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Kia Ora ra,
Ko Dominique Werahiko toku ingoa, he Werahiko no Ngati Pukaki, he Reweti no Ngati Tahu me Ngati Whaoa, he Lewis no Te Whaiti-nui-a-Toi, he Taiapa no Tikitiki.
Koinei oku herenga whakapapa i te taha o toku papa. I te taha o toku Mama no Te Wharetapu o Ngapuhi ahau, he Baker no Ngati Rangi ki Ngawha, he Tawhai no Te Mahurehure ki Waima, he hononga ano noki ki konei ki Ngati Tunohopu me Ngati Rangiteaorere - he whanau tatau pounamu matau no muri mai i te pakanga a Hongi Hika ki Mokoia i te tau 1823.
Ko te waka whakahirahira hai kawe i tōna wairua ki tōna tuākiritanga, e ai ki a Dominique Werahiko, ko te kapa haka. He tangata atamai i whānau i Rotorua.
He ahakoa kua hipa ngā tau e rua tekau mā iwa, kare kau āna awangawanga mō tana whakapakeketanga ki te puku o tōna ao taketake, nā reira e pakiki tonu nei tōna korokoro ki te waikorari o te ao Māori. ' Koia nei taku haerenga – he hokinga ki te pūtake o taku tuākiritanga. E whakapono kaha nei taku ngākau ki tāna e kī ai, ko te Kapa haka te waka whakakokiri mō tēnei haerenga’.
He pouako kapa haka hoki ia ki Te Wharekura o Ngāti Rongomai. E rua āna tohu pakeke. He tohu paetahi – Te Reo Māori me te tikanga Māori nā Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato.
He ahakoa tēnei tohu nui, kai te huarahi tonu ia o te mātauranga e koke whakamua ana ki tana tohu pōkairua pouako tuturu kura tuarua mai i Te Kūnenga ki Pūrehuroa.
Ko Anaha Whakateremanawakaiaia Moke tōna pāpā whakaangi. (Ngati Hurungaterangi, Ngati Tumatawera, Ngati Wahiao, Ngati Tutemohuta, Ngapuhi).
Nōna e kura tuatahi ai i te kura o Lynmore, ka kōmiria ōna waewae e Cecilia Pakinga ki te whare tapere Māori. Nōna te wairua rearea o te ao kapa haka i whakatō ki te ngākau o Dominque. ' Nōku i te kura o Mokoia ko Rikihana Bishop tō mātau pouako kapa haka, nā reira i pakeke ake ai taku wairua, taku tinana otīā taku kaupapa katoa ki te ao o te whare tapere.
Ka tae ahau ki te kura tuarua o ngā moana, nō mātau te maringi nui ki te noho tahi, ki te noho whakaiti ki ngā rekereke o te korimako nui o te nehenehe, ā, ki a Kui Bea Yates – e tika ana te kōrero ko Kōpū ki te rangi ko Kui Bea te ihopūmanawa o Te Arawa ki te whenua. Nānā hoki ahau i poipoi, i āta akiaki ki a whāia e ahau te huarahi ki a tū hai pouako kapa haka mō te kura’.
Ki te pae tūārangi o te tauriparipa ko ngā whetū taukapokapo arahi i a Dominique mō te ao kapa haka. He wāhine katoa rātau. " Ko Kui Pare Hepi, ko Aunty Josie Scott, Aunty Elizabeth Foulds, ko Aunty Miriama me Hereana Roberts, ko Aunty Toni Waaka, ko Whaea Mereana Ngata, ā, ko Aunty Rexina Morgan, wāhine māia, wāhine māhaki, otīā wāhine kaha ki te tuku mōhiohio ki te puku ngunguru.
Koia ēnei ētehi o ngā pou nui o te whare tapere o Te Arawa. Ko te nuinga hoki o ēnei wāhine he pou kaiawha mō ngā mahi whakangāhau tūruhi i Rotorua nei. He ahakoa ki ētehi ko te konohete he wāhi mahi moni, ko te tino mana o ēnei wāhi, he ātamira whakapakari, whakatika hoki ngā toa e kaingakau ana ki ngā mahi a Rēhia e kahika tūwao ai ngā manu hakahaka ki runga ātamira o Te Matatini’.
Ko te timatatanga o tana haerenga kapa haka nei kai roto i a Ngāti Tarawhai. Ko Ruakiri Fairhall te pouako matua.
Toitū āna waewae hai paiaka tōtara ki te ao kapa haka i a Ngāti Tarawhai. Ka iti ki muri ka pūare ōna taringa ki te reo tangiwai ngunguru o Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, hī ana te ata i ngā kokako karanga wairua, ka kotahi atu a ia ki a Hereana me tana pahi.
