Te Reo Māori Theatre Graces Aoteroa Stages

Te Reo Māori Theatre Graces Aoteroa Stages

‘He Kura E Huna Ana’, a rarely-seen te reo Māori theatre piece will tour the North Island this matariki.

After three years of development, te reo Māori theatre piece He Kura E Huna Ana will make it’s north island debut at BATS on Tuesday 12th June. The show will perform in Wellington before heading to Tauranga, Gisborne, Auckland, Hamilton and New Plymouth.

Written by Māori language advocate Hōhepa Waitoa, He Kura E Huna Ana is the first adult-orientated Taki Rua play performed in te reo Māori to tour.
The play is set to raise expectations regarding the place of Māori language in theatre. By working in te reo Māori, acclaimed director Nancy Brunning aspires to take audiences on an emotional journey which transcends time and place.

“Our ancestors communicate with us today through kōrero, waiata, whakatauāki and pūrākau” says Nancy. “It’s a practice we've learned through osmosis that connect us with everything around us; ki te whenua, ki te ātea; nō hea mātou, he aha mātou i kōnei ai, a, e haere ana mātou ki hea.”

Drawn from traditional Ngāti Waewae kōrero (storytelling), He Kura E Huna Ana tells of the origins of pounamu (greenstone) in Arahura Valley. When Tauranga Moana ancestor Waitaiki is abducted by the jealous taniwha Poutini, her lover Tamaahua pursues them to the depths of the Arahura River.

Returning to her papa kāinga (home town) on the anniversary of her family's death, young Hine seeks consolation in the myths of Arahura. Raised solely by her Taua (grandmother), Hine battles the grief that left her tipuna (ancestor) transformed into pounamu.

Set in two distinct time periods - one ancestral, and one contemporary. He Kura E Huna Ana shows that the two are inseparable, and losing sight of our origins can be dangerous.

‘Like pounamu, every person has a story. Everyone and everything has a beginning’ describes Hōhepa. ‘The trouble is, we don't always know where we come from, which leads to a painful cultural and spiritual disconnection with who we are.’

The show will star celebrated actors Tanea Heke (Waru), Scotty Cotter (Shortland Street) and Nepia Takuira-Mita (Ahikāroa). Together, they will manaaki (support) newcomer Puawai Winterburn, who plays the lead role of Waitaiki / Hine.

He Kura E Huna Ana follows Taki Rua’s epic nationwide tour of Tiki Taane Mahuta, a narrative dance work which elevated contemporary kaupapa Māori theatre and dance performance to the greatest stages of Aotearoa.

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