Te Hau Kōmaru National Waka Hourua Festival heads to South Island

Waka hourua will head to Kaiteretere harbour in April next year as part of a festival to protect the continued legacy of kaupapa waka in Aotearoa and reconnect local iwi with waka hourua.

The bi-annual Te Hau Kōmaru National Waka Hourua festival will be held in the South Island for the first time from 7-14 April 2024 following two successful festivals in Tauranga in 2021 and Kāwhia in 2022.

Festival organisers, Te Hau Kōmaru National Waka Hourua Charitable Trust and Te Tai o Awatea Charitable Trust, say bringing Te Hau Kōmaru to Te Tauihu o te Waka has a special cultural significance due to the rich history of waka in the region.

Te Hau Kōmaru Festival not only ensures the safekeeping of taonga (treasure) and mātauranga (knowledge) such as waka but will share and celebrate the history of Polynesian navigators and voyagers by showcasing different waka types and the mātauranga that accompanies them. The festival organisers anticipate upwards of 1500 ākonga in attendance from Monday to Friday and an estimated 1500 attendees on the public days. 

Te Hau Kōmaru Trust Co-Chair, Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, says the event will be an unforgettable celebration of waka, culture, and community. 

“We want to protect, bring awareness to, share kōrero of, and guide the continued legacy of kaupapa waka in Aotearoa. That is what the festival in Kaiteretere will do for us in 2024,” says Kerr. 

Following the TUIA 250 Commemorations of 2019 the Government announced ongoing support of kaupapa waka hourua, as a vital part of the history of Aotearoa. Through this funding, Te Hau Kōmaru was established.  

“Our goal as the national body and representatives is to create pathways for each waka society and trust to share mātauranga waka and create spaces where this mātauranga and its practices can be appropriately implemented,” says Kerr.  

For more information on festival activities and what to expect visit https://tehaukomaru.org/