A group of University of Waikato’s Kapa Haka alumni has come together to record a series of songs aimed at enriching the university’s reo Māori resources.
This initiative, launched by the alumni, marks a significant step in the ongoing commitment of this group in promoting te reo Māori and all its values.
Established in 1978, Te Whare Wananga o Waikato kapa haka competed regularly at regional and national level. The main focus of the rōpu was the retention of te reo Māori, and the revival of te reo Māori amongst young Māori students and future leaders attending Waikato University
Joe Harawira, a kaihaka and coordinator for the occasion says the education of te reo Māori will always be paramount to performing haka.
“E whakaaro ana a Timoti (Karetu) me whakakoopae te katoa o ana mahi hei rauemi mo ngaa tauira katoa o te reo Maaori, kaua mo te Whare Waananga o Waikato anake.
“Kia tuku teera me ngaa waiata mai te koopai ki ngaa toopito katoa o te motu,”
Harawira said the songs were composed by Sir Timoti Karetu and they speak to the group’s principles.
“I te mea mā te reo me te whakatakoto o te reo, te whakairō o te reo kei reirā.
“Koirā tētehi o aku mahi, pānui i āna kupu me te pai o te whakanikoniko o āna kupu mēnaā he whaikōrero, he kōrero ki te minenga, he kōrero o te mataora, ēra tuāhuatanga. He rauemi mō ngā tauira kei te hiahia ki te ako i te reo Māori,”
The recordings will be made available through the university’s online curriculum platforms, ensuring easy access for the University of Waikato students.
Harawira said the initiative has been seen an essential step toward preserving the rich history of the Waikato university through the legacy left behind to develop for the next generation of students.
“I te tau e rua mano mā iwa e whakamoe ana te kapa haka o Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato,
Ko te pāinga o tēra he maha ngā kaupapa kua haramai kia karangahia anō te kapa haka o Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato. I te mutunga mai o te toru tau kua puta atu rātou kua haramai te tira hou,”
In June this year, the group will reunite for the first Coronation of the new Te Arikinui.
Ko ngā uri whakatipu te take
Ko te Mātāmua ko te reo Māori, mātāmuri, ko te kapa haka o Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato kua whakakotahi mō te oranga o te reo te take.
Hei tā Haani Huata kaihaka o mua (Ngāti Taramatau, Ngāti Apakura, Ngāti Kahungunu) i toko ake te whakaaro kia tū te wānanga nei i te wā i mate ai tētehi o ngā tautōhito o te kapa nei, ko Ngāmoni Huata.
“I runga anō i te mōhio he huritau ono tekau o te whare wānanga nei he huarahi anō hei hōpu, e waiata ana e haka ana. Ohorere i te tuatahi i te mea āhua kaumātua ngā kaihaka o te kapa nei. Engari kei reirā tonu te ngākau.
“Ki te kore tēnei kapa ka kore pea te kaha te pakari o te reo Māori o teena o teena,”
