'Karanga is yours': Kuia empower the next generation of wāhine Māori to step forward

RNZ News

29-07-2025

Kōka Alamein Connell (Ngāti Porou), one of the māreikura honoured at Tīhei Waitaha, offered some of her mātauranga, despite recently spending five weeks in hospital recovering from a stroke.
Photo:
Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
In a time when many marae are facing the loss of kaumātua and kuia who have long upheld tikanga, a powerful movement in Ōtautahi is preparing the next generation of wāhine Māori to carry forward the mātauranga and mana of their tūpuna.
Tīhei Waitaha, a wānanga
led by the rōpū Te Kōkōwai Māreikura o Mātangireia
, took place at Rehua Marae over the weekend, honouring five wāhine who have upheld the mauri of the mahau across generations: Rānui Ngārimu, Alamein Connell, Tihi Puanaki, Te Herehere Tukaki and Roberta Arahanga.
Two hours after putting the pānui out, the sign-up list for the free wānanga was full, a response organisers said shows just how needed kaupapa like this are in Te Waipounamu.
Facilitator and resepcted Tuahiwi māreikura Heeni Te Whakaako Kereru (Whaea Liz) said the kaupapa is about igniting the inner flame.
"It's important that we do what we do. We've only got these five, who are sitting here left in Ōtautahi, that have walked the walk and now talk the talk."
Surrounded by the strength of their tīpuna, Kereru spoke of the urgency felt throughout the day.
"I cry because all of our tīpuna are here. It's full.
"There's been a sense of urgency from them, about us losing our identity, who we are as wāhine, who we are as Māori, as Indigenous people."
Looking across the rōpū of wāhine gathered at Rehua, she reminded them this was only the beginning.
"And the turmoil we are in... it will be us who will nurture the world, actually. And bring peace back."
Rānui Ngārimu (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga) leads a karanga during the pōwhiri at Rehua Marae for Tīhei Waitaha.
Photo:
Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
One of the country's most renowned kaiwhatu, Rānui Ngārimu, who
wove the Olympic team's kākahu
, was the first kaikōrero at Tīhei Waitaha.
She shared moments from her own haerenga, or journey, with karanga, paying tribute to the wāhine who helped shape her understanding.
"[My aunty] would say te reo Māori is our language from the heavens. It is our language from our gods, and nobody on earth can change that."
"In today's political environment, I bless you Aunty Marge, you've given us something to hold on to."
Her first experience with karanga came without warning, and without preparation.
She recalled calling out haere mai again and again, eventually weaving in a childhood waiata to fill the space.
"I was whakamā. But I was reminded that all that mattered was making our people feel welcome."
Ngā māreikura: Rānui Ngārimu, Te Herehere Tukaki, Heeni Te Whakaako Kereru (Liz), Alamein Connell, Tihi Puanaki, Roberta Arahanga.
Photo:
Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
"Karanga is a ritual of engagement between two groups of people that requires the ability to communicate not only messages, but also emotion."
She described karanga as a spiritual bridge, a way of drawing manuhiri in safely and a practice that transforms any space into a marae once it begins.
She also spoke of its power.
In 2013, Ngārimu attended the unveiling of Pou Whenua on Scott Base in Antartica alongside the then-Ngai Tahu Kaiwhakahaere Mark Solomon, and then-Prime Minister John Key.
A formal pōwhiri was planned, but heavy snow casted doubt over whether it would go ahead.
"They were saying 'we might have to cancel', and I said, 'No, it'll clear'."
As she stepped forward and began her karanga, snow still falling, she felt the shift.
"I opened my mouth, got a mouthful of snow, and just kept going," she laughed. "And then... it stopped. Total stillness.
"The Americans called it luck. But I knew. I've seen it happen before. The power of karanga can part skies."
She ended her kōrero with a saying from one of her rmentors.
"Stand tall darlings, we are the faces of our tūpuna... and that's exactly what we are, the faces of our tūpuna."
Despite recently spending five weeks in hospital recovering from a stroke, Kōkā Alamein still showed up - for Whaea Liz, for Tuahiwi, and for the kaupapa.
Photo:
Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
Despite recently spending five weeks in hospital recovering from a stroke, Kōkā Alamein still showed up.
Her kōrero centred around two questions: Mā wai? Mō wai? Who will do it? And who are we doing it for?
"Mō wai? For whom will we do it? For the generations to come," she said.
