Kata Turu-Heretaunga is only 29 but has been teaching since she was 12 — reo, kapa haka, dance, and Māori performing arts.
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He ahakoa kai te rua tekau ma iwa te pakeke o Kata Turu-Heretaunga kua roa nei ia e whakaako ana i nga wahanga huhua o te whare tapere. Ko Te Matatini te take ko hoki mai nei tenei pou-ako ki te kainga kia tu ia ki runga atamira ki te pahi o tana whanau ki te puku o Tuhourangi-Ngati Wahiao, a, kia paiakangia ano ai ona waewae ki tona pa kainga ki te oneone o Te Whakarewarewatanga o te ope taua a Wahiao. Tuturu he pou-ako a Kata. He tauira no Te Wananga o Aotearoa i whakawhiwhia ki tana tohu pae tahi kura-mahita. Kai Tamaki-Makaurau ia e mahi ana. He mahita kura reo Maori ia. Ko tona hiahia nui ki te whakaoti i tana tiwhikete whakaako pakeke.
Ko Kataraina Taumaha Turu-Heretaunga te roanga o tona ingoa. Ki ona hoa tata ko Kata. Tokotoru ana tamariki. Ko TJ Williams tona hoa rangatira. No Te Arawa, Ngai Tuhoe, Ngati Tuwharetoa me Raukawa tona matua tane. No Ngati Maniapoto, Tuwharetoa, Muaupoko tona matua wahine. No Ngati Whatua, Te Uri o Hau, NgaPuhi me Ngati Te Rangiteaorere a TJ. I whanau a Kata i Te Whanganui-a-Tara, ka noho ratau i Otaki.
Na wai ra, ka neke tana whanau ki Taumarunui, ki Rotorua ka tau ki Whangaroa. Na ona kuiarehe ia i poipoi, na reira i matau ai a Kata ki nga tatai korero a ona tupuna. Mo te wa nei, kai te whakana a Kata ki a aro pu ia ki Te Matatini ka tu ki te paka matua o Eden a te marama e whakatata nei. ' I tetehi pahi kanikani ahau ko Freshmans Dance Crew te ingoa. I Henderson matau kanikani ai, no mua rawa i tenei te koroingo o taku manawa ki te kanikani noa’. Ka tae ki a ia te whakaaro kura mahita, engari ka warea ke tona manawa ki tetehi kaupapa ke atu. ' Ina hoki te rarahi o nga kura mahita kai to matau whanau, ana te take o taku peautanga. Me te mea na, kaore au i hiahia kia tere i te ia o taku whanau’.
‘Ko aku pukenga kai te ao kiritaki (te ao whakakakau, rauemi ipurangi me te tari take) engari te maroke hoki o aua tunga mahi maku. ' Ka noho na ahau, e murakehu ana katahi ano ka puta mai te karanga o taku manawa, na reira i hoki ai ahau ki te huarahi o te matauranga hai kura mahita’. ' E rua nga tino pou e whiwhita ai taku ngakau, ko te kanikani tetehi me te kapa haka. Ka whakakotahingia e ahau enei pou e rua, katahi ano ka tere taku ngakau. Ko te kaupapa whai noa i tenei ko te reo Maori, he kitenga noku e noho ana ki nga tamariki Maori e ahua taumaha ana etehi i te korenga o te reo me nga tikanga a nga kaumatua’.
Kua whakanuia a Kata e nga whakawhiwhinga o te matauranga, he karahipi te nuinga o ana whakawhiwhinga. He whakapae tana ko te huarahi o te kura-mahita kai te ahua kotahi tekau ma rima, ahua kotahi tekau ma whitu mano tara te nama. Na Studylink te putea tautoko. ' E hika ma, kai te waro o taku kohamo te ingoa o te karahipi nana ahau i whakaora, wheoi ano ra, ka kotahi atu ra taua karahipi ki te whakapakari i taku Maoritanga, engari kaore ano kia ea tenei huarahi. Ko te Dux hoki tetehi whakawhiwhinga, whaihoki te tunga ikeike a tauira nei nona e kura ana. Ko te take pea i tino piataata taku wairua noku e kura ana, ko taku aroha mutunga kore ki te hapu me te iwi. Hai etehi he ‘tapawha’ ahau e kura ana, na, kai te pena tonu ahau i enei rangi tonu’. Engari ano tana whakamihi ki tana whanau nana ia i amo. ' He ahakoa i Kirikiriroa ahau e noho ana , kai takiwa ke ratau e noho atu ana, ka nui to ratau whakaaro mai ki ahau.
