Local iwi to use waka tauā to teach Māori culture

Local iwi to use waka tauā (war canoe) to teach Māori culture and traditions to Aucklanders

Unprecedented opportunity for Aucklanders to learn through paddling a waka

At the Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival on Auckland Anniversary weekend, the Ngāti Paoa local iwi will allow willing paddlers to board their 52 foot waka tauā, opening up a range of learning opportunities for Aucklanders of all backgrounds to be introduced to Māori traditions, culture, history and language.

While the opportunity to paddle on a waka is usually given by invitation only, local iwi groups in Auckland will make the unprecedented move of allowing the public to paddle two waka for an hour on Sunday 30 January, after completing a one-hour training session beforehand.

COMET Auckland’s Māori Education Manager, Hau Rawiri, saw the potential to bring a strong learning focus to the festival plans by enabling Aucklanders to experience Te Ao Māori (the Māori world) and to learn more of the language, culture and traditions associated with waka. Hau, who is also the Festival Mana Whenua Steering Group chair, says allowing non-Māori to ride in waka marks a new step in Auckland’s history as a multi-cultural city.

“This unprecedented move to allow members of the public to learn how to paddle a waka is designed to bring people into the Māori world. It will give us a real opportunity to equip more Aucklanders with a better understanding of our culture,” he says.

“Between festivals, the waka will continue to be used for educational purposes – a medium to enable learning and pride in Māori knowledge and customs. Not only do we want to use them as a learning tool for Māori, we also have several educational activities with schools and tertiary organisations in the works for later in the year.”

The war canoe named Te Kotūiti (‘to stand proud but with humility’) is available for men while the Waka Tangata will be open to women. Both waka can seat up to 60 people.

This activity is part of the Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival, which will be held at Queen’s Wharf from Saturday 30 January through to Monday 1 February. The free festival will showcase Tāmaki Makaurau’s unique Māori culture, featuring performances by contemporary Māori artists, kapa haka groups, Māori crafts and kai, storytelling, as well as waka races between local iwi on the Saturday.

The festival is a collaborative effort by Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) and Tāmaki Makaurau’s 19 iwi mana whenua.

ENDS

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