Miriama Morrison-Hare was crowned top female leader at the recent Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival in Christchurch.
Te Matarae-i-Orehu manukura wahine, Miriama Morrison-Hare, has won the female leadership title at Te Matatini for the second time. An achievement she says she is grateful for.
"It was a great honor for me to receive leadership for a second time, so the feeling was overwhelming. There are so many talented young leaders out there all with great skills and qualities.
Miriama lead her group for the third time at a national level, alongside tutor and world renowned performing arts expert Wetini Mitai Ngatai. Despite being up against leaders from 45 different groups, Hare says winning the title was never a priority.
"No I never think about it. I only do what I am told by Wetini and if it means leading a part in an item or playing a character, I make sure to do it to the best of my ability."
An attitude inherited through her humble parents Tawhio Hare and former Te Mataraei-Orehu female leader, Taini Morrison, whom Miriama says made significant impact on the way she leads today.
"My mother drives me. A great leader in her time, I am so grateful that I was able to learn and be taught by her on a personal level. She has always told me to be the best that you can be, always improve the next time and be better than your last performance. So I have
taken that and used it each time."
Before her passing in 2009, Taini Morrison lead Te Matarae-I-Orehu over a number of years. She was well known for her love and passion for the traditional arts and paved the way for the strong mana wahine you see on stage today. She is also one of very few women who've won the female leadership title back to back.
Miriama says her mother played a huge part in her life on and off stage. "She has showed me how to face and overcome challenges in life when things get tough. How important values and principals are within your whanau."
"Her influences [to me] have been her passion and love for kapa haka. She was the epitome of ihi, wehi and wana on stage and off stage a person of humility." Her quote to Miriama and her only sibling, brother, Te Wharekotua was, "be strong, be proud of who you are and don't let anyone tell you that you can't."
However, Miriama did admit, the job is not challenge free. "It always is challenging every year. When you are dealing with the different dynamics in a roopu, people's personalities, having to stand out the front and observe and correcting actions while trying to learn your own stuff is always challenging."
Hare says she intends to continue on as leader, but also has desires of adding a forth child to the list of taonga with longtime partner Tommy Herbert, before she is 35 years old. "It was on the cards for this year but we'll see how things go."
Miriama also attributes her growth in kapa haka to one of her greatest mentors, Wetini Mitai Ngatai.