Ngā Taonga Tākaro in Waitaha continues its resurgence thanks to advocates in the community that believe in the benefits of the return of indigenous systems for better health and wellbeing.

Ōtautahi local and (Kaiārahi: Kaupapa Māori Senior Advisor at Ara Institute of Canterbury), Heperi Harris and a group of his fellow advocates including Healthy Families Ōtautahi Systems Innovator, Lawrence Tau have formed a group called, Kī-o-Rahi ki Waitaha. They are individuals who are enthusiastic about Māori games and past times. As a group, they have a particular interest in Kī-o-Rahi and have put a lot of energy towards driving the kaupapa and supporting people to activate Kī-o-Rahi and Taonga Tākaro, Māori games and past times in the Christchurch area.

Part of their mission includes developing the capability and infrastructure to ensure that there is long term support for Kī-o-Rahi as well as strong leadership and adequate resource to support this kaupapa.

Together, this team in conjunction with the Christchurch City Council have created Canterbury’s first Kī-o-Rahi court, which has been designed outside Linwood’s new Te Pou Toetoe indoor swimming pool.

The Kī-o-Rahi court marked at the new council recreation facility has been a passion project for this team. This court is the first of its kind in Canterbury and likely the South Island. The court design tells the story of Matariki and has the narrative told via the layout of the court with stars having different colours associated with the elements represented by each one. This brings Mātauranga Māori to forefront and highlights the move to a mainstream audience getting insight into Māori knowledge systems and narratives and is representative of our bicultural nation. 

“The Christchurch City Council came to us wanting to engage in Kaupapa Māori, in particular, Kī-o-Rahi. They had a space where they could utilise some of our knowledge and incorporate a Māori philosophy into a new space. They asked us about dimensions, and what we would like to be incorporated into the work and what we have here (the court) is what we planned out throughout the year,” says Harris.

At the heart of this project, was the incorporation of Matariki and Puanga - the main star constellations for the Māori New Year, with a focus on South Island Māori.

“On our court we have representation of the elemental stars within the Matariki constellation and the court itself has a lot of learning opportunities for people to think about how they fit within the environment and within the greater Christchurch area. It’s positioned in this north-east/east direction, so during the time of Matariki – when it’s time for its rising, the court will be relatively in that position. We’ve positioned the stars on the court relatively where they would be in the constellation, so if the day is covered, you’ll still be able to have an idea of where those stars within the constellation.”

This new space means so much to Heperi and the Kī-o-Rahi ki Waitaha team who want to provide quality opportunities for the Ōtautahi community to engage with Te Ao Māori to better hauora.

“It means a lot for our group; we have been working together for a number of years and have been driving Kī-o-Rahi for the last 10 years. For it to flourish in this space and across the city has been a labor of love and good to see that the City Council and the rest of the community are engaging in Kaupapa Māori and Māori games and past times.

 “It’s about looking at different ways to engage in physical activity and other ways of wellbeing. It’s only just at the starting point, but we can utilise this space as a foundation to build upon. Very, very exciting, not only for Te Pou Toetoe but also for the greater Canterbury region,” he adds.

Follow Healthy Families on Facebook - Click here 

Article added: Thursday 18 November 2021