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A pink poi is held in the air with a green background of fern leaves. There are red, black and white graphics surrounding the poi.

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A pink poi is held in the air with a green background of fern leaves. There are red, black and white graphics surrounding the poi.

Kapa haka festival brings whānau together to connect with culture

Olivia Author Photo
By Olivia Shivas

Te Hauāuru o Tamaki accept the wero of learning a new waiata less than a week before the festival.

  • Kapa haka festival brings whānau together to connect with culture
    Olivia Shivas
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  • “Space guys, space!” shouts kaiwhakaako Mary Bradfield. 

    The 19-strong Te Hauāuru o Tamaki rōpū shuffle into place during rehearsals at the IHC Community Hub in New Lynn in Tāmaki Makaurau ahead of Te Hoenga Waka Kapa Haka Festival.

    The festival, hosted by IDEA Services, is a free event bringing together people from across the motu. 

    It’s less than a week before the festival and the Te Hauāuru o Tamaki rōpū are learning a brand new waiata after just finding out another rōpū selected one of the same ones. But the whānau pick up the words and rhythm to Aue te Aroha after only running through it a couple of times. 

    The rōpū will be on stage at the Bruce Mason Centre, along with three other rōpū from around Tāmaki Makaurau - Ngā Taonga o te puna, Te Raki Paewhenua and Te Roopu Hinengaro o Kaute - and one team travelling from Whangārei, Te Roopu Atawhai o Te Tai-tokerau. 

    Rōpū member Teresa Nicol (Ngāi Tahu) says the festival has been a long time coming. They’ve been practising for “a couple of years”, but she’s been with Te Hauāuru o Tamaki for seven years, she says.

    Tammy Pringle (Ngāti Porou) can’t remember how many years she’s known everyone because it’s been “a very long time”. 

    “They're a good bunch of people and we help each other,” Pringle says. 

Tammy Pringle (left) and Teresa Nicol are performing at Te Hoenga Waka Kapa Haka Festival next week. Tammy wears a red t-shirt, and Teresa wears a black, floral top and holds a pink poi; they are both smiling.

  • Tammy Pringle (left) and Teresa Nicol are performing at Te Hoenga Waka Kapa Haka Festival next week. Tammy wears a red t-shirt, and Teresa wears a black, floral top and holds a pink poi; they are both smiling.

  • There are six parts to their bracket at the festival - four different waiata, poi and haka, and it’ll all be live-streamed on YouTube. 

    Nicol’s personal favourite is the waiata Nau mai, Haere mai and Pringle’s favourite is the new waiata Aue te Aroha. 

    One of the waiata is dedicated to their late friend Lena Zhang Harrap who passed away in 2021.

    “We’ve felt that loss very greatly and our practices will never be the same again,” says Nicol. “We’ve all been affected by that.”

    “But we want to pick up where she left off.”

    The rehearsals leading up to the event have not only brought everyone together, but Pringle says she’s become more confident in her Te Reo Māori. She’s most excited about getting on stage, but also feels proud of what they’ve achieved to get this far.

A group of kapa haka performers practice their waiata, some of them a holding poi. Some of them are smiling, others have a look of concentration on their face.

  • A group of kapa haka performers practice their waiata, some of them a holding poi. Some of them are smiling, others have a look of concentration on their face.

  • “We feel honoured because it's a privilege that we're going out and doing this,” Pringle says. “I'm really proud of our guys. They've come a long way and they've done very well for themselves. It means so much that being on the stage is like a lifetime opportunity.”

    When asked what they’d say to people to get them to come along to the event, Nicol says: “Don’t be afraid.” 

    “You don't have to worry about what culture or what language you speak, if you've got a passion for performing arts and you want to tell your story or learn about somebody else's story, this is the [event] to come to.”

    What: Te Hoenga Waka Kapa Haka Festival in the Northern Region

    When: Thursday 26 October, 2023

    Where: Bruce Mason Centre, North Shore

    Live-streamed: via YouTube

    More information: via Facebook

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