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TE AO MÄORI
TE RÄ
O KUPE
Te Rä o Kupe, the
summer festival of Te
Kura Kaupapa Mäori
o Ngä Mokopuna,
celebrated its fifth year
recently. Te Rä o Kupe
is the kura’s annual icon
event hosted onsite in
Seatoun, Wellington.
Te Kura Kaupapa Mäori o Ngä Mokopuna
Tumuaki Noki Martin (right) with dignitaries
“Each year the festival continues to grow in popularity and attracts more and more people,”
says event manager Sharon Jensen (Ngäpuhi, Ngäti Porou).
The day was officially opened by mana whenua - Sam and June Jackson along with the
Wellington Mayor, Kerry Prendergast. The festival attracted well-known singers including
MTown, La Femme and Howard McGuire’s quartet.
The festival celebrates and honours the area’s history particularly the significance of Mäori
explorer Kupe, who was the first Mäori to visit the area. Many places around Wellington are
named by Kupe or after his journey, like Te Tangihanga-a-Kupe (Barrett Reef), Te Turanganuia-Kupe
(Seatoun Beach), Te Aroarao-a-Kupe (Steeple Rock), and Matiu (Somes Island) and
Mäkaro (Ward Island) – named after his niece and daughter.
Te Kura Kaupapa Mäori o Ngä Mokopuna was established in 1996 in Newtown, Wellington,
by whänau in central Wellington keen to pursue te reo Mäori immersion education for their
children who had completed köhanga.
In 2002, the kura outgrew its Newtown premises and moved to Seatoun (Kirikiritatangi) on the
south-eastern bays of Wellington. The kura draws its name from the motu that it overlooks,
Mokopuna Island.
Plans are already underway for Te Rä o Kupe 2009.
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TE PUNI KÖKIRI | KÖKIRI | HAKIHEA – KOHITÄTEA 2008