New to Nayland social science teacher Ihaka Griffin-Matthews joins us after seven years living and teaching on the Gold Coast, Australia.

He says it was a great place to live and singles out the surf culture and outdoorsy lifestyle. “With the huge migration of Kiwis going over there at the time, I thought I’ll jump on the bandwagon and see what it was like,” he said.

As well as teaching at a high school on the Gold Coast, Mr Griffin-Matthews did a short stint at a remote school on an Aboriginal settlement in the Northern Territory, a semi-desert area six hours south of Darwin.

The two hour once-a-week flight to get there in a two person plane was “hair-raising” to say the least. “Probably an hour in there was a storm cloud coming in our path. Obviously those little planes can’t fly in them because the storms over there are really strong, so the pilot had to basically race the storm cloud and try and beat it.”

Matua Ihaka was brought up in Tauranga and taught at Mt Maunganui College where he was head of Māori and worked alongside Nayland deputy principal Jane Townsend. In Australia he taught the social sciences - geography, history and social studies. Here at Nayland he’s teaching sociology, tourism, social studies and maths.

He says the move down south was a deliberate one. “I’ve always known I’m from down these ways so have always wanted to come down and connect and see what it’s like down here.”

Mr Griffin-Matthews whakapapas to all the iwi of the Top of the South: Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Rārua, Te Ati Awa, Rangitāne ki Wairau, Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Tama, and Ngāti Toa.

“I’ve connected quite strongly already with some of the iwi. It’s still an ongoing journey. I’m already on one of the language committees, for Ngāti Koata, and the kapa haka committee for the Top of the South. It’s good, it’s good,” he said.

He is no stranger to the national kapa haka scene, having competed at Te Matatini four times. The most recent was in Wellington where he was part of the local Kia Ngāwari group. The name translates as ‘be peaceful’ or ‘be humble’.

“[It was] awesome for me to be with my Ngāti Koata whānau, to be on stage with actual whānau, helping their journey because they’re still strengthening and trying to get better,” the seasoned performer said.

Matua Ihaka credits his whakapapa for his passion for kapa haka. “I’m a literal descendant of Te Rauparaha. He was the one who composed ‘Ka Mate, Ka Mate’, so it’s in my blood. Also, from a young age coming through high school I just enjoyed it and excelled at it.”

His talent and passion for kapa haka has taken him around both Aotearoa and America, Canada, and Japan.  A highlight from his travels was staying on indigenous reservations in Calgary, Canada.

He is currently studying for a Master’s in Māori Leadership and Governance. In what’s left of his free time, Matua Ihaka likes to go swimming and to the gym, as well as looking around and exploring the local area.

“It’s an absolutely beautiful place, I can’t get over how beautiful this place is.”