Ngāti Rēhia kuia Rawi Pere. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Everyone can sing - so they say - but can everyone kapa haka?
Rawi Pere certainly believes they can, and this weekend, the Ngāti Rēhia Community Kapa Haka Group will make its public debut at the Turner Centre in the Bay of Islands centre of Kerikeri.
Pere told RNZ Concert's Bryan Crump the performance is the climax of an eight-week beginners' course in kapa haka which is now in its second year.
In 2024, the group performed to friends and whānau, this year, it's going public.
Pere says the programme is a chance for people to give kapa haka a go, whether they are non-Māori, or Māori who never got the opportunity or haven't done kapa haka since they were children.
She says most of the 50 strong group have no trouble picking up the music, but memorising the kapa haka moves is another matter, especially the poi.
"The poi. That's a work in progress" she says.
Giving non-Maori the chance to experience kapa haka and develop a deeper understanding of the reo and the meaning behind the movements is a good way to break down barriers.
"We're not so scary" she laughs.
Pere says as far as she knows, Ngāti Rēhia is the only hapu in Aotearoa teaching kapa haka to non-Māori, but she'd love to see the idea spread south.
Crump says one group that seems to be especially shy about trying it are men; of the 50 odd participants taking the Bay of Islands course, only five are male.
"Maybe they're worried about not having enough muscles?" Crump suggests.
Pere laughs again.
"C'mon! Tama, tane, toa!"
Boys and men! Be brave!
