Fairfield College will compete at this years 2 Degrees Kapa Haka Super 12 Competition being held at The Cloud on Auckland City's Queens Wharf on the 14th of July.
What seperates this competition from any other that the school has competed in is that it is an adult competition, and Fairfield College will be the only high school team entered.
Heemi Walker, head tutor of the Hamilton based team, believes that his performers will represent their community and local iwi with much pride and dignity, regardless of what type of competition it is or 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. That is the purpose of our involvement in this years Super 12 competition, it is a much bigger picture than the first, second or third prize. Our prize is being able to take the brand of our local iwi to this competition and perform knowing we have their blessing, knowing that we are a part of something much bigger than the individual self. That is our philosophy, that is our bigger picture"
Fairfield College will perform at the competition under the name Kukutaruhe, which was gifted to the school along with the land where the marae currently 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 1600's 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"
Heemi Walker insist that his team is well prepared for the competition, but it is not the compositions or choreography he feels that will carry them, but their pure belief and attitude.
"You can teach anyone how to haka, how to swing a poi, how to sing four different notes and harmonies, but you can not teach them how to believe. They have to find this themselves, they have to search deep within the compositions meaning, history and eventually themselves. Once they have grasped this type of understanding then the possibilities are endless"