After a three-year delay, Ngāi Tūhoe have gathered in Waimana for Te Hui Ahurei a Tūhoe.
The festival was postponed in 2020 due to Covid-19 and organising committee member Martin Rakuraku is happy Waimana is finally able to host their relations.
"He koanga ngākau kua tae mai tātou ki tēnei wā. Me te mea anō, i āwangawanga i mua atu nā te mate korona me ngā āhuatanga o roto, engari mā Te Ahurei tātou e tō ake i roto i te harikoa."
(It is pleasing for us to be at this point finally. There has been a lot of concern in the previous years around covid and the effects it had, but now with Te Ahurei here we're all happy to be coming together.)
Waimana hasn't held the festival since 1999 and was awarded hosting rights back in 2018 after six-years of planning. Rakuraku says despite that, stage is set and the sports fields are ready in the tiny settlement in the northern reaches of Te Urewera to host the thousands expected.
"He nui ngā āwangawanga, engari kua tae mai, kua kite, kua rongo. Me whakakōtahi a Waimana ka tika, he aha ai? Kia tū ai Te Hui Ahurei a Tūhoe."
(There were some doubts amongst us at first, we saw them, we felt them. But Waimana has bandied together to make sure Te Hui Ahurei a Tūhoe goes ahead.)
Rakuraku says this year marks 50 years since Te Ahurei a Tūhoe was first held within the lands of the iwi, the previous iterations having been held in other parts of the country for Tūhoe uri to come together. And although the festival activities including kapa haka, rugby, netball and debates are usually competitive, this years festival will be held in the name of fun.
"Kua whakatāhia ngā taonga mō tēnei wā. Waiho mā ngā taonga tātou e mātakitaki i a tātou e ngāhau ana."
(The trophies have been given another year to rest. Let them watch us and be entertained by us this year.)
Te Hui Ahurei a Tūhoe began yesterday with golf at Te Teko and continued this morning with the pōwhiri before the first of the kapa haka took the stage. Sports will begin on Saturday with the final day wrapping up the festival on Sunday.
