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Download AudioThe chair of Te Runanga o Ngati Rarua says hosting the national primary schools’ kapa haka competition is giving a welcome boost to the Māori community in Whakatu and Te Tau Ihu.
Olivia Hall says with only a handful of marae in the top of the South Island, the 45 teams for Te Mana Kuratahi are bedding down in school halls, rugby clubs, backpacker dormitories and other accommodation as far away as Blenheim and Murchison.
She says for many of the tamariki, coming to Te Waipounamu can feel like a trip to another country.
“There definitely a lot of tamariki coming to Te Waipounamu or Te Tau Ihu for the first time. They’re all in their kapa haka travelling gear, it’s got their kura name on, most of them look like they’ve got a new pair of shoes and a haircut, and yes, amazing,” Ms Hall says.
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