Pānui #017
Kei aku nui, kei aku rahi, nei rā ngā mihi ki a koutou. Ka huri ngā whakaaro ki te hunga kua wehe atu, e te rūruhi, e Whaea Lorna, e tangi apakura te iwi i tō wehenga, kua mauria e te kupenga o Taramainuku. Haere rā koe ki ngā tihi o Kohukohunui.
Tahuri mai ki a tātou te hunga ora, ngā mahuetanga o rātou mā me ngā kaupapa maha e whāia nei e tātou. This past month has been filled with kaupapa that brought our Ngāti Pāoa whānau together — from paddling on the waters of Waikato at the Regatta, to representing at Polyfest, to learning and sharing waiata, karakia, rongoā and more in wānanga. Me whakanui ka tika!
Ka Pū te Ruha – Ka Hao te Rangatahi
Photo caption: Rangatahi o Ngāti Pāoa - Brooklyn, Hinemoana, Tane, Kaitiaki
E poho kererū mātou i ngā uri o Ngāti Pāoa i tū ki Polyfest i ngā wiki kua hipa. We are so very proud of the dedication, commitment, discipline and skill of our rangatahi who stood at Polyfest this year! Inā te rawe o te whakatairanga ake i ngā mahi a Hinerēhia, a Tānerore.
We spoke to a few kaihaka to see what was most memorable to them!
Hinemoana Olesen (Waiti Marae), stood representing Ngā Oho – Ngā Puna o Waiorea. She began training on 20 January, following a pretty intense schedule for someone who had just turned 13 and was only in Year 9!
When asked what her favourite item was, she admitted it was a tough choice: “I loved all of them!” But if she had to pick one, it would be the waiata-ā-ringa, because it was about welcoming a baby into the world. “We looked really in sync and it sounded beautiful,” she said.
One of her most special memories was watching their tutors’ baby run around and cheekily steal the poi during practices. Another standout moment was performing in front of whānau who came to support them every night.
Hinemoana’s favourite item overall was Ō Rehu, performed by her kura, Waiorea.
Kaitiaki Hawke (nō Ngāti Horowhenua, Ngāti Hura), 15 years old, also stood for Ngā Oho - Te Puna o Waiorea “My favourite item was the haka and the whakawātea (exit) because in the haka the boys came forth and it was really fun- there were lots of movements and jumping. I like the whakawātea too, I really liked the song, its rhythm and it had haka parts and using rākau” says Kaitiaki.
Kaitiaki shared that they had six training sessions per week in a shorter period of time as all the tutors were Matatini performers which meant there was a tight schedule in getting rōpū prepared. Kaitiaki also shared the difficulties of many tuākana (year 13s) leaving kura and not standing in the rōpū this year.
Kaitiaki highlighted that key things for those looking to join a rōpū include voice, facial expressions and confidence!
Kōrero with Danni lee Rudolph -Paratene, he mokopuna nā Rangimakanga rāua ko Wi Rhind
“I go to Henderson High School and I stood with our school’s team Ngā Taiohi o Panuku. Our campaign ran over 10 weeks, and the trainings were really challenging. The campaign brought us together as a rōpū, and it’s something I’ll never forget. I really enjoyed it” says Dannilee Rudolf-Paratene.
Their tutors from Te Taha Tū played a big part in their journey. “They taught us discipline and created our whole bracket. They were amazing—always knowing how to keep us going and lift our motivation.”
Her favourite item in their bracket was their poi, which focused on the theme of online bullying. “It had a powerful message behind it.”
When asked about a standout performance from another rōpū, she said, “I really enjoyed watching Waiorea, particularly their whakaeke (entrance). You could see how hard they’d trained—they put all their emotions into it.”
Dannilee encourages other rangatahi to get involved. “If you’re thinking about joining a rōpū or standing at Polyfest, I say go for it. It can really boost your confidence—and it’s such a fun, uplifting experience”.,
Te Kapa Haka o Te Waimokoia
Ko te reo waiata tērā e whakaū ana i ngā kōrero a ngā tūpuna. He mea tuku iho i te mātauranga, ā, e mihi ana ki te kapa hou, ki te Te Kapa Haka o Te Waimokoia, i tū ki te whakatairanga ake i ngā kōrero o Ngāti Pāoa i mua i te marea.
A special mention to Te Kapa Haka o Te Waimokoia, who stood at Polyfest 2025 for the first time. The rōpū was tutored by Harley Wade (Ngāti Hura, Ngāti Kapu, Ngāti Kaiwhakapae) and was made up of three schools who came together: Glendowie College, Tāmaki College, and Edgewater College.
Harley shares that “the name of the group was to give recognition and raise awareness of its relevance to us, as an iwi, Ngāti Pāoa and to our three hapū: Ngāti Hura, Ngāti Kapu, and Te Uri Karaka.”
Each item was an original composition by Harley, speaking to various local landmarks within the rohe of Tāmaki and sites of significance to our iwi and hapū. Every item had its own theme, with the choral piece being a lament and dedication to Kīngi Tuheitia—his achievements and key messages around uniting as Māori.
The whakaeke (entrance) spoke of the arrival of the Tainui waka into Tāmaki, its journey through the Tāmaki Estuary, and across the Portage Crossing to Te Mānukanuka o Hoturoa. The mōteatea (traditional chant) took listeners around our landmarks, including Te Toka o Kapetaua (Bean Rock), where the lighthouse beams out across the Waitematā, and locations in and around St Heliers—Whanganui, Te Uru Houhī—as well as other places like Te Pane o Horoiwi (Achilles Point), Whakamuhu (Glover Park in St Heliers), and many others.
Harley notes that through waiata, these ancestral place names along both sides of the Tāmaki River are remembered and reinforced.
