PICTURED in front of the Whare Tūpuna o Wairere near Morrinsville are a collective of Waikato-Tainui whānau including Maia and her father. They were rehearsing for the Koroneihana earlier this week. Photos supplied
Many Maniapoto are preparing to offer their support, as they have for generations, to the Kīngitanga’s biggest annual event – the Koroneihana.
The celebration acknowledges the Māori King’s coronation. It is being held, as always, at Tūrangawaewae marae in Ngāruawāhia. In 2023 it will run from August 15 to 21, with some earlier sporting events.
There will be power pulling, karakia, kapa haka, political debates and a kauwhau, a formal address or lecture, by Kingi Tūheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII.
Maia Muraahi and her father, Tohutika Heke, travelled up to the Waikato last weekend, getting ready for their roles in the big occasion.
“We had an amazing wānanga with the Kīngitanga whānau in Morrinsville in preparation for the Koroneihana,” she said.
“This will be Dad and my first time joining our Waikato whanaunga to help on the paepae for the whole duration of the Koroneihana.”
They have attended on many other occasions, but with different roles. This year, Maia will be a kaikaranga – responsible for calling visiting tribes onto the marae. Her father will provide kōrero as a speaker on the paepae.
“We are very excited. Dad and I are going back in time and retracing the footsteps of our tūpuna and how they used to support the Koroneihana.
Maia’s tūpuna – her six times great grandfather, Te Ao o te Rangi – had been the flag bearer for Kingi Tāwhiao, the second Māori king.
“He would rock up on his horse with the flag, and everybody knew Kingi Tāwhiao was on his way. It was a big role.”
Other tūpuna have provided kai over the generations.
“That’s a big role too – because you’ve got to feed the people. Our marae was well known for our kai koha of tuna (eels), so that is my mission this week … to catch some tuna to take to the Koroneihana.”
The old people used to say that tuna from Tane Hopuwai, south of Piopio, had a unique flavour. It was different from eels caught at Piopio itself, or around Te Kūiti, Maia said.
Māori language students enrolled at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa’s Te Kūiti campus will also travel up for the Koroneihana.
The experience will support their knowledge of tikanga and reo, teacher Pamela Matehuirua said.
They will go on Saturday, August 10, to experience the Kawe Mate o te Motu: the full day from the pōwhiri to the hākari or feast afterwards.
In the kawe mate, whānau from a range of iwi across New Zealand acknowledge and mourn their loved ones. Tainui and other tribal groups also have a separate, individual kawe mate on the Sunday, which the students will not be present for.
Pamela said on Saturday, the students would experience different cultural practices from each iwi group such as their unique wero (challenge) or karanga.
And they would hear a range of Māori language dialects.
“It is about getting them to listen to all the different vehicles of te reo Māori. Getting them to see who stands first, and which iwi are being represented.
“It’s all about looking, observing and listening to our reo. What can they recognise?
More advanced students would understand much of the language used, but even the less confident would learn a lot, she said.
Beginners might not understand the context. But they may recognise single words, and learn about their pronunciation and body language context.
“When they’re in the classroom environment, you won’t see how the person stands. It’s an understanding, I suppose. When you’re seeing a person: how they look and how they speak.”
For the last two weeks, most of Centennial Park School’s staff members and 15 students had attended evening waiata practices at Te Kūiti Pā, deputy principal Annabelle Waugh said.
Luckily, given that short timeframe, the material was similar to last years’ and therefore already familiar.
“We hope to take a group from our kura on the 18th to be part of the entertainment group. We aren’t sure of the times yet, except that we were performing at 9pm at Turangawaewae.
The event would tie in well with the curriculum, she said.
“Most of our students are learning about the history of the Kīngitanga movement as well as pertinent waiata and whakataukī in our classrooms.”
Pā committee member Isaiah Wallace said Maniapoto as a collective would perform at the Koroneihana. The roopu would feature the students mentioned above, plus many others.
“It’s a whole iwi group – including everyone who turned up to practice. Our team sent a pānui out, and we got a good turnout.
“The name of our roopu is Te Tira Haere O Te Nehenehenui.”
This year’s Koroneihana will end on August 21 with a speech by the King. Many thousands of people are expected to attend.
