also giving our whānau and community plenty of time to prepare for this event.

Te Hiwi o Toroa is the name of the ahurei for the Kahui Ako schools - Owhata, Lynmore, Rotokawa and Mokoia. Mark December 6 in your calendar.

Matua Taimona Panapa (Mokoia) has formally named this event Te Hiwi o Toroa and the whakapapa behind this ingoa (name) links to our whenua (land) in which our various kura sit, and holds prominence to Mokoia Island, Lake Rotorua and the rich history of these areas in relation to our kura.

The Te Hiwi o Toroa committee — Callie Raureti, Christina Roberts, Hinei Taute, Kimberlee Fields and Stevee Raureti — are really excited to hold this celebration as a Kāhui Ako and would like to invite the wider community who support our tamariki and community to come along.

It will be a relaxed 'vibe' and hopefully the weather will permit an outdoor 'picnic style' celebration.

However, if the weather gods decide not to co-operate there is a contingency plan.

The committee would like to extend a huge mihi to Lynmore School for offering their kura as venue.

The people of Uenukukopako tell the story of their handsome eponymous ancestor who had three wives. Two were daughters of Tamakauwhata, a leader who lived on Pukeroa; his third wife Taoitekura was from Hauraki.

They lived on Mokoia and the wives squabbled about who was the senior wife.

No matter the solution, every attempt to try and soothe his wives would eventually fail.
It seemed the small family was constantly embroiled in a heated discussion that led to full arguments.

Then, one day as the chief and his wives were out collecting the freshwater crayfish from the lakebed, Uenukukopako came up with the solution to end the arguments.
Whoever made the longest dive would be the senior wife.

Taoitekura favoured wearing the plume of the Toroa (albatross) and dropped it by Uenukukopako as she dived.

In Lake Rotorua, between the southern shores and Mokoia Island, the lake shallows a bit and there is a long sandbank called Te Hiwi o Toroa or the Soul of the Albatross.

It was a favoured spot for catching freshwater crayfish and kakahi.