November 12, 2021
Waka journey a Hec of a rise
The maker of a feature film on the late Sir Hekenukumai Busby counts himself lucky to have been able to document the master waka builder and navigator for more than 15 years.
Whetu Mārama: The Bright Star premiered at this year’s New Zealand International Film Festival.
Toby Mills, who directed and produced with Aileen O’Sullivan, says Sir Hec was a man who followed his heart, and the ōhākī he picked up at the tangi of Sir James Henare to build the voyaging waka Te Aurere was the start of a great adventure.
Every year or so he’d get a call from Sir Hec summoning him for another episode.
“I’d pick up my camera and off I’d go to Hawaii and I’d help build waka and I’d also document the process. Ten years in a row he went up to Hawaii to build waka with master carvers and waka builders form all around the Pacific so it was an amazing team he had but also the network of carvers form all around the Pacific was really amazing to meet as well,” Mills says.
A particular highlight included in the film was going up to Satawal in Micronesia with Sir Hec and his most faithful lieutenants for a last visit to Mau Piailug, the master navigator who shared his knowledge to keep the ancient tradition alive.