This weekend, something shifts.
At the Tainui Waka Kapa Haka Regionals, held at the Claudelands Event Centre, Taonga Pūoro will be heard not just as a subtle layer beneath performance – but acknowledged, uplifted, and judged for the very first time as a non-aggregate item.
For many, this is a quiet addition to the programme.
For us, it is a generational milestone.
A Dream Realised - and Just Beginning
For decades, the revival of Taonga Pūoro has been carried on the breath of our people – through wānanga, through performance, through the unwavering commitment of our tohunga and practitioners. As reflected in our Mahere Rautaki, this movement has always been about more than sound – it is about reconnection to atua, whenua, and whakapapa.
To now see Taonga Pūoro step onto the kapa haka stage in its own right signals something deeper:
We are no longer restoring alone – we are transforming.
This moment embodies our collective aspiration:
Kia mau, kia whakatipu, kia tuku iho ai ngā taonga pūoro Māori.
Te Oro Atua - The Sound Made Visible at Tainui Kapa Haka
At the heart of this new category sits Te Oro Atua, a taonga gifted by Haumanu Collective to mark this inaugural year.
As described in the tohu documentation, Te Oro Atua speaks to the unseen origins of sound – the resonance of atua carried into the human world. The Pūtōrino, associated with Hine Raukatauri, stands as a vessel of both masculine and feminine voices, echoing across realms.
Carved by Jo’el Komene-Rōreka, the taonga itself reflects not only artistry, but whakapapa – linking Te Whare Haka o Tainui, ngā atua, and the living breath of performance today.
This is not just a trophy.
It is a statement: the sound of our ancestors is present, visible, and valued.
Honouring the Carriers of the Kaupapa
Haumanu Collective is proud to stand alongside this moment, with representatives Jo’el Komene-Rōreka and Horomona Horo serving as kaiwhakawā.
Their presence signals a deeper layer of integrity – ensuring that taonga pūoro is held, assessed, and celebrated within its own tikanga, its own reo, its own mauri.
And to Te Whare Haka o Tainui – this step reflects bold leadership. A willingness to create space for taonga pūoro not just as accompaniment, but as an artform in its own right.
What This Means for the Future
This is how change happens.
Not all at once – but in moments like this.
A new category. A new taonga. A new standard.
From here, the possibilities open:
- Rangatahi seeing taonga pūoro as part of their kapa haka journey
- Composers weaving deeper layers of mātauranga into performance
- Iwi across Aotearoa following suit, embedding taonga pūoro into regional and national stages
- A future where taonga pūoro is not an addition – but an expectation
This aligns directly with our vision:
He ara pūoro – he ihi reo, he wehi oro, he wana ora
Hei Whakakapi
To ngā tamariki a Hineraukatauri taking the stage this weekend at the Tainui Kapa Haka – this is your moment.
Carry the breath of the atua.
Let the instruments speak.
Let the unseen be heard.
Because this is more than a competition.
This is the sound of a future arriving.