Students from Te Rōpū Haka o Te Awahou during the evening performances. Photo / Leanne Warr
Students from Te Rōpū Haka o Te Awahou during the evening performances. Photo / Leanne Warr
“What we have seen today reassures us that the future is bright,” says Tama Ngatai-Ruaporo.
Tama, who was acting as MC for the kapa haka festival held at Dannevirke Town Hall, got the crowd adding their own energy to that of the hundreds of children waiting for their turn to showcase the work they had been doing over the past several weeks.
What added up to hundreds of hours of learning and rehearsing culminated in about 14 schools performing at the festival, held for the first time since 2019.
Tararua Reap manager Elaine Reilly says the day was fantastic.
“It was just an energising celebration of kapa haka,” she says.
While many of those who came along to watch were there to cheer their school or child on, some just came along to celebrate all the performances, which just added to the energy in the hall.
Alice Franklin, Reap marketing manager, says the festival was aimed at celebrating the “beautiful and powerful art of Māori performance”.
“The Covid-19 pandemic meant the festival was not able to be run over the past three years, so this year’s is worth celebrating.”
Reap partnered with Te Wānanga o Tamaki nui ā Rua to put the festival together and organisers were thrilled that most of the local schools were on board to perform.
“Together with the teaching and support staff of our schools, our local iwi Rangitāne o Tāmaki Nui-Ā-Rua and Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki Nui-Ā-Rua have been a huge support to our tamariki in helping them prepare their performances.”
The festival was also supported by Creative Communities NZ and Tararua District Council.
Schools involved were: Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tamaki Nui A Rua, Huia Range, St Joseph’s, Te Kōhanga Reo o Taniwaka, Woodville, Te Kōhanga Reo o Kaitoki, Ruahine, Weber, Tararua College, First Years Pre-school, Norsewood and Districts, Totara College, Dannevirke High School, and Levin Intermediate.
The day was concluded with evening performances from Ngā Pua Totara, Te Rōpū Haka o Te Awahou, Hato Paora Kareti Kapa Haka, Origin Studies and Max and Rueben Te Huki.
See the highlights in the gallery below:
Image 1 of 26: Some of the students came in different dress to represent their school at the festival. Photo / VP Photography
Leanne Warr is editor of the Bush Telegraph and has been a journalist on and off since 1996 when she joined the Levin Chronicle, before moving on to other publications. She re-joined NZME in June 2021.
