Kapa haka party honours lost members of Kaitaia community

Kaitaia College haka team, Te Kahui Haka o Te Puawaitanga. will long remember the Tai Tokerau Festival of 2017. Photo/Kirsty Saxon.

The Tai Tokerau Secondary Schools Festival has long been an annual highlight for Northland secondary school kapa haka parties, but this year's festival was an exceptionally special one for Kaitaia College's team, Te Kahui Haka o Te Puawaitanga.

"The past eight months at Kaitaia College has been a long and arduous journey, with the passing of four members of our kura community," head tutor Whaea Morgana Thomas said.

"The school haka team wanted to ensure that these members of our kura community were acknowledged, and also looked at this as a process of healing, by dedicating their festival bracket to them."

The performance, with the approval of their families, was dedicated to Finn Spaans, Georgia Buckingham, Suzanne Kennedy and Te Amo-haere Rudolph.

"I was crying before I went on stage," kai tataki wahine (female leader) Moturangi McManus-Thomas said.

"All our items were significant to our fallen whanau and we (the performers) understood the depth, love and understanding that we had to put into our bracket. It wasn't 'just' a performance this year."

The team also wanted to ensure that the families of those who had passed were acknowledged, and showcased their performance, especially for those whanau, in front of a packed audience in the Kaitaia College hall.

"Our kura performance was a special one," said Ruia Itieli, one of the two kai tataki tane (male leaders).

"We are always really nervous [about performing] in front of our kura and whanau, but this was a dedication, and we wanted to make sure that we had a mean performance for the sake of our whanau members who came to watch."

"I felt like it was the best performance we did," Noah Muiaiva, the other kai tataki, said.

"We performed twice at Bream Bay College, but our kura performance here at home definitely felt the best."

Te Puawaitanga had three wananga throughout the first term, at Te Hapua, in Auckland and finally back on their home ground.

"I would just like to thank our whanau for all of their help during this journey to the festival, because it wasn't an easy journey," Moturangi added.

"So to our Whaea Morgana, who has seen me through five festivals and who was a rock of strength for our roopu during some dark moments along this journey. We thank you."

Ruia added his thanks to Whaea Mihi Henare, tuakana Irie Thomas and Rangiwewehi Fletcher for their knowledge, time and energy, while Noah thanked Whaea Dee, Aunty Aisha and Nana Millie for the kai, 'the growlings' and the lessons.

"Thank you all so much. We really do appreciate it," he said.