The first day of sports for Te Wiki Hākinakina kicked off yesterday, merging te reo Māori with te ao hākinakina.
Under the blazing Ōtautahi sun, 44 wharekura Aho Matua competed across three sports - poitarawhiti (netball), pā whutupōro (touch rugby) and poirewa onepū (beach volleyball).
“He tino pai, [he] wero hoki i te mea me pēwhea te whakamāori [i] ētehi o ngā kupu [e] hāngai pū [ana] ki te kēmu,” TKKM o Te Whānau Tahi tumuaki Haley May said.
“Kua kite au i tō mātau kura, nā ngā taiohi i waihanga i [ā] rātau ake kupu mō ētahi o ngā nekehanga [o] te kēmu, kia Māori te āhua.”
“It’s great. It’s also a challenge because how do you translate some of the words that relate to the sport?
“At our school, I’ve seen the youth have made their own words up for some of the movements of the game to make it more Māori.”
Poirewa onepū made its’ Wiki Hā debut at Pioneer Stadium Beach Pit, with many tauira trying their hand at the sport for the first time.
“Ahakoa he kēmu hou pea ki te nuinga, [e] hīkaka ana nā te tokomaha o ngā kura kua whakaurua.”
“Although this game is new to most, we’re excited because of the many schools who have entered..”
Meanwhile, at Hagley Park, tauira braved the heat to showcase their talents on the court and field.
TKKM o Whakapūmau i te Reo Tūturu ki Waitaha deputy principal Tahu Paki (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāpuhi), coordinated the netball competition. He says it was great to see tauira reach their potential today.
He also spoke to integration of te reo Māori within the game’s rules.
“Ki te kōrero Pākehā he whakaohiti, ki te kōrero Pākehā anō he hāmene.
“Te nuinga o te wā ka tākaro ki nga kōti o te hapori, ko te reo Pākehā te karawhiu. [I] konei ko te reo Māori te tikanga.
“Nō reira me koi te hinengaro, me koi hoki tātau ki te whakaako i ngā kupu hāngai pū ki te kaupapa nei.”
“If you speak English [once] you get a warning, if you speak English again you’re penalised.
“Most of the time [students] play at the community courts where English is the primary language. But here it is Māori.
“So we must keep our minds sharp and teach the words relating to this [game].”
Former students or ‘raukura’ have also returned to share their knowledge with current students and give back to the kaupapa.
Kaipo-Natanahira Ngai Tokowaru, a raukura from TKKM o Te Whānau Tahi who has represented nationally in volleyball, is volunteering his time as a referee this year.
“Ko mātau te kura kaupapa Māori tuatahi kua tae ki te whakataetae ā-motu [mō te poirewa].
“Ko ōku kupu akiaki, kia uru katoa ngā kura kaupapa Māori ki te whakamāori i [ērā] wāhi.”
“”We were the first kura kaupapa Māori to make it to volleyball nationals.
My advice - for all kura kaupapa Māori to get into [volleyball], to make it a Māori environment.”
The games continue today as tauira take to the Kī-Ō-Rahi field at Lancaster Park.
