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He tamaiti kura, e whai mahi ana, engari he tamaiti hakoke me te mea hoki kai te whakangungu taonga pūoro tonu ia.
Engari me tangata penei me he hiahia nōu ki te uru ki te rōpū rangatira whakatangi pahū. Ko to tatau whetū pīataata i tenei rangi ko Danika Takirirangi Hendrikse-Clarke.Kua ono o ngā tau ia e whakatangi taonga pūoro nōna e kotahi tekau mā tahi ngā tau.I whānau i Rotorua whaihoki kai te kāreti o Hoani Paora e ako ana.
Ko tana moemoeā ki a hau atu ia ki te pēne paipa hirahira o te ao i mua tonu i tona ekenga ki ngā tau e toru tekau te rahi.
Kua whiriwhirihia a Danika ki a tu ki te rōpū National Youth Pipe Band of New Zealand (NYPBoNZ).
Kai te rōpū taumata tuatahi o Tamakimakaurau hoki ia.Hai te Akuwhata nei ka rere tēnei rangatira ki te whenua o Kotimana me tana rōpū whakahirahira whakatangi paipa o Aotearoa ki te whakataetae paipa o te ao.
Kua whakatārewangia he haerenga nui ki Kanata me te whenua o Amerika kia ea ai ngā taumahatanga o tēnei tau.
Hai te tauhou haere whakatepera atu ai rātau.Kua waia tēnei rangatira ki te whakangahau atu ki te tangata. Ko tana whakangahau whakamutunga tata nei ko te rā o ngā hōia, he ahakoa tēnei he kanohi kitea ia ki ngā whakataetae me ngā whakangahau huhua.
Nō Tūhourangi-Ngāti Wāhao, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Pikiao me Ngāti Whakaue a Danika.
Hai tāna, ko te rautaki whakatika taima he taumahatangata nui e tāmī kau i a ia.
‘Ko te ao pūoro taku ngākau whiwhita. Ko te whakangāhau atu ki te iwi te oranga o taku manawa.Kai te hiahia tū ngātahi ahau me he rōpū paipa tae rawa taku koroheketanga. Nā te mea kai te taumata nui ahau e kore e taea e ahau ki te whakapā atu ki etehi atu kaupapa o taku manawa. Ka nui taku hiahia ki te tū kapa haka mō te rōpū rangatira mō Tūhourangi-Ngāti Wahiao. Ā rohe nei, ā Matatini hoki. Wheoi anō kai te kura tonu ahau, ā, kai te mahi tonu hoki ahau ki te toa pahikara i Rotorua’.
Kāore e ārikarika āna kupu whakamiha ki ōna matua. Nā te mea he uaua te kite i tetehi puna pūtea hai kawe i a ia me tēnei hiahia ōna, ka āta ngawari te takahanga o te huarahi i ōna matua.
E āhei ai ia te hakoke me te whakatangi i enei taonga.Ko te painga o te hangarau o te ao ho he huarahi awhina i a ia. ' Engari ko aku nama e hoa mā he taniwha nui, kua kore ngā nama āku i ōku matua. Ko taku matua tāne te toa ki te pena pūtea e rangatira nei ahau’.He mātanga nō te ao o Rēhia a Te Wharekaika Clarke.
Ko tana tau whakamutunga tau ki te kura o Hoani Paora tēnei.
‘He kore hiahia nōku te haere ki te whare wānanga. Kai te titiro kē ahau ki te ao tūruhi, ki te mahi toi rānei.Engari ko te taha o te whakatangi pūoro paipa e tika hoki e karangangia au e te taumata nui whakaharahara a taihoa’.
Ka puta a Danika i te kura e aro nei tona ihu ki te wānanga o Toi Oho Mai ki reira ako tūruhi ai. Kai tetehi ringaringa ko te pene, kai tetehi ringaringa ko tana pūoro paipa – haere ngātahi ai.’ I ngā tau ko huri, he amokura ahau nō te pēne. Ko te wāhanga ki ahau he arahi I taku pahi he ako hoki ngā tangata ki te patu taramu’.
