July 02, 2021
Small kura combine to put kapa on stage
A kapa haka drawn from four small kura kaupapa from Danneverke to Wellington, Te Aho o Whātonga, will take the stage at Fielding’s Manfield Event Centre tomorrow to celebrate their culture.
Rawiri Wright, the principal of Wellington’s Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Mokopuna, says Te Hui Ahurei o Te Tapere Nui o Whātonga has let the kapa into its non-competitive section.
He says none of the schools has enough secondary school age pupils to field their own kapa, and in the past they have each teamed up with nearby mainstream schools so their tauira can compete.
That proved unsatisfactory because of different teaching styles and philosophies.
He says the combined kapa is worth the drawbacks of distance.
"The kids are loving it. The parents are loving it because they see the positive attitudes that are coming from their own tamariki. Even though we've had to travel 100s of kilometres every weekend for practices and what not, it doesn't matter because what the kids are getting from it is so valuable personally, linguistically, culturally, spiritually," Mr Wright says.
He says getting a chance to stand on stage validates the hours of practice.
The schools are Ngā Mokopuna in Wellington, Wairarapa in Masterton, Tāmaki Nui a Rua in Dannevirke and Mana Tamariki in Palmerston North.
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