Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
See below for English translation
E tūtū ngārehu ana ngā waewae, e kopikopi kau ana ngā hope o ngā wāhine ko Te Matatini o Te Ao ki Tamaki Makaurau ka tū a te Pēpuere mai i te rua tekau mā rua ki te rua tekau mā rima te take.
Wheoi anō tēnā kaupapa. Kai te ihu o te tangata anō tētehi kaupapa nui taioreore, ana kai ngā wiki tata e haere ake nei. Ko ngā whakataetae kapa haka ā rohe mō ngā kura tuatahi o Te Arawa ka tū ā te kotahi tekau mā rua ā te Noema ki te tīati nui o Rotorua.
Kāore he painga i ngā tamariki me ngā mokopuna mō te whakangāhau, engari rā ka noho puku ahau mō tēnei wā itiiti e kore rawa au e heke ki te mātakitaki ngā parakitihi e whakahaerehia ana e ngā pouako, kai tangi ahau.
He kotahi tekau mā rua tīma whakataetae ka tū ki runga ātamira. Kai te taepa tonu tētehi e tīoioi kau ana. E toru anake ka puta ki te whakataetae nui ā te motu.
Ā te Paraire hou ka tukuna ngā tīkiti mana ki ngā kura ko ngā tīkiti kāore i hokona atu ka tukuna ki te mārea mai i te tuawhitu o Nōema.
Ko Te Kura o Te Whakarewarewa te kura kua riro i te tūnga tuarua mō te rā, kāore anō kia tīpakongia mā wai te whakataetae e whakapūare.
Hai taku mokopuna nei, ' kai te whakapau wera mātau, he whakangungu te take ia rā, ia rā'. He ahakoa te kaha o āna kupu e whakapī ngā kanohi. Ehara ia i te kōtiro whakangungu.
E tātari nei ahau i aku ake maumaharatanga kāore e kitea ngā rā whakataetae ā kura nōku e itiiiti ai, āe, i whakangahau tangata mātau ko te nuinga kau i tū ki te kura ake. Wheoi anō, kai ngā rā onamata ko te wā tēnei e noho tahi ana ngā pae tuatahi me ngā pae tuarua ki te kura tuatahi.
(He tau tuawhitu, he tau tuawaru ēnei tūnga ināianei).
Ko ahau tētehi i haere ki te kura tuarua o Rotorua.
Ko te nuinga o ngā tamariki o naianei nō te kāinga, mā rātau ngā tūnga kapa haka pakeke e whakakī ā tōna wā. Ko te taha ki Te Matatini, āe, kua tāti kē ētehi o ngā tīma, ko Tūhourangi ā te wiki nei. Ka kore au e tae atu, he kaupapa anō tāku ki roto o Huangarua.
E hoki mai ana ētehi o aku hoa tuhituhi tawhito ki te hui whakawhanaunga. Ko mātau ēnei ngā hoa i kura tahi ai i ngā tau e whitu tekau.
I hinga tā mātau kaupapa i ngā tau e rua kua pahemo, ko te māuiui kōwheori te take wheoi anō rā, mā te ūpoko rānō, taihoa nei ka tū tā mātau kaupapa. Kai te hokihoki mai ngā hoa i ngā tōpito katoa o te tāone, o te ao. E hoki mai ana ētehi mai i Ahitereiria, nā ko tētehi e hoki mai ana i Ingarangi.
Kai te ngākau te hiahia kia heke au ki te parakitihi tuatahi ā te mutunga wiki, e whakamomori tonu ana a Tūhourangi-Ngāti Wāhiao i te hinganga o Hereana Roberts i Rarotonga nōna e whakangahau tangata ana i te ahurei nui o Maeva nō te Akuwhata kua pahemo.
Āe, kua tākerehāia te kapa, e hotuhotu tonu ana ngā whatumanawa o te whānau Pene-Roberts. Engari ka ora iti nei rātau i te hunga kōeke, mātau ngā niho roa o te whakatūtū waewae.
Kua whakaritea kētia e mātau tā mātau hekenga ki raro. Kua mana te wāhi noho, kua mana hoki tō mātau waka.
Ka tae mātau ki te pōwhiri ā te Tūrei, whaihoki ka hoki mai ki te kāinga ā te wiki hai te otinga o te wāhanga tuku taonga.
— Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori
Teams in order of appearance on November 12:
1.Waikite Valley School
2.Te Kura o Whakarewarewa
3.Nga Kura Maori o Tuwharetoa
4.Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Ruamata 5.Te Wharekura o Ngati Rongomai
6.Rotorua Primary School
7.Te Kura o Te Koutu
8.Rotorua Intermediate School
9.Kaitao Intermediate School
10.Whangamarino School
11.Mokoia Intermediate School
12.Te Matai Te Kura a Iwi o Tapuika
13.Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Hurungaterangi
Our senior kapa haka teams are ramping up practices for Te Matatini ki Te Ao at Tamaki Makaurau from February 22-25.
But there is a competition just as important and only weeks away, the Te Arawa Primary Schools Kapa Haka Regionals at the Rotorua Events Centre on November 12.
Twelve teams have been confirmed for the biennial competition which means three will be selected to go to the national competitions.
Tickets will be allocated to the schools from next Friday and any unsold on November 7 will be available for public sale.
The chair of the Te Arawa Primary Schools Kapa Haka, Rawiri Wihapi, said their mission statement is to nurture our tamariki in the traditional performing arts and they may then go on to secondary school competitions and further after school.
Rawiri, who is tumuaki at Mokoia Intermediate School, said around 600 tamariki will be on stage with 20 minutes to wow the judges or 25 minutes if they sing a choral item.
The regionals are held every two years so it is a good foundation for the children to develop qualities to perform kapa haka at secondary level.
"We will continue to provide to provide this opportunity to our tamariki and schools as long as this event operates."
Te Kura o Te Whakarewarewa, who are second in order of performance have been practising "every day" says one of our mokopuna, rolling her eyes. Practising is not her strong suit.
I don't recall haka competitions when I was at Whaka School although we did perform at school concerts.
Many of the kura kids are likely Tuhourangi-Ngati Wahiao performers of the future.
The senior kapa begin practices for Te Matatini this weekend. I can't go because I will be at a Martinborough vineyard for a reunion of students from my journalism course in 1970.
Covid put paid to our celebrating the silver jubilee two years ago and people are coming from all over the country and Australia and even one from England.
I wanted to go to the kapa's first muster because this has been a traumatic year following the sudden death of veteran performer Sally Ann Hereana Roberts while they were in Rarotonga in August.
It will be a solemn first practice. Even those of us whose days on the stage are over have been getting into the swing of things for Te Matatini.
The pakeke group who have always supported Tuhourangi-Ngati Wahiao have already planned our travel and accommodation.
Wheoi anō ko te taha ki ngā whakataetae ka tū a te Nōema, anei te rarangi o ngakapa:
1.Waikite Valley School
2.Te Kura o Whakarewarewa
3.Nga Kura Maori o Tuwharetoa
4.Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Ruamata 5.Te Wharekura o Ngati Rongomai
6.Rotorua Primary School
7.Te Kura o Te Koutu
8.Rotorua Intermediate School
9.Kaitao Intermediate School
10.Whangamarino School
11.Mokoia Intermediate School
12.Te Matai Te Kura a Iwi o Tapuika
13.Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Hurungaterangi
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