Tuesday, november 14, 2017
THE beautiful singing by members of Ashbrook School’s senior kapa haka was one of the aspects of the concert that stood out to the visiting workers. OB4024-1 (4)
Ross McCullough
IT started off as a practice run and ended up as a well-attended fundraiser for Ashbrook School’s senior kapa haka.
The group was heading to last week’s primary school nationals when a last-minute decision saw the practice become much, much more, and ended as a win-win for the group, and for its audience of parents and visiting workers to Opotiki.
The makeshift concert was organised by Tahi Emery Goddard in a combined effort with several of the visiting workers from Europe he works with at Dervoc Orchards.
Mr Emery Goddard said his fellow workers at the kiwifruit orchard had heard him discussing his daughter, Stevie’s kapa haka, and had asked if they could head along and watch the children practise ahead of their national competition.
“We thought, why not turn it into a fundraiser and it was put together in four or five days,” he said.
It snowballed from there with word getting out to other visiting workers in the area who flocked to the school on the Thursday evening before the group left for nationals.
In all, 90 tickets were sold to the visiting workers at $5 a ticket, and that meant $450 which helped the children’s costs.
The performance wasn’t exactly the group’s final sequence for the nationals.
“It’s just to entertain you all and give you a taste of the Maori experience,” one of the school’s tutors explained.
The visitors, mainly from all over Europe but also South America, were welcomed onto school grounds with a karanga performed by Kara Dobie before school principal Richard Mitai addressed the guests.
Mr Emery Goddard said the visitors were keen to see such authentic Maori cultural experiences, and he aims to set up something even better in the future, saying “we could make it a dinner, offering a little more”.
He was grateful that the school had encouraged the concert.
“It’s a very special evening for us [the kapa haka].
“This is an international stage for our kids performing for people from all around the world.
“Take great pride in yourselves, and enjoy it,” he told the children.
“It’s some of a little something we’ve put together to try and help you kids along.”
The makeshift concert was viewed as an awesome dress rehearsal before hitting the stage in Gisborne.
Afterwards, the visitors were treated to refreshments and some kai, and were able to discuss with the tamariki what they had just experienced.