Roopu perform for Wharenui opening in Whanganui

Kaumatua Renata Nikora (second from top right), with the kapa haka group, Te Timatanga o Whanganui, at the opening of the wharenui.

IDEA Services in Whanganui had a very special opening of their wharenui on Thursday with a performance by their kapa haka group, Te Timatanga o Whanganui.

“We started with a vision to support the well-being of our kiritaki in a space which would provide a meeting place with whānau for kai, catching up with friends, watching movies and many more things,” said Jayde Penney, IDEA Services Whanganui administration manager.

“Our wharenui has been built to embrace Te Whare Tapa Whā - a holistic model of health that describes health as a wharenui with four walls. We will be using this new space to focus on health for our kiritaki using this model: taha hinengaro, taha tinana, taha wairua, and taha whānau.

“We gave Gary McPake a brief and he has passed all expectations with what he has created for us. His dedication has been incredible, he spent a lot of his own time doing the mahi. and working hard to respect the Māori culture,” she said.

McPake has been working for nearly 10 years with IDEA Services. He said the wharenui is his way of saying thank you for the experiences he has had. He explained the symbolic representation of the mountain (Ruapehu), the awa and the waves on the maihi.

A blessing was performed by kaumātua Renata Nikora translated as “Can you see the wind? Can you see God? When we see people on their knees praying globally, we know there is a God”.

Later he recounted a proverb by Morvin Simon (deceased), a New Zealand Māori composer, kapa haka leader and historian, whose wife, Kura Simon (IDEA Services kapa haka tutor), was present playing the guitar. “Where there is a body of water, people settle, where people settle, history unfolds.”

An overview of kapa haka for the kiritaki over the years was provided by Taki Peeke over a video link, describing how far they had come and how the day will look on November 7, when IDEA Services hosts Te Ngākautaki o ngā Kāhui-maunga Kapa Haka Festival at Jubilee Stadium in Whanganui.