Taiaha tradition grows from strength to strength

It's one of the longest running mau taiaha wananga in the country and yesterday the latest intake of students showed off their skills to family and friends at Mokoia Island.

The four-day Mau Taiaha Wananga finished with students' families invited to a whanau day.

Senior tutor Patrick Mohi, the son of founder and Rotorua kaumatua Mita Mohi, said 65 students completed the wananga this year. When his father started it almost 30 years ago there were very few tribes teaching the ancient fighting form.

"Te Arawa were lucky we had a few whanau such as my father and Irirangi Tiakiawa - Ngati Pikiao also had pockets of whanau," he said.

Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples has set up a school in Auckland and Tuhoe have also retained its practice.

Mr Mohi said the course had aided the resurgence of taiaha throughout the country.

Those at Mokoia Island yesterday came from around the country and overseas.

Peter van Dyk has attended the last 11 wananga and was there with his son Yordi and grandson Arorangi, a taiaha-wielding one-year-old.

Originally from The Netherlands, Mr van Dyk is a senior tutor and rates the youth development aspects of the wananga. Prominent ta moko artist Gordon Hadfield (Nga Puhi) said the wananga was originally set up for at-risk youth. He said they made a great connection, taught in a Maori environment with positive Maori role models.

Senior tutor Te Rawhitiroa Bosch (Nga Puhi, Ngati Kahu), a youth worker at Te Aho Tu Roa Kotuia in West Auckland, has seen the positive changes in many students.

"Through taiaha, they connect to their identity and learn that being Maori is pretty awesome.

"It's great to see students stand taller and feel pride in themselves."

The key, he said, was that the wananga was all about whanau (family).