Festivals painted the town with vibrant shades of artistic brilliance.
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See below for English translation
He pukenga wai ka puta te totara, he pukenga tangata ka puta te kōrero
Tākiri kau ana te reo tataki o taku manu korohīmako i runga i te tautara o Ngongotahā, e hoka ai te ihi o tana reo waitī ki tai, e hāro ai te wehi o tana reo korarī ki uta, nau mai e ngā rangatira ki Te Waiariki i raro i te mauri ora o te ahi kaea o Te Puatawhiwhi o te kāhui Puanga he ao ka awatea.
I rangatira katoa a Rotorua i a Aronui me te huinga a ngā rangatira tuhituhi pukapuka i te kaupapa e kīa nei ko Kupu.
E rere ai te pepeha ko Takurua ki te rangi ko te puakowhai ki te mata o te whenua. Nā reira e tāketekete ai ngā ngongorotangiwai, tūī, tūī tuituiā te nui o te rangatira ki te puna wai o Rehua.
Mai i te kotahi ngāhuru mā tahi tae ki te rua tekau mā whā o Te Māhuru, e koropupū ake ana te takiwā waiariki i ngā hua manahau o te kete Aronui.
He tito waiata, he toi māori, he kōwhaiwhai, he whakairo, he kapa haka, he whakakitenga toi, he kanikani o naianei, he mākete māori tae ki te kaupapa whakahirahira a Miss Rotorua me te whakakarauna i tō tātau manu kura hou, me te aha noa atu o ngā kaupapa ataahua.
E ai ki te pou whakahaere o te kaupapa ki a Cian Elyse White.
Ko Kupu Mareikura tētehi o ngā kaupapa i pau katoa ai i ngā tīkiti te hoko. Ko Dr Ngahuia Murphy te poutuhi mātua. I kōutuutua katoatia ngā tīkiti i ngā wiki moata. ‘Ina rawa te mana o tēnei kaupapa ka hikina te huinga ki whare kē atu e noho hāneanea ai te rau tangata. He mihi nui tēnei ki te kaupapa, ki ngā rangatira hoki engari e wehi nui ana hoki mātau i ngā kupu whakamiha a te hāpori me te hunga nō rohe kē atu.’ Hai tāna.
Rangatahi presenters.
Ka nui te ihi ngāngahu o te puku o te wiki o te ahurei nei i te kaupapa Miss Rotorua me te whakakarauna i te manu amokura mō te tau nei, whai muri i tēnā ko te huringa ki ngā mākete māori ō Aronui mē te tini ngerongero ō te tangata i puta ki te titiro otīā ki te tautoko i ngā mākete. E ai ki te kōrero e rua mano te rahi o te tangata i tae a tinana atu.
Ko te kaupapa whakahirahira ō Aronui ko te whakarewatanga o Kairākau. He kaupapa nā Velvet Stone Media i waihanga e whakanui ana i ngā rangatira o nehe rā. Kāti, he tata ki te toru rau tangata i puta ki te hapahāpai i tēnei kaupapa mana nui.
Ko te nuinga o te hunga i tae ki te whakarewatanga nō te kāinga ake nei, wheoi anō ko ngā tīkiti i pau mo taua kaupapa he rau anō hoki. Ka nui hoki te whakateitei a Cian i te pēne hou a Coterie. He whakapae nōnā ka piki ake hoki rātau ki te taumata o te ao waiata me te rite tahi nei ki a Six60.
E tere hoki ana ngā whatumanawa i te otinga o te peita whakaharahara ko Te Toki o Te Arawa 2023, e whakamihi ana ki tōna mana hai whakaahua kuranui o te kāhui Dreamgirls Art Collective. I takea iho te māuri o Makereti Papakura (1873 – 1930) hai whakaihiihi i te whakaahua.
He wahine kaha a Makereti, he wahine atamai, he wahine pukenga rau. Kai te kitea te wana o Makereti i ngā taipitopito nukurau a te ringa toi.
Hai whakakapinga iho i a Aronui e tika hoki ki a mihia te tāuhuroa o Kawatapuarangi. Mā te peruperu, mā te ngeri, mā te kōiri mā te whakangahau hoki te kaupapa e whakamoe. He ahakoa he ua patapatanui, he marangai kai whare ko Pikiao tangata hai rite ki te rae o tōna maunga whakahī ko Matawhaura. Hau nui, hau pūkerikeri, e kore e nuku.
E rere kau ana te wairua o Aronui ki te takiwā o Kahumatamomoe. Ko Kupu tētehi o ngā wāhanga i whiwhita ai te taringa ki te reo rōreka o tāua te Māori. He kaupapa i puea i te kotahi ngāhuru mā whitu tae ki te rua tekau mā toru o Te Māhuru. He kaupapa i whakapūarengia e Tā Tīmotī Kāretu ki runga i Te Papaīōuru.
Coterie Whakatau.
