Ngāti Awa Te Toki 2024

Ngāti Awa Te Toki: Strengthening Hapū and Iwi for the Future

Ngāti Awa Te Toki (Te Toki) Festival is celebrating its tenth anniversary this Labour Weekend, supported once again by Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. The event will feature performances from thirty kapa haka teams at Te Kaea a te Taiwhakaea, Whakatāne Rugby Park on 26 and 27 October, creating a vibrant space for cultural expression and intergenerational knowledge sharing.

Rewiti Elliot, Tauira Voice Coordinator at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi and Chairman of Te Toki’s operational committee, Te Ahi Kaa Ngāti Awa Te Toki, explains,

“Te Toki is about kapa haka, revitalising the language, and growing Ngāti Awa tikanga. It's an opportunity for all of Mātaatua to celebrate our Māoritanga.

“Every year, the kaupapa continues to grow, with more participation on stage, more cultural activities, more sponsors, and, most importantly, the thousands of whānau who come to watch and support the performances. This weekend, we are expecting numbers to exceed 6,000 people.”

Beyond the performances, the festival relies on the support of whānau volunteers.

“Kapa teams are preparing well in advance of the festival. Whānau are juggling mahi, tamariki, and other commitments to make haka practice during the week and on weekends, but it's great because our tamariki are immersed in it too, and they love performing for their whānau and communities.

“We must also acknowledge the mahi of whānau who volunteer their time to make this event possible for everyone to enjoy, coordinating everything from sponsors, set-up, health and safety, stalls, and how we express manaakitanga to everyone throughout the festival.

“Te Toki showcases the collective efforts and mātauranga that are nurtured behind the scenes; it embodies everything we inherently do as Māori.”

In 2009, Ngāti Awa set a vision for 2050 to respond to hapū and marae experiencing a decreasing capacity to meet day-to-day tribal responsibilities: Ko Ngāti Awa te Toki te tangatanga i te rā, te ngohengohe i te wai — Ngāti Awa is the adze whose bindings are neither loosened by the sun nor softened by the rain.

Waitangi Black, Te Pōkaitahi Reo Kaiako at Awanuiārangi and hapū delegate for Ngāi Te Rangihouhiri on the Te Ahi Kaa Ngāti Awa Te Toki committee, has been involved with the kaupapa since its inception and is proud of what the team has achieved.

“Our aim was to unite our 22 hapū in strengthening and preserving our cultural identity. We focused on addressing the challenges facing Te Reo o Ngāti Awa, ensuring its vitality for future generations. Kapa haka became central to this effort, not only to protect and grow our reo but also to foster various talents, whether in teaching, performing, or composing mōteatea, while passing down our ancestral knowledge.

"From the beginning, the kaupapa was driven by concern for the cultural well-being of Ngāti Awa, particularly our language. We assessed where we stood in terms of reo, culture, and kapa haka, both within the iwi and on regional and national stages. With strong support from iwi leaders, hapū, and organisations like Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa and Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, Te Toki was born. Now, ten years later, the festival continues to flourish, celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2024.

"Seeing whānau proudly stand with their hapū, from tamariki to adults, greatly impacts the well-being, identity, and pride of our hapū and marae. This intergenerational participation fosters oranga, tuakiritanga, and mana tangata for all involved."

Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi is a proud sponsor of Ngāti Awa Te Toki 2024. As a cultural and educational pillar for Ngāti Awa, Awanuiārangi also offers a range of marae-centered courses designed to enhance the cultural capabilities of whānau, hapū, and iwi, ensuring the transfer of knowledge from one generation to the next. This sponsorship aligns with Awanuiārangi’s commitment to supporting iwi aspirations for development and the celebration of cultural identity.