Ko tētahi kapa haka pakeke o te āo Māori, ko te rōpū Mihinare Māori o Tāmaki Makaurau e whakanui nei i tā rātou huritau rima tekau. I whakakanohi atu te mana whenua a Ngāti Whatua ki Ōrākei ki ngā tohu whakanui.
He mirimiri mahara ki ngā oro o tuawhakarere.
E ai ki tētahi Mema a Mahia Nathan, “Kua roa te wā. Kua āhua wareware i ngā waiata. Kore mōhio ki te mahi i ngā a-ringa heoi ano e aru kē ana i ngā kua mōhio ki ngā waiata.”
Inaianei kua eke taumata kē te kapa mihinare o Tamaki Makaurau.
Hei tā Kahu Paenga Pou, “I runga i tēna kei te miharo rawa atu, kei te ohooho te wairua me kii o tēnei kapa mo tēnei tau, 50 years.”
I timata ake te karapū i te tau kotahi mano iwa rau ono tekau ma whitu.
“Ko aku tau i tēra wā, rua tekau mā tahi. Mai i 1967 ki tēnei tau 2017, ko ahau tētahi o ngā wahine i roto i tēnei kapa haka i timata ake e Matutaera Kingi Ihaka.”
Whai muri i ngā whakapeto ngoi a Tā Kingi Matutaera Ihaka huri noa i te motu, ka whakarewa ia i te rōpū mihinare o Tāmaki.
Koia hoki te heamana tuatahi o ngā whakataetae kapa haka a-motu. I tāua wā, ko te ingoa tuatahi, ko te New Zealand Polynesian Festival.
“I rongo ahau, i mōhio ahau kia Tā Kingi me tōna kapa haka, The Wellington Anglican Māori Club. Nōreira i runga i tēna i hiahia ahau ki te hāere mai ki All Saints ki Ponsonby, i reira te pō tuatahi mo tēnei kapa.”
Nathan, “E ora tonu ana te rōpū, e ora tonu ana te wairua o ngā waiata e whakaakongia ana e Kingi Ihaka ki a mātou. He momo waiata kei te waiatatia te rōpū nei. Kāre e rongohia ana i roto i ngā momo kapa haka i tēnei wā.”
I whakanuia hoki te huritau a te karapū e te mana whenua o Ngāti Whātua ki Ōrākei.