July 03, 2015
Kaumatua kapa haka uplifting for young and old
It’s the tenth year of Kaumatua Kapa Haka at Te Papa in Wellington, with a record 400-plus performers from 11 groups taking the stage over the weekend.
Museum spokesperson Arapata Hakiwai says to mark the 100th anniversary of the Maori Contingent landing at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli, the kaumatua will include tribal waiata-a-ringa and haka from the First World War era in their brackets.
He says it’s a great way to close Te Papa’s Matariki programme, and it’s uplifting for both audience and performers.
"I think the whanaungatanga and the coming together as a group you can see it lifts them. It lifts their heart and their hinengaro and I think in terms of wellbeing its just wonderful. what better way to acknowledge our elders in this way" says Arapata Hakiwai.
Kaumatua Kapa Haka starts at 10.30 tomorrow and will be live streamed on the Maori Television website.
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