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A top kapa haka advocate says the Maori performing arts are a great way to reflect what is important to Maori people.
Rotorua-based Wetini Mitai-Ngati, the leader of Te Matarae I Orehu, has just won a $50,000 laureate award from the New Zealand Arts Foundation for his contributions to the art form.
He says while he likes to delve into tribal histories for a lot of his material, contemporary issues also come in.
That’s why roopu at Te Matatini and other competitions tackle issues like drugs, alcohol and child abuse, spelling out the need to look after children and families.
"We know there’s a lot of social pressures, unemployment for a lot of our people, so there is a lot of that we are trying to address within kapa haka. It’s a very popular way of getting the message out because so many of our children love the kapa haka, our people love kapa haka, whether you are overseas or a professional or whatever, most of our Maori people tend to come back to 'Hey, I’ve got this great culture behind me,'" he says.
Wetini Mitai-Ngati says the prize money will go into his Mitai Village tourism business es and into kapa haka and a new airport accommodation venture.
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