Mid & South Canterbury Annual Cultural Event Showcasing Kapa Haka, Visual and Performing Arts. Head on down and support Mounties Kapa Haka team. They will be on between 9:40am and 10.05am

Flava Fest

KA TOI MĀORI O AORAKI FESTIVAL

Ka Toi Māori o Aoraki was an initiative that derived from the now historical Maori Youth Suicide Prevention strategy, Kia Piki Te Ora o Te Taitamariki.

This strategy was rolled out in South Canterbury through the formation of a key community team responsible for planning and implementing initiatives aimed at building resilience in Maori youth and supporting whanau/community connectedness. Initially groups of rangatahi and tamariki were exposed to Te Ao Maori through local wananga and supported to travel to specialized wananga e.g. Taiaha, Career Workshops, Kapahaka etc.

In 2006, Kia Piki Te Ora o Te Taitamariki rangatahi identified an interest in developing a local schools competition to promote pride in their identity, to showcase their talents and to express their creativity. Several Hui later, the concept of an annual schools cultural festival was born. Rakatahi decided the theme for this initial festival would be FLAVA signifying the bringing together of people of all flavours in a celebration of culture. Although officially known as Ka Toi Māori o Aoraki, FLAVA is a name that appears to have stuck with the festival and has morphed into an anagram:

• Future Learning Achievement Virtue Autonomy
• Future: motivation to look forward to our future
• Learning: motivation to want to grow and expand your mind
• Achievement: motivation to work hard and attain excellence
• Virtue: motivation to be worth to self, family and community
• Autonomy: motivation to help and be of service to others.

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Ka Toi Māori o Aoraki is open to all early childhood, primary, secondary schools and tertiary education within the Arowhenua rohe (bordered by the Southern Alps and between the Waitaki & Rakaia rivers).

Mountainview High School will be participating in the competitive section for the first time in a very long time (the last time that they stood was with Whaea Ani Haua in 2015) They are very new to performing and to such a large audience and hope to become more confident by participating and competing in these Kaupapa Māori initiatives.

Kā Tiritiri o Te Moana is the name that was gifted to the kapa haka team by the late Poua Jack Reihana-Moemate, from Arowhenua.

They are nervous but also excited to be on stage –
Please come down to the Soundshell, Caroline Bay and support the Kapa Haka team – They will be on between 9.40am - 10.05am on Saturday 9th of September.

The Mountainview Kapa Haka team will also be performing at the Waitaha Regional Secondary Kapa Haka Competitions the following Saturday 16th September, (these are the preliminary rounds that you have to qualify at to go into the national competition which is being held early next year in Nelson) which are being held in Ōtautahi (Christchurch) at the Town Hall. They will be performing under the name Ngā Pou o Rokohuia as they had an open invitation to other kura to combine with them and unfortunately due to other commitments the other kura had to pull out.

This years performance is composed and written by the kaiako, Whaea Iri (kupu – words) and the kaitātaki wahine, Rongomai-Ngākau Unahi (rangi – tune/s, music).

The mōteatea is a traditional oriori – Pinepine te kura and their haka is from Tairawhiti (East Coast).