No te Pepuere o te tau tawhito ka whakakingia e ia te tunga pouako reo Maori kia whiwhi putea ai tana whanau. ' Katahi matau taku whanau ka tae ki Tamaki nei ka puare tenei mahi hai mahi maku. Ko te tikanga o tenei kaupapa he whangai atu i te reo Maori ki te hunga Pakeha me te hunga Maori otia ki te hunga kaore i a ratau te reo engari ke te aroha ki te reo.
Katarina Turu-Heretaunga (second from left in front) in the classroom. Photo / Supplied
Ko tona ao kanikani ka whakamoea tena mo tetehi wa itiiti kia pakekengia tana tamaiti. Kua whanau taku tamaiti he tane, e pouri iti nei ahau e taumaha ana, katahi nei ahau ki a eke ki tenei rahinga o te tinana, ka toko ake te whakaaro ki te whakakaha i taku tinana, hai tuku i nga hopehope tautau. Na reira i hoki ai ahau ki te ao kanikani e tere heke nei te ngako o aku hope. Me te tika hoki o taku whakapae. E ora nei ahau i nga poupou e rua nei, ko te kanikani me te hauora’. Pai ki ahau te wa o te mauiui uruta, ka nui ke nga painga i nga kinonga. Ka pai ki ahau ki te noho ki te kainga ki te mahi na reira i momona ai tana tahua moni.
Ko te kinonga iti nei, ko te whakakore i nga kaupapa kanikani me te rahui i tau ki runga ki a tatau katoa.
Kaore e ahei a Kata te haere ki Tamaki ki a kite noa i tana tane me ta raua huatahi. Kati, ko ana kupu enei ki a tatau. ' Ko nga takaoreorenga ko nga hapa he ahakoa he iti, he ahakoa he nui, he maramatanga ka kitea. Whakatikangia to ngakau ki a maia ia, kia kaua e pa tata te wehi ki a ia. Kia uretoa koe, e hoa me manawa-kai tutae koe.
Engari ra, kia ata haere koe, kaua e kahakina me ngakau whakaiti koe, whakanuia nga taonga katoa kai te rekereke o te ringaringa. Ko te taima ki a tatau te tangata ki runga ki te mata o te whenua, he poto noa iho. Puritia te kaha, whakamaua te pae tawhiti kia tata, kia mauri ora koe.
Ko nga whainga enei a Kata.
Kia tu ia hai pou-ako reo Maori. A pae tata nei: Kia haneanea tana noho ki tana wahi mahi kia tu hoki ia hai maunga. A pae tawhiti: Hai kawe i enei akoranga ki wiwi, ki wawa. Kia whangai i te reo ki te marea.
Me te taha ki te ao kanikani. A pae tata nei: Kia kaha tonu tana whakatupu me te whakapakari kia pakeke tona kete matauranga kia ea ai te hakoakoanga o tana ngakau.
A pae tawhiti: Kia tu ahau ki tetehi wahi e taea ai e ahau ki te whakaranu i aku moemoea e rua nei kia kotahi mai. A, e whiwhi putea pai hoki ahau.
Me te mea whakamutunga ko te taha ki Te Matatini: A pae tata nei: Kia tu ahau ki te puku o te ngohi. A pae tawhiti: Kia eke ahau ki te taumata o Te Matatini, whaihoki ki a tu Matatini ahau me aku tamariki.
Kata Turu-Heretaunga is only 29 but has been teaching since she was 12 — reo, kapa haka, dance, and Maori performing arts which is a fusion of Ao Maori and contemporary art forms.
But it’s kapa haka and the chance to perform with Tuhourangi-Ngati Wahiao in her first Te Matatini that have brought this kaiako and former professional dancer home to where her heart lives: Te Whakarewarewatanga o te Ope Taua a Wahiao.
Kata and her partner TJ Williams. Photo / Supplied
Kata graduated with a Bachelor of Education from Te Wananga o Aotearoa in Hamilton and teaches Te Ara Reo Maori to adult learners in South Auckland. This year she plans to pursue her Adult Teaching Certificate.
Katarina Taumaha Turu-Heretaunga has many nicknames but most people call her Kata. She and partner TJ Williams have three tamariki.
Her hononga are many: On her father’s side Te Arawa, Tuhoe, Ngati Tuwharetoa, Raukawa. And on her mother’s side she connects to Ngati Maniapoto, Tuwharetoa and Muaupoko.
TJ Williams connects to Ngati Whatua, Te Uri o Hau, Ngati Rangiteaorere and Ngapuhi.
Kata was born in Wellington and grew up in Levin, Otaki, in the rohe of Ngati Toa Rangatira, Te Ati Awa and Ngati Raukawa ki te tonga.
Her whanau moved to Taumarunui, then to Rotorua and finally to Whangaroa up north.
Her kuia and whaea nurtured her as she was growing up and ensured she learned the stories and histories of her tupuna and walked the paths of her many connections.
To concentrate Te Matatini at Eden Park next month Kata has taken a sabbatical.
“I was a professional dancer with Freshmans Dance Crew in Henderson, Auckland. Prior to that, I was just a dancer who loved to dance and everything about dance.”
Kata considered teaching but initially turned away from this path.
“That was primarily because my entire whanau are teachers, I wanted to experience something different.
“My primary background is in customer service (telecommunications, broadband and internet and the tax department). Engari none of those roles fulfilled me.
“It wasn’t until I really thought about what type of mahi would make me happy and fulfilled that I changed my career path to teaching.
“My two main passions were dance and performing arts.
“So, I decided to get my teaching degree to be a dance/performing arts teacher. THAT was my main drive ... at first.
“Te Reo Maori became my next goal when I realised that our tamariki Maori were lacking Maori value and principles due to a number of factors.
“The main one was their lack of reo. So, that kick started my journey to becoming a reo teacher.”
Kata has collected a number of awards including a scholarship on her journey. She estimates the study for her bachelor’s degree cost between $15,000 and $17,000. The funds came from Studylink.
“I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the scholarship award I received, engari that scholarship went to my Maori Development studies that unfortunately I did not complete.
“Other awards include dux and top student in particular subjects at school, and I guess what made me stand out was primarily my academic achievements and the goals I wanted to achieve for my iwi/hapu.
“A bit of a nerd in kura, still the same as an adult.”
Kata thanks her whanau for their support.
“Although I lived in Hamilton, and they lived elsewhere. My whanau were a great support system from afar.”
Kata took on the role of Kaiako Reo Maori in February last year because the whanau needed an income stream.
“My whanau and I had just made the move to Tamaki, and this job was the first opportunity that was presented to me. The purpose of the programme was to provide a free option for both Maori & non-Maori to learn Te Reo Maori.
As for her dancing, that was to get back into shape after the birth of her son.
“I had just given birth to my son, and I was the heaviest I had ever been. He was 2 months old, and I decided to get into fitness.
“I knew myself well enough to know that dance would be the perfect way to lose the weight, and it absolutely worked. I just kept going, it sparked an old passion as well as a love for hauora. Dance and hauora became a lifestyle for me.”
Covid lockdowns provided more positives than negatives. Working from home suited Kata and she saved money too.
The downside was gig cancellations and not being able to travel to Auckland to see her tane and their son. Her advice is clear.
“Struggles and mistakes are lessons, do not be afraid of them as that is where your biggest opportunities for growth are. Be fearless, be brave. But most of all, be kind, be humble and be grateful for EVERYTHING you have. We are only here for a season, so live it to the fullest.”
Kata’s goals for the future
Kaiako Reo Maori
Short term: Be comfortable & become an expert in my role.
Long term: Hai kawe i enei akoranga ki wiwi, ki wawa. Kia whangai i te reo ki te marea.
