Muriwhenua Kapa Haka will perform a special new haka, Ko te Wharetapu o Muriwhenua, at the national championships, Te Matatini, in Hastings tomorrow.
"The haka makes a stance against all the bad publicity making us look like the centre of harm in New Zealand. So we want to paint a picture that this is not our house, this is not the house left to us by our tupuna," kaihaka Thomas Strickland said.
The Muriwhenua rōpū includes participants from Ngāti Kurī, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāti Kahu, Te Aupōuri and Te Rarawa, who developed the haka around sustainable hauora, leading to a collective stance against drug use, gambling harm, unhealthy food and smoking.
"The organisers of Te Matatini have been leading the way in healthy lifestyles promotion, and it's a perfect fit for the new Muriwhenua haka," said Anthony Hawke, general manager of Māori Public Health for Hāpai Te Hauora.
"We congratulate Te Matatini for once again running an event without alcohol or tobacco, and with healthy food and beverage options. As the premier showcase for Māori performing arts it's a great opportunity to role model hauora Māori as well."
