A record number of descendants from Ngāpuhi will gather this weekend at the highly anticipated Ngāpuhi ki Tāmaki event held in Tāmaki Makaurau.

This is the first time over a thousand people have registered for the event that was first established in 2019.

Tasha Hohaia, director of Ngāpuhi ki Tāmaki, says this is an “opportunity for our people to be confident in knowing who they are through waiata and haka”.

“There are over 75,000 Ngāpuhi living in Auckland and this is one way to create spaces for whanaungatanga and gather Ngāpuhi,” she says.

“Ngāpuhi kōwhao rau is an overflow of talent and diversity amongst our people that spills over from the waka to the world. When we come together to share and sing and remember our own stories, it is powerful.”

Ngāpuhi is the largest tribe in Aotearoa with over 180,000 descendants across the world. There will be waiata, haka, mōteatea and whanaungatanga throughout the day.

Māhera Maihi, director from Ngāpuhi ki Tāmaki says this event is “important for Ngāpuhi living in Tāmaki Makaurau because opportunities to connect back to iwi are part of our identity journey."

“If you know where you come from, there are absolutely no limitations to where you can go,” she says.

“With talent like Pere Wihongi, Blake Ihimaera, Penetaui Kleskovic, Tianara Wihongi and Eli Smith, along with a number of other experts facilitating aspirational sessions, it will be a day to remember.”

“It is important to hold fast to our culture and our language. Let us treat our language with respect, let us lift our wairua. It is up to us to look within ourselves as Ngāpuhi, “Penetaui Kleskovic says.

The event is Saturday 16 December 9:30am at the Due Drop Events Centre.

Registrations can be made at https://forms.gle/xrHEKUiDbhGy5edu5

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