The community will be called to Te Puke’s Matariki celebrations on Friday in the traditional way.
The newly formed Te Kahui Pūoro o Tapuika will use taonga pūoro (traditional Māori instruments) to open the celebrations in Jubilee Park, led by taonga pūoro player and cultural educator Jo’el Komene.
It will be the first time the group has played together in public.
“We’ll have a group of people on some quite loud instruments to signal the beginning of the event, and also the end,” says Jo’el.
Among the instruments will be a pūmoana (conch shell) and pūkāea (wooden trumpet).
Jo’el says such instruments were traditionally used to open occasions and to gather people.
Te Kahui Pūoro o Tapuika was formed out of last year’s Te Rā Whakangahau o Tapuika held at Moko Marae in Waitangi.
“Some funding [from Te Mātāwai] was allocated last year for [Te Rā Whakangahau o Tapuika] and part of that was to run some wānanga around some traditional Māori instruments so they could be used as part of that event.”
Being part of the Matariki celebrations is an opportunity to get more Tapuika people involved in a formal context, he says.
“The ultimate goal here is to have a group of people who are proficient at playing the instruments and [have knowledge of] histories and traditions and embody that on our marae at formal events we might have.”
The group will also be part of Tapuika’s Matariki celebrations on the maunga Rangiuru on Saturday, again marking their beginning.
Jo’el has just returned from FestPAC - the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture in Hawaii.
“I was able to connect with other indigenous musicians and have a go with the instruments and get to know what they do and how they might be played.”
He is also part of the Haumanu Collective, a seven-strong group dedicated to the revival, teaching, and sharing of taonga pūoro.
“That aligns with what I am doing with taonga pūoro amongst my iwi as well.”
The celebrations, Te Kete Matariki, will start at 10am on Friday with a morning of kapa haka performances, followed by musical entertainment culminating in a set by reggae band House of Shem.
Food offerings are focused on Māori kai, with a range of food outlets and options.