Hawke’s Bay students sing Cyclone Gabrielle song in te reo Māori

The hall that housed an entire school since Cyclone Gabrielle was transformed through song into a place of healing on Thursday.

About 200 students from 14 schools across Hawke’s Bay, plus one school from as far as Upper Hutt, came together in Irongate School’s hall in Flaxmere on Thursday to sing Te huripari o Kapariera (Cyclone Gabrielle).

The waiata was written about Cyclone Gabrielle in te reo Māori by Ōmāhu school principal Te Kewena White and is intended as a gift to students and mihi to those who supported the region with relief and recovery.

Ōmāhu School has spent the months since February working out of Irongate School’s hall after their school grounds were damaged by Gabrielle and deemed unsafe to return to.

White said the song in te reo Māori and English was a gift to students and intended to help them heal from the trauma of the cyclone and develop confidence in stepping out of their comfort zone.

“For me, it is about the students, it always has been. It is creating a meaningful context for them, taking the song and not just singing it but bringing in other schools and doing something with it is the rewarding thing for me,” White said.

“It is a sign of all the schools coming together and moving on.”

Te huripari o Kapariera was written by Ōmāhu School principal Te Kewena White about Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Paul Taylor

The school groups each performed their interpretation of the waiata, some traditional and some more modern.

A performance near the end with all students singing together involved some students swinging pūrerehua (a bullroarer, wind instrument) to create an eerie wind sound reminiscent of the cyclone throughout the song.

“Thank you to the community for coming, because if you didn’t then this wouldn’t have happened. There are lots of people behind the scenes who made it happen,” White said.

He is hopeful the waiata will spread even further and plans to write more waiata and stories with his students.

Lyrics for Te Huripari o Kapariera. Nā Te Kewena White i tito.

Heke ana te ua,

He ua āwhā,

Te karawhiu o te ua,

He ua makere whatu!

Tīmata ana te hau ki te kōwhiowhio,

he pūkeri, he āwhiowhio,

he hau rokuroku,

he haukerekere,

Ka huri koki koka.

Kōhikohiko ana te uira i te rangi,

Pāorooro ana te whatitiri,

I puta mai he marangai nūnui,

He huripari, he huripari,

Ko Kapariera.

It rained and rained,

A torrential rain,

That pelted down,

What a storm!

The wind began to whistle,

It was rough and cruel,

Like a whirlwind,

Howling here, there, and everywhere.

Lightning flashed across the sky,

Bolts of thunder rumbled,

Roaring loudly,

Cyclone Gabrielle destroying everything in its path.

James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz