Thursday, November 9, 2017
CHILDREN from the 2015 Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Waioweka kapa haka, with tutors Maria Smith and CJ Tai. Waioweka perform today in Gisborne at the national primary schools’ kapa haka competition. File photo
Ross McCullough
A GREAT of the haka world who hailed from Waioweka will be honoured today by senior students from Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Waioweka at the primary schools’ kapa haka nationals in Gisborne.
Their one-off performance is dedicated to top haka tutor Nga Po Wehi, who died last year and is buried in Gisborne.
In 2015, at the primary school nationals in Palmerston North, Waioweka placed second overall.
One of four tutors for this year’s group, CJ Tai, said that achievement was one to cherish, but there were no expectations for the same to happen over in Gisborne, with the group’s dedication performance scheduled for 1.35pm today.
“As long as the kids do themselves proud as well as their iwi, we as tutors are happy with that,” Mr Tai said.
He said the group had been preparing well, and since the Delamere Cup competition changed the bracket they would be performing, with effort going into practices so their performance honouring Nga Po Wehi, a famous kapa haka tutor was where they wanted it to be.
Mr Tai said Po Wehi left Opotiki for Gisborne, which is where he met his wife.
Together they established the Maori culture group Te Waka Huia in Auckland, a group that’s been going since kapa haka nationals first started in 1967.
The couple’s group had amassed an impressive record at the national adult competition, now known as Te Matatini, over the course of its history, placing either first or second in the competition.
Mr Tai described Mr Po Wehi as someone “well and truly looked up to in the world of haka”.
He said honouring him with their performance in Gisborne was quite an emotional time for everyone involved.
“We’ll be bringing our aroha (love) back to him,” he said.
A senior adult group from Waioweka took part in Te Matatini for the first time last year.