Ka tahuri atu, ka tahuri mai ngā kanohi o te tangata māhirahira ki ngā maramara e hūpana kau ana i ngā tūtongi whenua huhua o te takiwā, he ahakoa marae, he ahakoa wāhi pānui, tuhituhi pukapuka. E pūhakehake pai ana ngā taringa o te hunga whakarongo pīkari i ngā taniwha oreore e whakapuaki kōrero nui ana mō te tuhituhi. Ko ētehi o ngā kākahi whakairoiro o te ao tuhituhi ko Anahera Gildea, ko Michael Bennett, ko Briar Grace-Smith, ko Coco Solid ko Mony Soutar me te huhua hoki o ngā kaupapa i oti nei i a rātau te kōrero.
Mai i te reo o tō tatau whenua tae ki te wāhanga pakimaero ki te purenga ihomatua me te aha noa atu. Ka whakatakotoria ē te tiamana o Kupu e Rangitihi Pene te whakapono o Kupu, hai tāna he kōperu e whakahono ai te ao tuhituhi onamata ki te ao o naianei e tū ai ngā rangatira o te ao tuhituhi ki te ātea nui ki reira horahia ai e rātau ngā kakano ki te māra o te hinengaro tangata.
Ko tetehi o ngā hua nui o te whakakitenga ko te hiahia me te karanga o te wairua ki a hoki a ia ki te puna oroko o tātau te Māori e whakakitea nuitia ai tō tātau ao rangatira ki te marea.
Nō te nunumitanga o Aronui ki tua o ngā pae o Te Raho o Te Rangipīere ko Rotorua anake e tū matahao ana i te nui o te mana o te kaupapa. Ko Te Māhuru kukume tangata, ko Te Māhuru tāniko kōrero, ko Te Māhuru whakairo i te whakaaro e whakapāoho atu nei i tōna reo wawara me tōna ahurea rangatira kauaka i Aotearoa anake engari ki ngā pou huriropa o te ao.
English Translation
September witnessed a grand emergence of Māori culture in Rotorua as the Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival and the Kupu Māori Writers Festival painted the town with vibrant shades of artistic brilliance and literary elegance.
Aronui made a triumphant return after a few challenging years due to the pandemic. From September 11 to 24, Rotorua was enlivened by a plethora of events ranging from waiata hou, Toi Māori including painting, carving, kapa haka, art exhibitions, contemporary dance a Māori Market, the Miss Rotorua Crowning and much, much more.
Founding festival director, Cian Elyse White, says one of the sellout events, Kupu Māreikura with Māori author Dr Ngahuia Murphy, sold out within a couple of weeks of the Aronui programme being released.
“The interest in this event was so high that we needed to move it to a bigger venue. This is truly an exceptional result for an indigenous arts festival, and we’re absolutely thrilled with the response we’ve received not only from locals but from people outside our Te Arawa rohe,” she says.
The middle weekend of the festival was a buzz with the crowning of Miss Rotorua 2023, directly followed by the Aronui Māori Markets that hosted at its peak over 2000 people.
The red-carpet premiere of the TV series Kairākau, produced by Velvet Stone Media and involving more than 300 people, many of whom are locals, was also a sellout.
Cian also emphasised the rising popularity of the new Māori band, Coterie, predicting a global ascend for them, drawing parallels with the early concerts of Six60.
Dreamgirls Art Collective.
The highly anticipated mural, Te Toki o Te Arawa Mural 2023, was also completed, marking the most expansive work of the Dreamgirls Art Collective to date. The mural drew its inspiration from the captivating life of wahine toa, Mākereti Papakura (1873-1930). The art beautifully narrates Mākereti’s story, with each detail symbolising different facets of her life.
In true celebratory style the Ngāti Pikiao Ahurei concluded Aronui Festival’s complement of indigenous arts, showcasing the passion, the pride and aroha in a hearty Pikiao way. Not even the rain and mud could deter our whanau from performing.
While Aronui rejoiced in the artistic spirit, Kupu, from 17 to 23 September, celebrated the profoundness of Māori literature. The week-long literary fest was inaugurated with a pōhiri at Te Papaīōuru Marae by Tā Tīmotī Kāretu.
The chips were flying throughout exciting events that took place on marae and in some of Rotorua’s most iconic literary venues. Attendees heard intimate kōrero from legendary Māori writers and storytellers as they shared their journey through various writing crafts.
The festival featured immersive sessions with literary stalwarts, such as Anahera Gildea, Michael Bennett, Briar Grace-Smith, Coco Solid, and Monty Soutar, covering a vast spectrum from Māori language, contemporary fiction to decolonising methodologies in New Zealand Literature.
Kupu chairman, Rangitihi Pene, described the ethos of Kupu as bridging the literary legacy of the past with the present, offering a platform for renowned Māori writers to share their wisdom and stories.
Both festivals echoed a mutual sentiment of returning to roots and showcasing Māori tradition and culture on a grand scale. As they drew to a close, Rotorua stood testament to a month filled with the rich tapestry of Māori arts and literature, positioning itself as a beacon for indigenous culture not only in Aotearoa but across the globe.
