Wāhine Māori gather in Ōtautahi to reclaim, protect sacred taonga of karanga

Surrounded by the strength of their tūpuna, wāhine from across the motu gathered at Rehua Marae in Ōtautahi for Tīhei Waitaha - a wānanga dedicated to exploring and protecting the sacred taonga of karanga.

Facilitated by Heeni Te Whakaako Kereru (Liz) and led by the rōpū Te Kōkōwai Māreikura o Mātangireia, the wānanga honoured five respected māreikura who have upheld the mauri of mahau across generations: Rānui Ngārimu, Alamein Connell, Tihi Puanaki, Te Herehere Tukaki and Roberta Arahanga.

At the heart of the kaupapa was the revitalisation of karanga, not just as an art form, but as a living tikanga.

Kereru, known in the rohe as Whaea Liz or Aunty Liz, said the day was about more than teaching, it was about activation.

"Activating that punaroimata, activating all those kare-ā-roto that are within us as wāhine, about who we are - as kaikaranga, as mothers, as grandmothers."

Through the mātauranga of ngā māreikura, Kereru said wāhine were given a deeper understanding of their place within te ao Māori.

"It's opened the door to a whole different world, a new world for some of our māreikura e wāhine who have come today - and given a better understanding of who they are and how important we are within our own culture."

Kereru said it was important for wāhine to walk in the world with their heads held high, and with the strength of knowledge passed down to them from those that had gone before.

"Because for too long we've been dictated to. We've tried to live a culture that is not ours. And so now we're just reclaiming that."

Central to the kaupapa was tikanga. While more people are learning te reo Māori, Kereru said language alone was not enough.

"You can go and learn te reo Māori, and many are. But what's often lost is ngā tikanga because with te reo, comes ōna tikanga. There's always a tikanga to everything we do.

"You can't walk in te ao Māori unless you carry that tikanga behind you."

The wānanga also challenged the idea that karanga belongs only on the marae.

"Karanga is a form of communication. It doesn't only belong to the pōhiri process," Kereru said.

"We're teaching our next generation that it can be used anywhere, it's not something that should be locked away."

Laying foundations for the future

Kereru, a grandmother of 10, eight of whom are fluent in te reo, said this kaupapa was part of a larger, intergenerational movement.

"We're placeholders," she said.

"My job as a māreikura is to make sure our mokopuna are safe. And confident in who they are as Māori."

Referencing a whakataukī from her iwi, Mō tātou, ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei, for us and our children after us, she said there was strength in unity and knowing where you come from.

"We'll keep moving forward, no matter how many barriers are put in front of us. Because the more barriers we face, the stronger we become.

"We're united as a people... and we can only build strength from that."

'Everybody is worthy'

Danna Robson, one of the wānanga organisers, said the kaupapa was about recognising that every wāhine holds mana - regardless of background.

"Some people say the word māreikura should only be for a select few," she said.

"But everybody is worthy."

With over 50 wāhine in attendance, the gathering made space for those who hadn't grown up in kōhanga reo or kura kaupapa.

"We invited in those that haven't been given the tools since birth," she said.

"I think now it seems to be that every wāhine is coming into her own power and realising that she can be the inspiration for her own tamariki and mokopuna."

She hoped wāhine left feeling empowered in knowing that they had the right to karanga as wāhine Māori.

"They actually had the right before they were born to do this and to take on this kaupapa."

She also said in a time when Māori rights, reo and tikanga were under attack, spaces like this were vital.

"We're on a bit of a threshold. But [the younger] generation, the kōhanga reo generation, are reclaiming what once was. Walking successfully in both worlds, holding their mana motuhake, tino rangatiratanga."

She said the emergence of rangatahi leaders like Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke showed the next generation was already transforming the landscape.

"I think the next generation is going to surpass any moemoeā we could ever think of."

Surrounded by tūpuna

Rehua Marae was chosen not only for its history, but for its inclusively. As a pan-tribal marae with deep whakapapa in trade training and whānau ties across the motu, it holds special meaning for the māreikura involved.

"This is the mahau where those five wāhine have stood together before," Robson said.

"When they came out of the whare, hotuhotu ana te ngākau, waiwai ana te whatu. There were tears, because we knew it might not happen again."

Kereru said everyone who entered Te Whatu Manawa Maoritanga o Rehua had whakapapa to one of the pou in the whare.

"It just goes back to that whakatauki: Aroha ki te tangata, ahakoa ko wai, ahakoa nō hea - love people, no matter who they are or where they are from.

"It needed to be here for that reason because it's about safety. That's about giving every one of those women that come today a voice."

And in that space of safety and aroha, the strength of their tūpuna was felt.

"They were everywhere," she said.

"It's time. They've been waiting for a long time."

Kereru said the impact of the day was written on the faces of those who came.

"Some weren't sure if they were even ready to come. But by the end of the day, you could see it, that realisation of 'I am worthy of this. This is for me'.

"They've been empowered. And not just as reo karanga, as wāhine Māori."

With demand already growing, the organisers said they would take a moment to rest before turning to what came next.

"We haven't even debriefed yet, but people are already asking about the next one," Robson said.

"That tells us everything."

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