Te Matatini mourns the loss of Kapa Haka icon [Te Matatini Society Inc]

Ka tanuku, ka tanuku te tihi o maunga Haumi, ka tanuku kua hinga tetahi o ngā poutokomanawa o Te Matatini o te Ao kapa haka, a Pimia (Nen) Wehi. Nō reira, haere e te kōkā Pimia te tapairu o Mahaki, te roreka o te Ao o te kapa haka, te manu tīoriori o te Waihīrere o te Waka Huia, o te Tairāwhiti. E te ngākau Mahaki, haere ki ō matua tipuna, te mana, te ihi, te tapu, e rārangi mai ra i te pō. Moe mai i roto i ngā ringaringa a to tatau kaihanga.

Darrin Apanui, Executive Director of Te Matatini Society Incorporated, the national organisation for Māori performing arts, mourns the loss of Pimia (Muriel) Wehi (QSM) who recently received a MNZM for Services to Māori.

“This is a significant loss to Māoridom, Kapa Haka and the arts sector of this country,” said Mr Apanui from Wellington today. “Nen, as she was so affectionately known by her family, friends, and the many people she and her husband tutored, will have heavy hearts for a long time. In particular, in the lead up to the Festival, Te Matatini o Te Ra, due to be held in Gisborne later this month.”

Pimia and her husband, Ngapo founded the Auckland based champion Kapa Haka group, Te Waka Huia in 1981 when they relocated from Waihirere, Gisborne to Auckland.

Selwyn Parata, Chairman for Te Matatini Society Incorporated continues, “Pimia is a prominent figure in Māori performing arts and her gentle yet determined nature is what she will be remembered for. Through her leadership and tutelage, Pimia set the benchmark for Kapa Haka performing arts excellence, and many teams, from secondary to senior level have adopted the unique Te Waka Huia style and expectation. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her immediate family, the larger family of Te Waka Huia, and the Kapa Haka community.”

Pimia will be lying in state in Auckland before heading to her ancestral Marae at Waihīrere, North of Gisborne.

For information about Te Matatini o te Rā 2011, visit www.tematatini.co.nz.

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