Ōpononi hosts 50th Te Tai Tokerau Secondary Schools Kapa Haka Festival

Te Tai Tokerau Secondary Schools Kapa Haka Festival, pictured here in 2018, is celebrating 50 years. Photo / NZME

Te Tai Tokerau Secondary Schools Kapa Haka Festival is celebrating 50 years by returning to its debut host, Ōpononi Area School.

Fittingly, the school is also commemorating its 50th jubilee, having opened its doors to the Hokianga community in 1975.

Twenty-eight kapa haka groups will gather on Wednesday for the two-day festival, which showcases the students’ connections to te ao Māori and te ao haka.

The most southern entry is Mahurangi College, which will make the three-hour journey north from Warkworth.

Only 11 schools braved the gravel and dirt roads to perform at the first festival half a century ago.

Among them was Punaruku District High School, which sent all 17 of its students.

In 1985, Ōpononi Area School founding principal Mike Mulqueen shared his recollection of that event, in which he said the biggest applause on the night went to Punaruku because the students had “touched every heart in the hall”.

Many of those first schools – Ōpononi, Punaruku, Dargaville High School, Broadwood Area School, Whangaroa College, Taipā Area School, Ōkaihau College, Mangakahia Area School, Kamo High School, Kaitāia College and Tikipunga High School – still take part.

Kaitāia College, its 2021 performance pictured here, was one of the first 11 schools to take part. Photo / NZME

Mulqueen praised the school’s deputy principal and Māori language teacher David Hill as the event’s driving force.

“An excellent organiser and a dedicated enthusiast in the promotion of Māoritanga, David Hill soon had an able committee and the local community in full support of the idea.

“There was an almost magic atmosphere that swept all those involved along with it and ensured that this first festival would certainly not be the last.”

Mulqueen lauded the showcase as a tremendous occasion for Māori culture in Northland.

He recalled hearing residents say they had not seen crowds so big since Hokianga’s famous friendly dolphin Opo had cruised the harbour.

Opo the friendly dolphin became famous in 1955-56, but she was found dead in suspicious circumstances. Photo / Alexander Turnbull Library

Every year a different school hosts the festival, but tradition dictates its return to Ōpononi Area School every 10 years.

The school will commemorate its 50th celebrations on Friday starting with a pōwhiri at 10am.

Principal Rosina Wikaira said the school had been more than an educational institution.

“ ... It has been a cornerstone of the community, nurturing the minds and spirits of generations of students.”

The school’s early focus was on integrating local knowledge into the curriculum. Students were taught the stories, customs and traditions that connected the community to the land.

“The school embraced the philosophy that education should be more than just learning from textbooks – it should be about learning from life, from the environment and from each other," Wikaira said.

She believed the holistic approach was what set the school apart.

“As Ōpononi Area School moves into its next 50 years, its commitment to education that is deeply rooted in cultural understanding and community connection remains unwavering.

“The school’s vision for the future is to continue to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the world, while also ensuring that they never lose sight of who they are and where they come from.”