Te Maurea Whiritoi | Whakaeke | 2026 | Te Tauranga-nui-o-Tainui

Whakaeke of Te Maurea Whiritoi from the National Secondary School Kapa Haka Competition 2026. Lyrics and tune composed by Toti & Frankie West. KUPU Ngā tāngata whakaririka, (kia) mamau ki te taura. (Kia) mamau ki ngā hoe tapu a Taikehu, e! Ko Hauhau-te-rangi, ko Manini-tua, ko Manini-aro! Ka tangi te kura, ka tangi wawana. Ka tangi te kura, ka tangi wiwini. “Ika! Waerea te moana” uriuri ki te manu nui, ki a Ruakapanga. Kawea (tātou) ki uta rā, ki Whangaparāoa. Kei Taumata-apanui te whakareretanga a Tōrere, hei taurahere ki te waka, hei pouhere ki te whenua. (He) whītiki, whītiki whakapapa ki Te Tini-o-Toi, ko Ngāi Tai, e! E tia, e tia, e ranga, e ranga. Ka kau tāua i Te Moana-nui-a-Toi. Ka kau takawini, ka kau takawana ki Te Awanui, e. “Papaki kau ana ngā tai ki Mauao. I whakanukunuku, i whakanekeneke. Whiua reretia a Wahinerua ki te wai, ki Tai-wiwi, ki Tai-wawa”. Ko te tokatū moana, e. Tōkihi! Hī! Tōkihi atu ki ngā paringa tai o Rangiwaea. Ka tau hā, whakatau; whakatau taku waka ki Tauranga. He tauranga mō te hākerekere o Ngamarama. He tauranga mō te iti o Hoturoa. Hūtia! Hūtia! Hūtia te punga ki runga rā. Tere ki uta, tere ki tai. Tere atu ki ngā tai o Matakana, kia tuku i ngā pēhi waka ki Ōpuhi hei kōwhatu puaroa; nō Raka. E, ko Rātahi, e. Hiaroa! Hiaroa! Tōia Tainui, tapotu ki te moana! Mā wai e tō? Māku e tō! Mā Te Maurea Whiritoi e tō, e tō ki Te Tauranga-nui-o-Tainui e tau nei! Tau, tau, tau ana, e! Hī! TRANSLATION O anxious people, holdfast to the rope. Holdfast to the sacred paddle of Taikehu! It is Hauhau-te-rangi, It is Manini-tua, it is Manini-aro! Sacred plumes, fiercely they cry. Sacred plumes, fearfully they cry. Sacred fishes, clear the deep ocean to the great bird, to Ruakapanga, who shall guide us to shore, to Whangaparāroa. It is at Taumata-apanui, where Tōrere fled, a binding chord to the canoe, a tethering post to the land. A lasting genealogical connection to the multitudes of Toi, ‘tis Ngāi Tai! Paddle hither, paddle yonder. We shall swim the great ocean of Toi. Swim fearfully, swim fiercely to Te Awanui. The waves beat continuously at Mauao. They tried to shift the canoe forward and aft. Wahinerua was thrown overboard, into the swirling waters, the roaring ocean. To become a lasting guardian at sea. Dart ahead! Dart onward to the flowing tides of Rangiwaea. To set anchor; to settle my canoe at Tauranga. A settlement for the multitudes of Ngamarama. A settlement for the few of Hoturoa. Heave! Haul! Haul up the anchor. Set the canoe forth. Forth to the tides of Matakana, to let go of the ballast at Ōpuhi, to remain as sacred rocks; from Rakataura. ‘Tis Rātahi. Onward! Forward! Haul Tainui down to the sea! Who will haul her? I will haul her! Te Maurea Whiritoi will haul her, to the Great-anchorage-of-Tainui, settling hither. Settle here, indeed! Hī!