"Mā wai? Who will do it? Well of course it will be you. Mō ngā uri whakatipu. So it's not a lost art.
"We have to carry it on, and pass it from one generation to the next. But we also have to learn to respect."
Through her stories, she made clear that karanga is love in action.
"Even when you're calling out to your manuhiri, you're doing that through love. Love of your language, love of who you are, love of your whakapapa."
"Always be proud of your whakapapa, of yourself, of your iwi. But don't forget to respect those who came before you, your elders."
Te Herehere Tukaki (Ngāi Tuhoe, Tauranga Moana) reminded wāhine that everyone plays a role in the pōhiri process, from pēpi to kaumātua.
Photo:
Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
Whaea Te Herehere focused on pōwhiri and the importance of aroha in her kōrero.
"Looking at your faces, I can feel your aroha coming into me. I can feel more confident."
She reminded the rōpū that everyone plays a role in the pōhiri process, from pēpi to kaumātua.
"The pōhiri is for everybody who is at the marae, everybody who is in the manuhiri. Ko ngā pēpi, ahakoa te pakeke, o te newness of our pēpi, ki te kaumātua, ki te pakeke, ki te koroheke - doesn't matter how old you are. You're on the marae doing your pōhiri."
Preparation starts young, she said, whether it is picking up rubbish or placing a clean cup on the table - always with aroha.
"Everything we did then, we had to do with aroha, so that our manuhiri would feel welcome, so they would feel the aroha of our marae, and of our people."
She shared that moving as a collective during the pōhiri, with kuia at the front, tāne at the back and tamariki protected in the middle, is about keeping one another safe.
"The kuia who are there to call for you, their backs need to be protected too."
She said that karanga, too, is deeply connected to this spirit of preparation and aroha.
"Sometimes when I stand there outside, I don't karanga to the manuhiri in front of me. I'm calling down to Tangaroa so he can hear me. I'm calling ki ngā maunga so they can hear me."
"Karanga kia puta mai te aroha ki roto i a tātou nei mahi katoa," she said, meaning, let the call (karanga) bring love (aroha) into all our work (mahi katoa).
Photo:
Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
Known affectionately as Aunty Birdie, Roberta Arahanga (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Hine, Tainui ki Pare Hauraki, Tuhoe, Ngāti Rongomai, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Kahungunu) shared her experiences as a wahine Māori stepping into karanga.
She stressed the importance of the voice of wāhine, and the power it holds.
"That's your voice. That's the first voice that's heard out there on the mahau when you are from here. So they can't move until you use your voice.
"You're not mucking around, you mean business."
She encouraged wāhine to be proud of their whakapapa and to always ensure tikanga is upheld during karanga.
"Make sure that you get your whakapapa right, where you've come from, what you're going to be doing, what it was all about... acknowledge your tīpuna."
Tihi Puanaki (Ngāti Hine), shared her mātauranga at Tīhei Waitaha, and said to the wāhine in attendance that "karanga is yours to uphold."
Photo:
Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
A beloved figure across Aotearoa, Tihi Puanaki is known for her work in Māori education and her leadership of the award-winning haka rōpū Te Kotahitanga.
At Tīhei Waitaha, she reminded wāhine of the sacredness of the kaupapa:
"Wāhine mā, tai tamariki mā, kua huihui tātou i raro i te karanga o te kaupapa nei... He kaupapa tino tapu, he kaupapa tino nui. Horekau he mutunga.
"No matter where you come from or what iwi you descend from, karanga is yours to uphold."
She acknowledged the pressure that comes with the role as kaikaranga, and the humility.
"Karanga is not just a performance. You're acknowledging the maunga, the iwi, the hau kāinga. There's real pressure in that.
"You've got to look after your voice, and your wairua too."
Puanaki also spoke candidly about protecting tikanga.
"Karanga is not a course you complete. You don't get a certificate and become a kaikāranga overnight. You carry that responsibility for life.
"Don't just bring new people onto the pae without letting the rest of us know... We overlook mana whenua sometimes, and we shouldn't.
"There are some things we have to protect. Karanga is not for everybody."
"Kaua koe ki tō hoa Pākehā, kāre. I say it with aroha... but this is for my people.
"You might not be a kaikaranga for Rehua or Tuahiwi. But you might be a kaikaranga for your little job, your whānau...and that's important too."
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