Ahakoa he iti he pounamu,  he koha aroha

Although it is small, it is a treasure, and it is given with love

Last year, we introduced the singing of a waiata to our House Music competition. The students embraced this wholeheartedly.

I was touched by the integrity and mana students brought to their performances, and I look forward to seeing Kapa Haka grow within the College.

I wanted to donate an award to recognise the House performing the best waiata, so I decided to choose a taonga puoro—a musical treasure. With the support of Iona’s student Māori Council, I chose a kōauau or traditional Māori flute. 

The spiritual entity of Māori flutes is Hine Raukatauri, the daughter of Tānemahuta. Local legend explains how Tutanekai played a kōauau on Mokoia Island to lead Hinemoa across Lake Rotorua to him. 

Female connection to the flute and my link to Rotorua and Mokoia Island are significant properties of the kōauau, making it a meaningful gift for me to give to Iona students.

With the support of Skye Stanley, our new Science, Māori, and Kapa Haka teacher, the taonga was blessed at a traditional ceremony on Tuki Tuki River near its entrance to the sea at Haumoana. 

Kaumatua Lum led the ritual, presenting my taonga to the Whenua and people of the local area before blessing the kōauau and passing it to Grace Taylor, a member of Iona’s student Māori Council. 

With the assembled Council and staff, Kaumatua Lum discussed the importance of learning the rituals and protocols of the local area—a responsibility that must be carefully shared from one generation to another. I appreciated the opportunity to express my identity as tangata Tiriti and enhance my understanding of te ao Māori.

With the kōauau now blessed and handed over to Iona, I look forward to its first presentation at the upcoming House Music competition. It will be inscribed with the Whakataukī "Me he koro koro tūī"—which refers to someone with a beautiful singing voice like that of the melodious call of the tūī bird. 

Heidi McLeod
Director of Performing Arts 

Article added: Friday 28 March 2025