Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
See below for English translation
Ko Te Hokiwhitu a Tu ngā toa kāore i hoki mai i te pakanga tuarua o te ao.
Ko te ahurei International Folklore te take i haere ai tētehi pahi ki rāwāhi nei whakangāhau ai.
Hai tā Te Ara Vakaafi tētehi o ngā mātanga o Te Mātārae-i-o-Rehu, ' Ko mātou tētehi pahi itiiti noa iho o te huinga e whitu tekau, nō ngā tōpito huhua o te ao nei'.
Nō Uruguay ētehi me te whenua o Brazil, kai reira hoki ētehi tangata nō Columbia me te whenua o Chile, ko Georgia me Kenya hoki.
Ka rima wīki a Te Mātārae ki te whenua o Ītari ka whakangāhau ai rātou ki ngā ahurei e wha.Ko te tuatahi ko te Latium World Folkloric i Cori he tāone kai te takiwā o Lazio kai te puku o Ītari.
E ai ki te whārangi ipurangi o te āhurei nei ko te whāinga matua o te Latium World Folkloric Festival ki a hui katoa mai te hunga rangatahi o te ao ki te waiata ki te whakangāhau.
Ka tū tēnei hui ia tau i Ītari mo ngā rā kotahi tekau mā wha te roa , he kanikani he waiata hoki kāpuia katoatia e toru rau te rahi o te hunga rangatahi.
'Ka whakarewangia tēnei āhurei e te tangata whenua kia pepehangia e ahau, Ko Rōma tae atu ki Cori mai i te Colosseum tae atu ki te temepara o Ercole, ki waenga pū o ngā puke o Rōmana me te Lepini te wāhi matotoru ana i te mana waiata i te mātauranga toi, ā, heke iho ki te nehenehe o Ninfa'.
Hāunga tēnei āhurei kai tahataha anō hoki ētehi pēnei me te;
■ Ahurei o te Internazionale del Folklore, Aviano
■ Ahurei o te 'Dei Cuori', Tarcento
■ Ahurei o te Mondiale del Folklore Castello di Gorizia
E rua tekau mā rima o ngā tau a Te Ara e whakapau aroha atu ana ki tana kapa ki a Te Mātārae-i-o-Rehu.
Whaihoki he mātanga reo Māori hoki ia, kai te kura kaupapa Māori o Te Ruamata a ia e mahita nei.
'Wheoi anō ko te taha ki te hakoke whenua kai kōnei ahau e whakaakiaki kau i te rangatahi kia takahia te nukuroa o te whenua kia haere ia hai rangatira mō tātou te Māori me te whānau me te hapū hoki, whāia rawatia.
Nā ēnei tūāhuatanga koe e mōhio ai ki ngā ahurea o tō tātou ao whānui nei nā reira e kite hoki ai ahau i tō tātou motuhaketanga, kāua ko te āhurea anake engari ko te reo me ōna āhuatanga katoa, wheoi anō kai kōnei e noho ngakau whakaiti ana i te haerenga ki Ītari'.
I whānau ai i pakekengia ai a Te Ara i Rotorua. He wahine whai hononga ki ngā hapū o Tauranga Moana, ki NgaPuhi hoki ā he Ngai Te Arawa hoki ia. Ka nui te whakapōreareatanga o te māuiui urutā i tēnei haerenga a tātou.
'I puta mai te pōwhiri ki a mātou i mua i te putanga o te māuiui urutā, nā reira i nehua tēnei haerenga ki te kōhamo o te ūpoko, ā, ka whakatūwherangia ngā wahatieke e āhei anō ai te tangata ki a puta me te hakoke ka tae anō mai te tono pōwhiri ki te ropu kapa haka, nā kai reira mātou e kimikimi tangata ana e mana ai te tono pōwhiri ā rātou.
'Kai reira te mate, ko te kimi tangata e wātea ai mō tētehi wā roa ehara, nā wai rā ka rapua e mātou kia rua tekau mā wha tangata hai whakamāmā ai i te karanga, nā kua ea'.
Ka oti ana tēnā taumahatanga ka hua ake anō he taumahatanga ko te wā e whakaharatau ai ngā mema o te kapa.
'Nā te mea kai ngā kokonga huhua o te motu ngā mema i huri ai mātou ki ngā hui tōpā, kātahi rā taua taonga o te ao hou!'.
Kua oti noa ngā whakaharatau kai te takapou o Tūkapua nui te pahi e rerere ana, i wehe rātou i Aotearoa nei i te atatu o te Tūrei kua pahemo.
— Na Raimona Inia tenei purongo i whakamaori.
Te Matarae I Orehu will visit sites in Italy to pay homage to members of Te Hokowhitu a Tu who fell in World War II.
The primary reason for the group's haerenga was to participate in an International Folklore Festival.
"We are one of seven invited international cultures/countries to be showcased," said senior kapa member Te Ara Vakaafi.
The other invited guests are from Uruguay, Brazil, Columbia, Chile, Georgia and Kenya.
Te Matarae left this week and will be in Italy for nearly five weeks, performing at four different festivals. The first is the Latium World Folkloric Festival at Cori, a city in the Lazio region of central Italy.
According to the festival's official website, the main goal of the Latium World Folkloric Festival is to provide an occasion for young people from all over the world to make music together.
Every year this festival in Italy offers 14 days of dancing and music in which 300 young artists take part.
"The festival is hosted by the wonderful scenarios of Latium cities, from Rome to Cori, from the Colosseum to the Temple of Ercole, between the Roman hills and the Lepini rich in traditions and arts, going through the enchanting medieval gardens of Ninfa."
Other festivals on the tour are:
■ Festival Internazionale del Folklore, Aviano
■ Festival 'Dei Cuori', Tarcento
■ Festival Mondiale del Folklore Castello di Gorizia
Te Ara, a long-time teacher at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Ruamata, has stood with Te Matarae for nearly 25 years.
"In regards to overseas travel, I highly encourage our rangatahi or anyone who ia given the opportunity to be an ambassador for Te Iwi Maori, for their whanau and hapu overseas, to take up these opportunities and lifetime experiences.
"Learning about other cultures around the world reminds me of how distinctive, unique and special our culture and language is. I greatly appreciate all these types of opportunities this trip to Italy being one of many overseas experiences for me with my kapa."
Te Ara, who has hononga to Tauranga Moana, Ngapuhi and Te Arawa, was born and raised in Rotorua.
The Covid 19 pandemic has a great impact on the timing of the visit.
"The group was invited pre-covid and the trip had intially been forgotten about."
Once the borders opened, the invite was resent and that started a scramble to get a group together.
"You can imagine the difficulty of finding available performers who could be away from whanau and mahi for that length of time but we managed to get 24 performers which is great."
Even then it wasn't an easy mission getting the team together for practices.
"Due to a large number of our whanau living in other parts of the country we relied heavily on the use of zoom as a teaching/learning aid, something we are well accustomed to post covid."
The last training wananga was held last weekend and the group flew out on Tuesday morning.
"Although the festival is what takes us to Italy we could not go to that part of the world without acknowledging those of our tupuna o Te Hokowhitu a Tu who did not return home, many ofwhom lie in the many urupa over in Italy.
"A huge part of our tour will be to visit these urupa sites."
Te Matarae could not have travelled without the financial support of a number of organisations.
Latium festival organisers are looking after costs for the kapa in Italy.
■ They also thank and acknowledge: Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiārangi, Creative NZ, One Foundation, Te Arawa Kapa Haka Charitable Trust, and Ngati Pikiao Whanau & Trusts.
In a first, iwi dignitaries will travel to Melbourne to 'pass' Bush to Aboriginal people.