Coming together as three mainstream schools, the rōpū was focused on doing well in sections like te mita o te reo—the clarity and articulation of te reo Māori. This diligence was commended by the judges. You can watch the rōpū here on Māori+.
Tūrangawaewae Regatta 2025
Te Whānau o Taumore, a Ngāti Pāoa whānau waka ama team, represented our iwi at the Tūrangawaewae Regatta held in Ngāruawāhia on the 22nd of March. This Regatta celebrated Te Arikinui Nga wai hono i te po and acknowledge the recent passing of Kīngi Tuheitia.
I whiwhi tīhate te rōpū nei, hei whakatairanga ake i ngā mahi. The team were grateful to receive t-shirts and the Kōtuiti waka logo was worn proudly, as it returned to the waters of Waikato. Te Whānau o Taumore- entered (3) races in the Corporate Waka Ama (w12) event, distance 200 metres. Race one -placed 2nd, race two - placed 2nd and race three placed 3rd. They were not successful in the final race.
During the training period, some of the team paddled in the Tāmaki estuary which provided another memorable connection to whenua and moana, acknowledging our tupuna, Pāoa, and his historical expeditions along this estuary. Margaret Ngapera shared her gratitude for the opportunity for all her children and mokopuna to participate together, safely and celebrate as Ngāti Pāoa whānau, with our Kīngitanga at the Tūrangawaewae Regatta.
The Matatini haka stood throughout the event and haka, waiata and mōteatea echoed down the river bank which provided motivation for kaihoe as they paddled to the finish line. “Catching a glimpse of Te Arikinui Nga wai hono i te po and te kāhui ariki was another momentous connection to our cultural identity and ancestors” says kaihoe, Rochelle Hartley.
Te Korowai Aroha
Wānanga #3- Te Rongoā
I tū ai te wānanga tuatoru o Te Korowai Aroha ki Te Tahawai Marae. E toru ngā kaupapa kōrero o te rā e hāngai ana ki te kaupapa maramataka. Nā Michele Wilson te kōrero i taki ki te kaupapa whakahirahira e kīa nei, ko te honohono i te īkura ki te maramataka.
Kātahi i tae mai a Roimata Taniwha ki te kōrero ki ngā āhuatanga o te taiao, me te pai o te mahi tirotiro whenua. I whakakapi i te kaupapa i roto i ngā mahi rongoā, Nā tō mātou o Pou Rongoā Māori, nā Tamara Telfar-Valks ( E Tipu e Rea Whānau Services) tēnei ngohe i whakarite!
Wānanga #4- Te Reo o te Marae
I tino waimārie mātou o Te Korowai Aroha ki te hoki atu ki te kāinga, ā, ki Wharekawa Marae mō te wānanga tuawhā arā ko Te Reo o te Marae te kaupapa. Nā Rangitahi Pompey rāua ko Anahera Sadler ngā kaupapa me ngā ngohe i whakahaere, mai i te whakaako waiata o Pāoa, ki te āta tirotiro ki ētehi whakatauki o Hauraki, tae atu ki te tukunga o te reo karanga.
E rua ngā waiata i ako, ko te mea tuatahi he tangi aroha, ko "Tirotiro kau ana" nā Rangitahi Pompey i tito, me te mea tuarua he pao, ko "Kohimarama e" nā ētehi kaimahi o Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust i tito. I kaha kōrero mō ngā kupu i roto i ngā whakataukī, hei tauira mō te tuku karanga, me te painga hoki o te whakaharatau ki te taha o tētehi rōpū wāhine Pāoa. Hei whakamutu i te wānanga, i haere atu mātou ki tātahi, ki te tuku i te reo karanga, ki te whai i te oro ki roto tonu i te taiao.
E kore e mutu ngā mihi ki ngā kaiwhakahaere, otirā te hau kāinga i whakatau i te kaupapa o Te Korowai Aroha ki Wharekawa mō te wā tuatahi. Ko te tūmanako ka hoki atu tēnei kaupapa ki te kāinga anō.
If you are interested in joining the next wānanga series, please put your name on our waitlist. Please keep in mind that the waitlist is already filling up but we will record all the names for the future.
Upcoming events
Nau mai ki te Whare Kararehe!
📍 Location: Auckland Zoo
📅 Date: Saturday, 24 May 2025
🕘 Arrival Time: 9.30am - 11.30am
🎟️ Free Entry for 500 Whānau Members – spaces are limited, so register now!
Ngāti Pāoa invites you to a special Whānau Day at Auckland Zoo as part of the Wellbeing in Nature Community Programme, made possible through support from Tātaki Auckland Unlimited.
Kia tere te rehita!
OWN IT Community Info Session
Tāmaki Regeneration Company (TRC) would like to invite Ngāti Pāoa whānau to an information session on OWN IT, our Shared Home Ownership Programme.
This session will provide an opportunity to learn more about OWN IT, ask any questions you may have about the programme, find out about the homes we are building and register for the programme if you are eligible.
What is OWN IT?
OWN IT is the shared homeownership programme supporting whānau to step into their place in Tāmaki.
Whether you’re buying on your own, teaming up with your partner, or investing with siblings or relatives – OWN IT is for every kind of whānau. We’ll meet you exactly where you are, connect you with the right people, and walk alongside you through every step of the journey.
With more OWN IT homes being built over the coming years, now is the time to take the first step towards your journey to home ownership.
The infomation session will be held at the Ngāti Pāoa Iwi trust Offices in Panmure, on Thursday 29 May, if you would like to learn more. Please register via the button below
Date: Thursday, 29 May 2025
Time: 6pm – 8pm
Location: Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust, 15 Queens Road, Panmure.
