A feast of food and kapa haka
Review by Bronson Perich
The Tūwharetoa Festival was a chance for everyone to tell their story.
Flash floods and strong winds couldn't stop 800 free hāngi packs being given away at the Ruia Taitea festival on the weekend.
The two-day event began with the Tūwharetoa Arts Awards on Friday at the Taupō Museum and Art Gallery.
Festivities continued on Saturday with 10 Ngāti Tūwharetoa kapa haka (haka troupes), a Tahitian troupe and a kapa haka from neighbouring iwi confederation Ngāti Tahu-Ngāti Whaoa.
Kapa haka groups often consist of closely related families coming together and children, teens, adults and seniors of all ages are encouraged to perform.
One man was even seen performing a haka while holding his infant son. The MC quipped that in all his years as a haka performer he had never seen such a thing in his life.
Lacking a written language in antiquity, haka and waiata (songs) were traditionally used by Māori to educate their family groups, commemorate important historical events and to make impactful statements.
Haka and waiata continue to be used for the same purposes. This is why some performers such TJ Perenara and Hurricanes Poua included political statements in their haka.
Festivals like this gives the hapū (extended family clusters) of Tūwharetoa the opportunity to hone the kapa haka skills and to learn their tribal history.
Currently, the only annual kapa haka festival in the Taupō region is Te Taiopenga o Tūwharetoa, which is aimed primarily at children and teens attending school.
Māori custom dictates that guests need to be fed and well looked after, so every year, at Taiopenga, seniors are offered a space to watch the festival while eating for free.
Ruia Taitea is a festival for the hapū of Tūwharetoa, to unite as one people, while being open for all to attend.
The decision was made to ensure that as many people as possible would have access to free food.
While there were plenty of food stalls selling their wares, several stalls were set up to give away food for free.
One marquee was dedicated to sheltering pakeke (seniors) while providing free food.
Another gave away 228 bottles of water, 26 watermelons, 30kg of peaches, and an estimated 30 lunch packs for tamariki.
Another marquee gave away steak sandwiches, patty butties and sausages over the whole day.
After the kapa haka had finished performing 800 hangi packs were brought in for people to enjoy while listening to some local singers and Whirimako Black.
Event convenors Te Kapua Whakapipi Trust - the office of the Paramount Chief of Ngāti Tūwharetoa Sir Tumu te Heuheu - confirmed Ruia Taitea will be an annual event.