\Ka iti hoki nei ki kōnei, ka ngaoko tana tou ki te haere, ka kotahi atu a ia ki te whare tapere o Te Pikikotuku o Ngāti Rongomai. ' E hoa mā. Ko wai atu i a Tukiterangi Curtis mō te whakawana i te puku o te toa. Ko tōna katoa kai te ao taketake o ngā tūpuna. Nā taku hiahia! Koia nei e hoa mā taku haerenga me te mea hoki ka nui hoki ki mua’.
E hoki mai ana taua kōrero ā ētehi, te hunga toutouā me te terenga kōrero, ‘kāore e take ana te ao kapa haka, he momo tōu hamuti!”.
Ko tāku ki a tātau e te ao whānui, nā te tao, nā te mere me ngā kura katoa o te kapa haka e tika ai taku tū, e pakari ōku waewae, e māia ai taku wairua koia au e tu tangata nei. He moni kai ngā pūkoro, he kai, kai te puku whaihoki kua tae tēnei tangata ki ngā tōpito huhua o te ao’.
For Dominique Werahiko, kapa haka is his waka on a lifelong journey to discover his tuakiritanga — his inner self.
Born in Rotorua 29 years ago, Dominique regrets not being raised on a marae and has always pined for anything and everything Māori.
“This has been my journey — self pursuit of reclaiming my tuakiritanga. I can wholeheartedly say that Kapa haka has been the waka whakakōkiri for this haerenga.”
A kaiako at Te Wharekura o Ngāti Rongomai where he teaches Te Ao Haka, Dominique has a BA in Te Reo Maori and Tikanga Maori from Waikato University.
He is currently pursuing a secondary school teaching diploma through Massey University.
Anaha Whakateremanawakaiaia Moke (Ngati Hurungaterangi, Ngati Tumatawera, Ngati Wahiao, Ngati Tutemohuta, Ngapuhi),”is my Whāngai son-taku tama pa whakawairua”.
Dominique was introduced to kapa haka at Lynmore Primary School. Their tutor, Cecilia Pakinga, instilled in him a passion and love for kapa haka.
“Rikihana Bishop was our kapa haka tutor at Mokoia Intermediate, and it was here that my skill and finesse for kapa haka grew exponentially.
“At Rotorua Lakes High School we were very fortunate to have Nanny Bea Yates who was an Iho Pumanawa in Te Arawa, who encouraged my sense of creativity to one day tutor our schools’ kapa haka team.”
Outside of school, women have been Dominique’s greatest mentors and motivators.
“Nanny Pare Hepi, Aunty Josie Scott, Aunty Elizabeth Foulds, Aunty Miriama and Hereana Roberts, Aunty Toni Waaka, Whaea Mereana Ngatai and Aunty Rexina Morgan have all been influential iho pumanawa in my kapa haka career.
“These ladies are some of the many stalwarts of the concert industry here in Te Arawa.
“Here in Te Arawa we are privileged to have concerts as an employment oppurtunity, but more specifically concerts has provided a training platform for those who are involved with competitive kapa haka.”
Dominique’s competitive kapa haka career began with Ngati Tarawhai under the direction of Ruakiri Fairhall.
It was here his foundations in Te Ao Haka were solidified.
Drawn by the powerful sound of Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao, Dominique joined that ropu which was under the tutelage of the late Hereana Roberts.
Hungry for more of Te Ao Maori he joined the Whare tapere of Te Pikikotuku o Ngati Rongomai.
“Tukiterangi Curtis’ passion and love for te Ao Maori is infectious and inspiring.
“That is why I choose to be a part of Te Pikikotuku o Ngati Rongomai; this has been my journey and will continue being my journey.”
Like many kai haka have experienced Dominique was told by detractors that “kapa haka will get you nowhere.”
“I can wholeheartedly say that kapa haka has allowed me to reaffirm my identity as tangata whenua, kapa haka has provided me with employment opportunities and furthermore kapa haka has allowed me to travel the world.”
Competitive stage
2010 Te Arawa Regionals — Ngati Tarawhai
2012 Te Arawa Regionals — Ngati Tarawhai
2014 Te Arawa Regionals —Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao
2015 Matatini/Christchurch —Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao
2016 Te Arawa Regionals — Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao
2019 Military Tattoo/Sydney Te Pikikotuku o Ngati Rongomai
2019 Matatini/Wellington — Te Pikikotuku o Ngati Rongomai
2020 Te Arawa Regionals — Te Pikikotuku o Ngati Rongomai
2022 Te Maeva Nui/Rarotonga – Tuhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao
2023 Matatini/Auckland — Te Pikikotuku o Ngati Rongomai
