Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua kapa haka group shares Māori culture in Japan with big fan

Jane Trask
By Jane Trask, jane.trask@nzme.co.nz
Columnist·Rotorua Weekender·
24 Oct, 2019 08:55 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Rotorua group Ngā Raukura with their biggest fan in Japan, Zion Mitchell, 3. Photo/Kanna Mitchell

Rotorua group Ngā Raukura with their biggest fan in Japan, Zion Mitchell, 3. Photo/Kanna Mitchell

Ten performers, 27 days, 30 performances. One stand-out little fan.

Ngā Raukura Kapa Haka Performance group, led and organised by Jamus Webster, have just returned to Rotorua after spending nearly a month away as part of the build-up for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Members of the roopu (group) were handpicked by Jamus for their skill, experience, passion and dedication to kapa haka.

Each member dedicates their lives to Māori culture, language and the Māori arts.

"Kapa haka is a huge part of being Māori, whether you perform for fun, or at a competitive level, but for some it's their bread and butter and source of income," says roopu member Maiau Houltham.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A huge team of organisers helped to put the trip together, including Te Puia, NZMACI and NZ Tourism.

Nga Raukura shared a once in a lifetime opportunity performing in Japan. Photo/supplied.
Nga Raukura shared a once in a lifetime opportunity performing in Japan. Photo/supplied.

The group selected for this trip come from strong cultural backgrounds with long lists of kapa haka achievements.

Selection was also considered based on the repertoire of songs/items and haka that were required for the trip.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Professional representation is highly valued and important as members not only represent Ngā Raukura, Te Puia or NZ Tourism who funded our trip, but also their families, their iwi, their hapū, and their country," Maiau says.

The purpose was to be an accompanying cultural group to help raise the All Blacks' profile in Japan by showcasing the cultural background.

Maiau says the Japanese organisers behind this year's Rugby World Cup wanted to bring Māori culture, unique to New Zealand, to the fans in Japan.

Ngā Raukura spent the past month following the All Blacks around Japan, performing at numerous Rugby World Cup fan zones, in all of the New Zealand hosting areas, including the All Blacks pre-match lunch in Beppu, the Ritz Carlton in Osaka, and the New Zealand embassy in Tokyo.

Discover more

Flying high: Local man shows his support for the Rugby World Cup

26 Sep 09:19 PM
New Zealand

Rotorua kapa haka group perform with SIX60 ahead of All Blacks game

01 Oct 01:00 AM
New Zealand

Zizi Sparks: Why the All Blacks losing the World Cup won't be so bad

11 Oct 04:41 PM

The roopu performed about 30 times. On some days they would do four shows and on others only one.

"Each performance was special as there would always be new groups of fans coming to watch."

Performances were based in fan zones which moved around to different suburbs and even different cities.

The group often returned to the Ginza Fanzone where they had one special little fan.

Zion Mitchell, 3, is half Japanese, half American and lives in Tokyo. He quickly became the group's biggest kapa haka fan.

Rotorua group Ngā Raukura with their biggest fan in Japan, Zion Mitchell, 3. Photo/Kanna Mitchell
Rotorua group Ngā Raukura with their biggest fan in Japan, Zion Mitchell, 3. Photo/Kanna Mitchell

There were 22 shows in Tokyo in total and Zion came to every single one of them.

By the time he had seen the group perform for the 10th time, he knew most of the items.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Ngā Raukura were able to spot him in the crowd and bring him onstage to perform with the group.

Every photo opportunity or audience participation meant that Zion would be front and centre wanting to be involved.

Members of the group became close with his mother, Kanna Mitchell, and if his mother had to work, his grandmother would bring him to the shows.

"They were the absolute best! On our last show we invited them backstage with us to have photos and to say our final goodbyes. They were such beautiful people. Zion cried.

"He was just fascinated by our culture. He loved the haka and just really wanted to immerse himself into our culture and performances.

"He made us feel like our job was worthwhile and how proud we should feel to be Māori."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Ngā Raukura was also fortunate to be able to tick off some highlights.

They performed a collaboration with New Zealand band Six60 and met with All Blacks players, staff and ex-players.

They had dinner with the mayor of Beppu and visited Fuji Q Highlands theme park, which has some world-record roller coasters and haunted houses, she says.

Maiau says watching the All Blacks play live against Canada was another trip highlight and the atmosphere was absolutely unreal.

"I never take my culture or language for granted, but I do sometimes forget about the impact our culture has on the world.

"I've come home grateful, appreciative and proud of the many opportunities being Māori has given me.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Japan was nothing short of amazing, and now we're home and it feels good. I'm going to miss this lot, it's being a hell of a good month. Rugby World Cup 2019 you were so good."

The only hard thing about being away from home was being away from whānau.

Maiau missed her young daughter and partner.

"It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, but you never really feel whole without your family, partner and kids.

"It was definitely the most challenging part of being away.

"On our last Friday in Tokyo when we were told a typhoon was going to hit, our last weekend shows were cancelled, and at that point, we just wanted to get home".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Little Zion's public Instagram @zion0113, is full of photos from his time watching the group perform.

These are memories he will treasure forever, just as Ngā Raukura will.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Police search for suspect after man shot in leg

06 Jul 10:51 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Kāinga Ora axes housing project, reveals new plans

06 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Opinion

Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

06 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Police search for suspect after man shot in leg

Police search for suspect after man shot in leg

06 Jul 10:51 PM

Information sought about man in green coat and gumboots on Pine Drive, Murupara.

Kāinga Ora axes housing project, reveals new plans

Kāinga Ora axes housing project, reveals new plans

06 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

06 Jul 05:00 PM
Caught on tape: Identity finally revealed of Jaguar-driving teen behind CBD rampage

Caught on tape: Identity finally revealed of Jaguar-driving teen behind CBD rampage

06 Jul 06:00 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP