(GUITAR MUSIC PLAYS) (ROPU PERFORMS 'E TE MINITA, WHAKARONGO MAI') www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2024 (ROPU PERFORMS 'E TE MINITA, WHAKARONGO MAI') (ROPU PERFORMS 'E TE MINITA, WHAKARONGO MAI') (ROPU PERFORMS 'E TE MINITA, WHAKARONGO MAI') (ROPU PERFORMS 'E TE MINITA, WHAKARONGO MAI') (ROPU PERFORMS 'E TE MINITA, WHAKARONGO MAI') (ROPU PERFORMS 'E TE MINITA, WHAKARONGO MAI') (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) - IN TE REO MAORI: Tauira mai tawhiti is the canoe, the chief is Apanui Ringa Mutu, Rikirangi the minister, and Tamati Waaka the leader. We are fortunate to have him join us at Te Matahaka. How are you? - IN TE REO MAORI: I'm very well. Apanui's last time here in Auckland was very good. - All the Christmas goods were received by you all! - Our prayers were answered earlier, we weren't affected by the cyclone. We were very successful in Auckland in February. I must pay homage to Ngati Whatua; I never made it to the welcome. That's probably why there were disruptions. - (LAUGHS) You may not have been affected by the cyclone, but you were showered with all the glory with Te Whanau a Apanui winning Te Matatini 2023. That exit item went viral because of its happy tune. Can you explain more about it? - We must send all praises to Rikirangi. He composed that song. Some of his songs are boring. Some are very entertaining. - (LAUGHS) - His haka are good at times, they have a lot of rhythm to it. - Mm. - This was his third exit he had composed. His first was very church-like and quite sombre. When COVID hit, he had all these songs up his sleeve because he had three to four years to ponder over them all. From 2019 to 2022, that's three years. During those times, many changes were made to the song. But Apanui had got involved in a lot of politics during that time as well ` that was Rawiri entering Parliament, 2019. So when it came to 2022, the song had become redundant. - (LAUGHS) - So Rikirangi thought to compose a song around caution, caution. He didn't want a song acknowledging our own because we would be called arrogant. But the name of that song is, 'E Te Minita, Whakarongo Mai'. - Mm. - I'm quite nosey so I asked Rikirangi, 'Who is the minister we are singing about?' He said, 'All of them, all of them.' - (GIGGLES) - I learnt in-depth the meaning of the word 'te' because of that. There's a big different between 'te' and 'nga' in the dictionary. One is singular, the other plural. - (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) - The thing about 'te' is many falls under it ` like Te Whanau a Apanui. It speaks about many. The word now talks about many. So who is the minister? It's all of them. - Indeed. Let's now talk about the measurement used by Tamati and Apanui to select their performers or what is needed to get to the level that is required. What are three of you guys' secrets, so that I can copy to get my performers to the level of Te Whanau a Apanui? - When you compare performers from other teams and ours, Te Whanau a Apanui, it's only right we are descendants of our ancestor Apanui, who was called disabled. Many of our performers are quite uncoordinated. So my answer to your question would be... We are a team. Kapa haka is a team effort. If you are powerful and strong but the rest of the team is not, there's no point. If your voice is powerful and your mates are not, there is no point. If you are to join our ranks and you are not quite skilful, then you need to get to same level as the rest. If it's only a single person going hard and all that, then it might as well be called 'Popstar', like those American shows. That's a good thing about this ` uncoordinated people can haka, non-singers are able to haka. It's like rugby ` you have your big people, tall people and short people. All are able to haka. - Stay tuned ` after the break we discuss more with Tamati about using these gems in the kapa haka world. - IN TE REO MAORI: The male leader Tamati Waaka from the winning Te Matatini 2023 team has joined us. I know you are a great chant composer. I think back to 2019, you had composed the winning traditional chant. Apanui are experts at this item. Tell me the group's secret. - IN TE REO MAORI: Easy! Don't compose new haka and new chants ` that way, the judges can't take marks off. - (LAUGHS) - I had reached out to Rikirangi to compose a chant, but then was told to look for an older composition but not a patere. There are 40 teams that compete at Te Matatini ` 30 of them do patere. That's probably the secret there ` if the majority go this way, you go the other. Where is the beauty if we are all the same? Ngapuhi will be Ngapuhi, Tuhoe be Tuhoe, Apanui be Apanui, Ngati Porou be Ngati Porou. If we are the same, then it gets boring. - (LAUGHS) How do you get creative and unique when it comes to the moteatea, knowing you guys are experts at it? If we look at this year's moteatea, what is it about? - This is a popular chant from Te Tairawhiti. You can clearly see the difference of a women's composition to a man. What I saw that was different about Te Rangiuia's composition is the way the words had been laid out. He has a strategy to the way he writes, a man way and an expert way. The Pakeha call it 'formulas'. As an example, when there's a lift, you go down. If you are to go out, you go in. It's like a Ying and Yang effect. But for women, like those from Tuhoe, the compositions by Mihikitekapua that Turuhira would teach us. She never did it like that. Her way was to pull at your heartstrings. She would use metaphors from the environment, like Shakespeare. We spoke earlier about the exit, the word used is 'whakarongo' ` a word not liked by Pakeha because it begins with 'whaka'. We used the word 'Whakarongo!' as a swear word, but it's totally different within the moteatea. SOFTLY: Whakarongo. - Mm. GRUFFLY: Whakarongo! - (CHUCKLES) - There are many ways to pronounce the one word. You know then if it's a nice song or not. - (CHUCKLES) Well, let's listen to the way the words are pronounced by this champion team in this beautiful tradition chant. - KAIKARANGA: # Haere ra... (ROPU PERFORMS 'TE TANGI A RANGIUIA, WHITI TUAONO') (ROPU PERFORMS 'TE TANGI A RANGIUIA, WHITI TUAONO') (KAIKARANGA CALLS) (ROPU PERFORMS 'TE TANGI A RANGIUIA, WHITI TUAONO') (ROPU PERFORMS 'TE TANGI A RANGIUIA, WHITI TUAONO') (KAIKARANGA CALLS) (ROPU PERFORMS 'TE TANGI A RANGIUIA, WHITI TUAONO') - IN TE REO MAORI: Welcome, everybody, to Te Matahaka. Tawhiti is the canoe. The expert on top is Tamati Waaka. Ehe! So, can you tell us what the future is for Te Whanau a Apanui? Who will be getting ready for the regional competition? Will you still be the male leader? - I see many adverts from teams announcing to the world when their practices start. Many have already started. - (GIGGLES) - Apanui hasn't started yet. That's one of the downfalls of a winning team. Many other teams have now felt that because you are being invited to attend this event and meeting. We have been to China three times over the year... - The Apanui team are now Chinese with all those trips. - Ah, ni hao, ni hao. - (LAUGHS) - Wait and see our new moves we have learnt. - (CHEERS) - Our competition is in February. - (CHUCKLES) - The champion teams from our region is Opotiki mai Tawhiti, Ruataahuna, Tauira mai Tawhiti, Waioweka, and teams like Waioweka and Te Karu didn't even qualify for Te Matatini. I think we have one of the strongest regionals out. There are many great teams that don't even make it from our regionals. Although we are part of the Mataatua region, we have strong links to Te Tairawhiti, to Ngati Porou. Our stance and style are more like that of the East Coast. But when you enter the Mataatua competition, it's tamer-like, some more savage-like. - (CHUCKLES) - It's a big job for Te Whanau a Apanui to win in that region. Since I was younger, Opotiki have won the competition the most. They are the true champions of our region. - (CHUCKLES) What great conversation and laughs we have had. Let's now look at the poi item ` the poi that won that year, Niwareka. Can you explain more about it before we watch it? - Why did you have to ask me? You would only laugh. - (CHUCKLES) - Rikirangi composed this for moko. I thought he was not that into tamoko, but there are many in our team who do. There are about 10 who have mataora. Rikirangi said many have asked him to attend their mokopapa. 'I haven't been to one yet.' Now that he has composed this, it will remain a song for all our children and grandchildren of the iwi. What I like about that song is he had really drawn on the love of that story. That story is well-known to many, but more so around the cautions around it, like women abuse. But Rikirangi had focused more on the beautiful side, like the love between the pair. It talks about their separation and then them falling in love again. - Oh! How beautiful. Let's now fall in love with this poi item to finish our segment and series. Here is the poi by Te Whanau a Apanui. (PERSON CALLS) - Haumi e! Hui e! - ALL: Taiki e! (GUITAR MUSIC PLAYS) (ROPU PERFORMS 'NIWAREKA, KAWE NOA I AHAU') (ROPU PERFORMS 'NIWAREKA, KAWE NOA I AHAU') (ROPU PERFORMS 'NIWAREKA, KAWE NOA I AHAU') (ROPU PERFORMS 'NIWAREKA, KAWE NOA I AHAU') (ROPU PERFORMS 'NIWAREKA, KAWE NOA I AHAU') (ROPU PERFORMS 'NIWAREKA, KAWE NOA I AHAU')