MORE than 2000 visitors are expected at Kāwhia for the second annual National Waka Hourua Festival on Labour Weekend. PHOTO SUPPLIED
IN the days up to Labour Weekend, Maketu Marae, Kāwhia, is expected to host about 2000 visitors participating in the second annual National Waka Hourua Festival. Four large scale waka hourua were now expected to be either heading for Kāwhia, or in preparation to do so, to celebrate the event with the community. Te Hau Kōmaru in partnership with Te Toki Voyaging Trust are hosting the event from Saturday until Sunday (October 23), the co-chair of the Te Hau Kōmaru National Waka Hourua Board, Hoturoa Kerr said. “The festival is a great celebration of the achievements of our tūpuna so long ago”, Hoturoa added. SYMBOL OF MANA “The waka is a symbol of mana, and it allows us to retrace the footsteps of our tūpuna and rekindle the mātauranga left behind by those who have passed on. “What we hope to see from this festival is rangatahi who are engaged with the waka, reminded of their tūpuna, and overall having a great time learning about the history of our people,” Houroa said. Te Toki Voyaging Trust, along with Te Puna i Rangiriri Trust, Tairāwhiti Waka Hourua and Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust, would host up to 30 schools, teaching 1,500 students about navigation, sailing, astronomy, waka building and more across the seven-day-experience. The festival would also provide an opportunity for the public to experience the mātauranga of traditional navigation, which was to be taught by the kaumoana (sailors), from October 22 to October 23. It was 30 years since the launch of Te Aurere, the first waka hourua in Aotearoa of recent times. “So there is no better time to celebrate the kaupapa than now, as we recognise an auspicious day for kaupapa waka,” Houroa said. MAIN GOAL Te Hau Kōmaru inaugural festival, which took place in Tauranga Harbour in May last year, drew 3,000 participants who gained with a new and invigorated mindset towards the idea of waka hourua. “Our main goal as the board is to establish an entity where all waka hourua trusts can find support and stability, while simultaneously uplifting the kaupapa and sharing the message across the motu, bringing awareness to waka hourua and reminding people that this is an important part of the history of Aotearoa,” communications and tikanga advisor for the event, Hoturoa said.
