Fairfield College will compete at this year's 2 Degrees Kapa Haka Super 12 Competition in Auckland - the only high school entry in an adult contest.
Kapa Haka Super 12 is being held at The Cloud on Queen's Wharf tomorrow.
Heemi Walker, head tutor of the Hamilton-based team, believes thathis performers will represent their community and local iwi with much pride and dignity, regardless of the final outcome.
"At the end of the day we are representing our people, our marae and those who have gone before us. We have instilled a sense of belief in ourselves that we can compete at any competition and uplift the mana of our local iwi Ngati Wairere."
Fairfield College will perform at the competition under the name Kukutaruhe, a name gifted to the school along with the land where the marae resides. Heemi Walker believes that taking this name will further develop the schools link with the local iwi.
"Kukutaruhe is the name of the land where our marae sits. The name, along with the land, was gifted to the school by Ngati Wairere. It represents the flight of the wood pigeon, a native bird that migrated along the lands of Te Papanui from bush to bush feeding off various berries."
The birds were commonly seen in the 1600s around the area where the school stands and they were often hunted and caught by the local people during that time.
"The kuku bird was the main source of life for our ancestors and it is this history and these stories that define us and make us who we are. It is our obligation to maintain this and ensure that its mana is never compromised."
