In this issue of Te Mahau, we connected with Tsehai-Marie Karauna, a member of Te Whānau Āpanui Kapa Haka roopu who took out the top award at Matatini 2023. We asked about her experiences being back on the Matatini stage and how this contributed to her mental wellbeing.

Kō wai koe? Nō hea koe?

Te taha o tōku māreikura nō Te Hiku o te Ika.

He kuaka marangaranga tēnei nō Muriwhenua.

Ko Ngāti Kuri me Ngāti Kahu ngā iwi.

Te taha o tōku whatukura nō Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāi Tūhoe me Te Whānau a Apanui.

Ko Tsehai-Marie Karauna te tangata e whakamānawatia atu ki a koutou.

This year was the first year back at Te Matatini, since the COVID-19 pandemic, how did it feel to come back into kapa haka?

Honestly it felt like forever since we last stepped into this space. I think having such a huge break and the absence of haka definitely made the heart grow fonder. It felt like being rejoiced back to one of the main things that sparks the most joy in your life and we have been deprived of it these past 4 years due to COVID-19. You could imagine the excitement returning back to this space.

He māringinui taku hokinga atu ki tōku whenua taurikura kei Ōmaio anō hoki. Ko te whāinga nui kia whakanui ai tōku tātai whakapapa me taku hononga ki taua taha o Te Whānau a Apanui.

I was lucky to return to my prosperous homelands in Omaio as well. My goal is to honour this side of my genealogy and my connection to Apanui.

We know that COVID-19 created a lot of challenges for mental health and wellbeing, what were some things that you did to be well during this time?

He tino uaua taua wā mō te nuinga o te motu. Mōku ake e aro ana ahau ki ngā pou katoa o tōku whare tapawhā. I whakaaro ahau me pēhea rā te whakamana i ngā pou katoa o tōku whare oranga. He wā pai tēnā ki te whai i taku ara hauora.

That was a very difficult time for a lot of the country. For me it was about keeping my health in check (in accordance with the whare tapawhā model). I thought of ways on how to empower all sides of my hauora. That was a good time to do just that.

I kept myself busy by refocusing on the pillars of my whare tapawhā. I also moved back home to Tai Tokerau in this time which I think was the best thing I could have possibly ever done and absolutely loving it.

Kāore e tua atu i te whā Noorta ktk.

There’s no place quite like the far north lol

How has being back at kapa haka and performing helped you with your mental health and wellbeing?

He rongoā anō tā te ao haka. Ki ahau nei he ao motuhake te ao haka kia tū maia te tangata ki roto i tōna ao Māori. He rongoā anō mō te hinengaro me te oranga o te tangata anō hoki.

The haka world has its own kind of medicine. To me, the haka world is a unique platform for Māori to stand confident in their Māori world. It is a remedy for the mind and livelihood of Māori.

I think kapa haka keeps us sane and helps with everything – well it does for me. It’s the best type of medicine you could take and one if the best vehicles to bring hope, joy, liberation and rejuvenation to the soul, done in the most authentically Māori way possible. Most importantly it’s the kaupapa and people who bring it alive – being around inspiring and empowering people/kaupapa definitely fills the cup.

We’ve heard recently how kapa haka is being studied as a modality of health, why do you think it would be important for service providers to connect with this space as a process of being well?

Kei roto i ngā kapu o te ringaringa he kai. Kei ōu tātou ringaringa te iwi Māori he rongoā. Ko ngā hua nui e puta mai ana atu i te ao haka ko te noho rūmaki ki te ao Māori. Ka whanake te māia o te tangata kia pakari ai i tōna ao Māori. Kei reira te reo me ona tikanga, kei reira hoki ngā kōrero me ngā taonga tuku iho a kui mā, a koro mā.

We provide food by our own hands (a proverb). We the Māori people provide the solution by our own hands. The biggest benefit, other than haka, is the ability to be fully immersed in the Māori world. Your confidence expands as your connection to the Māori world strengthens. There you will find our language and customs, as well as the treasured knowledge handed down by our old people.

I think we spend too much time looking elsewhere for healing when it’s in the grasps of our hands and especially in our traditional Māori ways in how we naturally do things. I think it’s a great way for service providers to connect with this space as it serves something so much greater than just a 25minute performance on a stage.