Pupū ake ngā kare ā-roto, rere ana ngā roimata, mō ngā rangatahi o Te Kapa Haka o Te Koutu ka pānuihia ōkawatia ai hei Toa Whakaihuwaka o Te Whakataetae Kapa Haka Kura Tuarua ā-Motu 2026 ki roto o Tauranga Moana.
He wikitoria tēnei i whakatapua ki tō rātou hoa, ki a Taiiringa Roimata Brown Bennett, i mate nei i te mate pukupuku kōiwi. I roto i tā rātou mahi, i rongo te katoa i te wairua o te aroha me te hononga hohonu o te kapa ki tō rātou tuahine.
I te mutunga o te whakataetae, ka whakapuaki te Manukura Tane, a Awatere Douglas-Karauna, i tōna hīkaka mō te angitu o te tōna. “Tē tāea te kōrero, poho kererū pai, i taku kura, i taku kapa,” hei tā Awatere.
“Me pono te kōrero ko te whāinga nui he kawe i tō mātou tuahine ki roto o Tauranga Moana ae ki te taha o tō mātou taha, hei kaihaka i tō mātou taha,” hei tāna anō. “Nā reira e mihi ana ki tō mātou tuahine ki a Tairinga, ko ia te kaupapa nui te kaupapa matua o tō mātou haerenga, tō mātou mahi katoa.”
I whakapuaki hoki te Manukura Wahine, a Riripete Morris Bishop, i te hiranga o te waiata ā-ringa i roto i tā rātou hōtaka hei whakaatu i tō rātou aroha nui ki te hunga kua ngaro ki te pō.
“Ko te waiata ā-ringa te tino pekanga o tā mātou kapa i te mea; tuatahi ko te kaupapa, arā ko tā mātou tuahine a Taiiringa kua riro ki tua o paerau,” hei tā Riripete.
“Mō te waiata ā-ringa, ko taku kuia kei te kōtihi o whakaaro. Engari, kaua hoki mō te waiata ā-ringa noa iho, engari mō te hōtaka katoa. I kawe ahau i a ia ki tōku taha, ki runga i te atamira,” hei tāna anō.
Ahakoa te taumaha o te ngākau mō te ngaronga atu o tēnei rangatira taiohi, i kaha tū a Te Koutu. Ko tā rātou wikitoria i Te Tāwharau o Ngā Waka he tohu o te kotahitanga me te aroha mutunga kore ki a Taiiringa, he tohu e kore ia e warewaretia.
Ka mutu hei tā Awatere anō, “nā ēnei mahi kua hiki i te taumaha i tō mātou kapa katoa, kua ea ngā mahi ehara i te mea ka warewaretia tō mātou tuahine engari kua hikina kua mutu te tangi kua mutu ngā mahi roimata.”