Annual Traditional Waka Pageant at Waitangi 2008

Toi Maori Media Release
Thursday 31 January 2008
For Immediate Release

Annual Traditional Waka Pageant at Waitangi 2008

The brisk waters of the Bay of Islands (Te Pewhairangi) will once again be churned up by a fleet of up to eleven waka from Whakatane, Hamilton, Auckland and Te Taitokerau.

There will be two Waka Hourua, Aotearoa One and Te Aurere, two waka taua, two waka tangata and five waka tete taking part in this year's commemorations. This will be the most waka at Waitangi since the 1990 Waitangi Day Commemorations and seven of the waka will include women paddlers.

Wananga have been held in the Bay of Islands, Whakatane and Auckland over the last two weekends with over three hundred paddlers fine tuning their paddling skills, learning waiata, karakia and haka appropriate to waka.

The Waitangi Day pageant will showcase these skills and knowledge commencing at 9am on Wednesday 6 February 2008 with karakia in front of Te Tii Marae followed by displays of salutes, turning and paddling skills interspersed with Haka.

The names of the waka participating at Waitangi:
Rangimarie (Ngati Kahu)
Te Ika a Maui (Ngati Kahu)
Whanaumoana (Ngati Kahu)
Te Ao Marama (Ngati Manawa)
Te Whiu (Ngati Te Whiu)
Te Taki o Autahi (Te Patu)
Atakura (Te Wananga o Aotearoa)
Kahakura (Te Wananga o Aotearoa)
Aotearoa One (Te Wananga o Aotearoa)
Te Aurere (Ngati Kahu)
Hinemoana (Ngati Awa)

Robert Gabel, Co-Chair of the Nga Waka Federation Committee of Toi Maori says, “This is where we get to practise our tikanga pertaining to waka; it brings us together as a whanau. This will be an awesome spectacle to marvel at!” Toi Maori Aotearoa is the national organisation for Maori art and artists and receives major funding from Te Waka Toi, the Maori Arts Board of Creative New Zealand.

ENDS

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