Ka poho kererū katoa tātou! We are so proud of our John McGlashan and Columba kapa haka after their first stand on the Polyfest stage last week.
Last Wednesday September 11th, the John McGlashan College and Columba College combined kapa haka took the stage at Polyfest for the first time together. They were incredible. The weeks and weeks of hard work really paid off and we could not be more proud of them.
The group performed a 15 minute bracket which involved waiata tira (choral piece), whakaeke (entrance), waiata-ā-ringa (action songs), poi, haka and whakawātea (exit). The performance was a celebration of te reo and tikanga Māori and contained a mixture of well known waiata such as Tōku Reo Tōku Ohooho to new original pieces such as the haka.
We were particularly excited to have been taught and gifted the taonga of a new haka for our rōpū by Neihana Matiu. The haka was focused on the battles we must overcome and finding the light in the darkness. It was linked to the Māori whakaaro pertaining to the star that consumes the moon and the warning that this holds. Words cannot express enough how much we appreciate all the hours and expertise that he has given for them to have this taonga.
Special thanks must also go to Anne Burton who selflessly gave of her time to make all of the boys' stunning new uniforms. Without her amazing help the students would not have been able to be on the stage.
Of course the group could not be on stage without the time and effort that were put in by their tutors and all supporting staff too. Nick Price, Teresa Andrews, Ben Hayward, Ripeka Potiki, Matua Beazley, Mr Claman and all those who have helped in the back ground or came to watch - e rere ana te mihi ki a koutou katoa.
We are already looking forward to 2025 opportunities, the hard work has only just begun!
Makarena kia rite? Ana! Ā ko te rite (a) hō!
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