Ko Danika hoki tetehi o ngā tangata i hinga i te māuiui urutā.’ Tāmī nei au, pēhi kino nei ahau, ka noho, ka noho. Ka nui te haupuaroaro. Kihai au i whakangungu, kīhai au i paku aha.
Nā reira ka tōmuri rawa ahau. Wheoi anō, ka kaha hoki te tinana, ka huri tōtika ahau ki te whakapakari i aku pūkenga whakatangi paipa’.
Ko āna kupu whakamutunga ēnei ki a tātau katoa:Kāua e mate wheke, me mate ururoa. Kai wehi hoki koe ki te tuku pātai, me te mea nui me aro koe, te wairua, me te tinana ki te whakangungu. Kāua e kūmau manawa, tukua te mauri ki a ora. — Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori
Juggling school, a part-time job as well as travel and practice is required if you want to be one of the best tenor drummers in the world of pipe bands.
That’s the dream that keeps Danika Takirirangi Hendrikse-Clarke on the musical pathway she began six years ago as an 11-year-old.
Born and raised in Rotorua, the John Paul College prefect would like to play in a pipe band for as long as possible and hopes that by the time she is 30 she will be recognised internationally.
Highlights for Danika so far are being chosen for the National Youth Pipe Band of New Zealand (NYPBoNZ) and as a member of the Grade 1 band Auckland and District (A&D).
In August she is due to travel to Scotland with the A&D who have been chosen to represent New Zealand at the World Pipe Band Championships.
A trip to Canada and Los Angeles with the NYPBoNZ has been postponed to next year.
Danika has performed at festivals and national events all over the country, the most recent being the national Anzac Day commemorations when the band led the dignitaries including the Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins.
The uri of Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Pikiao, and Ngāti Whakaue said that it is sometimes difficult to prioritise her time.
“I love music and entertaining audiences. I would like to play in a pipe band for as long as I can.
“Being a national rep and in a Grade 1 means I miss out on things I would have liked to have been a part of. More recently I’ve been thinking I would love to be able to perform with Tūhourangi Ngāti Wahiao at regionals or Matatini. I’m still a student at John Paul College and work part time for Mountain Bike Rotorua.”
Danika is captain and leader of the kapa haka at JPC which has a muster of 120 vying to take the kapa stage.
She thanks her family for enabling her to pursue her love of music as there is no funding available from national sources for her to travel to ractices or performances.
New technology means she can communicate with tutors, learners and observe learning material videos. “All fees are paid by my family, mum and dad and fundraising is done mainly by my father.”
Her father, Wharekahika Clarke, is a kapa haka performer.
This is Danika’s last year at school. “I don’t plan on going to university. I want to work in tourism and/or be an artist.
“In terms of pipe band, or tenor drumming I hope to be one of the best tenors by the time I’m 25 and then hopefully by the time I’m 30 be recognised at an international level.”
Once she has finished school, Danika is considering going to Toi Oho Mai to do a tourism course.
She plans to maintain pipe band drumming and hopefully be able to teach interested parties.
“In the past I was lead tenor for the City of Rotorua Highland Pipe Band and taught people how to play the tenor drum.”
Covid 19 had a profound effect on Danika who contracted the virus and was forced to isolate while the New Zealand band practised.
“This impacted me emotionally and mentally.
I wasn’t able to train with my fellow band members and that put me behind, so I had to catch up the next time we met.”
Danika’s advice for any aspiring musician is: Never give up, never be afraid to ask for help, practice makes perfect, don’t be nervous and remember to breathe.
Four of our Tuhourangi-Ngati Wahiao taiohi are members of the Auckland and District Grade 1 band which will represent New Zealand at the World Pipe Band Championships in Scotland.
Danika Hendriske-Clarke, amd brothers Maneo, Ngatai and Kairau Armstrong will feature in Kilts ‘n Korowai.
Where: John Paul College.
When: July 7, from 5pm to 7pm
Tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/nz/events/landing/9373
'We really have something special going on here,' the academy co-founder says.