Julie Middleton: Mighty haka drowns out world

COMMENT

This is shivery, goose-bumps stuff.

Imagine the slow, rhythmic slap of 1300 pairs of strong hands striking thighs, the guttural boom of 1300 full voices shouting "he!".

It must be one of the biggest haka modern New Zealand has seen.

While dew is still coating the grass, most of Otahuhu College's teenagers perform as one for guests to this year's Auckland Secondary Schools Maori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival. Standing 10 deep, they stretch the length of a soccer field at the Manukau Velodrome.

Scan the faces between and they say Maori, Samoan, Tongan, Indian, Fijian, Arabic, Vietnamese, Pakeha.

The girls' shrill refrains and the roar of the boys drown the drone of the nearby motorway and the overhead whistle of tin budgies making their way to the airport. These kids are going hard out.

And going hardest of all are the four young men in front who are leading the wero, the challenge to the arriving guests. One is a Cook Islander, one Niuean/Maori, and two Samoan. Their taiaha are lengths of painted dowling with holes drilled at the top to carry a looped string with a white feather on the end.

Afterwards, one of the taiaha-wielding leaders, deputy head boy Andrew Falefa, Samoan and head of Massey House, admits he was nervous as he stepped forward.

"The guys weren't that hard-out in the practices ... but they just hit that first 'he' and I thought, 'They're going to do it!'.

"I was scared I was going to make a mistake in front of everyone but we got started and the flow got going."

He says he has never thought twice about learning Maori haka, let alone leading them. "It's good to get into other things."

Teachers were impressed that 1300 of Otahuhu's 1350 students had got themselves to school at 7.15am for their rides to the festival.

Teacher Rowan Pita says she's exhausted but thinks the students' achievement is "wicked". The festival, she says, is "all about identity and being proud of who you are, and understanding that we should be valuing each other".

As the chat is wrapping up, Cook Island Maori Lance Rewanata, one of the four taiaha boys, looks meaningfully at the reporter's notebook and says he has something "important to say to [National Party leader] Don Brash".

Well, okay then, shoot.

"He should be here, to witness what people can do when they work together."

Yeah, echo the other three boys, leaning on their taiaha.

Herald Feature: Polyfest

Official site: Auckland Secondary Schools Maori & Pacific Islands Festival (Polyfest)

* Thursday March 16 to Saturday March 20
(powhiri starts at 8.30am)
Manukau Sports Bowl