Festival builds māori pride

A biennial gathering of Taranaki iwi is going from strength to strength, with thousands of members of the eight tribes now joining the celebration of collective identity.

Taranaki Tū Mai, which is sponsored by PKW, has grown from humble beginnings 10 years ago to involving more than 2,200 people in 2019. Now firmly embedded as a major event on the Taranaki iwi calendar, the festival of sport, talent, skill and learning is achieving its aim of bringing whānau back to their marae and iwi, says Taranaki Tū Mai Trust chair, Wharehoka Wano.

“The main purpose from day one has been whanaungatanga, kotahitanga and Taranakitanga. Bringing all eight Taranaki iwi together under those values to celebrate ourselves as Taranaki maunga means we can engage whānau back into their iwitanga and strengthen cultural confidence.

“An example of this is the mōteatea chosen by the host iwi and learnt by all kapa haka. Not only does that give the host whānau the opportunity to tell their history, but we now have a collection of mōteatea to use when we travel as the maunga. That is powerful and empowering.”

Mitchell Ritai, General Manager Shareholder Engagement for PKW, said the gathering every two years is important in building iwi pride.

“When people feel more connected to who they are and have a real sense of belonging, they become more involved and engaged at home. That grows capacity and capability as people come back and contribute. It’s something PKW is pleased, proud and happy to have supported financially since 2011.”

“It is also an opportunity for us to connect and reconnect with many of our shareholders, which is an important part of our Kaupapa.”

Wharehoka says such backing supports Taranaki Tū Mai to reach more whānau. “In 2015, we had 800 participants. In 2017, that doubled and in 2019 we had 2,200 whānau.”

The 6th biennial event was ‘outstandingly hosted’ in November last year by Ngāti Maru at the remote Te Upoko o Te Whenua Marae in Tarata, and in Inglewood. Organiser for the host iwi Tamzyn Pue said the desire was to enable a truly authentic connection with Ngāti Maru. “Above all, we wanted people to feel happy, sheltered and protected under whakamarumaru, under our Marutanga,” she says.

“Taranaki Tū Mai empowers all uri of Koro Taranaki. We carry the mauri around the maunga and speak of our tūpuna and the lands that united us. Those conversations go into our kapa haka compositions to strengthen our bonds. It’s about being as one, playing some sports, having some fun and taking part just to bring our family together.”