Some of our Maori Stage team: Hikitia Barton, Brenda Rawiri, Karena Koria, Turangatira Tata

Kia ora whānau!

Going to ASB Polyfest (Wednesday 16 – Saturday 19 March) next week?

So are we.

We’ll be there to celebrate everyone performing at this massive festival.

Come visit our three stalls while you’re there: the Maori stage, Samoa stage and ASB Village.

Get to the Museum’s stall at Maori stage and post a SHOUT OUT to your bro, sister, cuzzie,
son, daughter, moko, bff, gf or bf (mwah) about how awesome they were on stage.

Ur SHOUT OUT will play across our big screen.

Maua ko Tohirere Matehaere Tangataware Rawiri (Maori Court, Tamaki Paenga Hera)

He tohunga tōku koroua ki te mahi hāngi. Kei te rongo tonu tōku ihu i ngā hua o āna mahi! Te reka hoki o te mīti poaka, kau hoki, me te paukena, kūmara, rīwai!

Nā, ka tukuna e tōku koro i āna pukenga ki tōku pāpā, heke iho ki ōku tūngaane. A tōna wā pea, ka mau aku mokopuna i tērā mātauranga tino nui ki a tātou te iwi Māori. Tau kē!

Ko te tupuna nei ko Tohirere Matehaere Tangataware Rawiri, engari e mōhiotia whānuitia nei ko Te Ware. Nō Ngāti Whanaunga, nō Ngāi Tai, nō Ngāi Te Rangi.

Ka moe ia i a Maude Moengārangi Tuhimata, nō Tuakau, ka puta ko Te Ruapotaka. Ka moe a Te Ruapōtaka i a Ngāpuāwai Rose Barlow, nō Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Whātua hoki, ka puta ko au.

Ki te reo Ingarihi (In the English language)

This tupuna is Tohirere Matehaere Tangataware Rawiri, but he was known by everyone as Te Ware. His iwi are Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāi Tai, and Ngāi Te Rangi.

He married Maude Moengārangi Tuhimata, who was from Tuakau, and Te Ruapotaka was born. Te Ruapōtaka married Ngāpuāwai Rose Barlow, from Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Whātua, and I was born.

My grandfather was an expert at making hāngi. My nose can still smell the fruits of his work! So delicious was the pork, beef, pumpkin, kūmara, and potatoes!

Anyway, my koro passed on his skills to my father, who passed them down to my brothers. Perhaps in time, my grandchildren will attain that knowledge that is so important to us. Awesome!