Porourangi Templeton-Reedy – Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tūhoe, Tainui
Jacqueline Te Kani-Nankivell – Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāpuhi
Every year, tauira Māori (students) from across the motu (country) gather under one roof for Te Huinga Tauira – the annual National Māori Students’ Conference. Hosted this year at the University of Waikato, the hui (conference) drew hundreds of tauira to celebrate culture, test their talents, debate pressing issues, and champion their identity on a national stage. For Te Rōpū Māori (TRM), the Māori Students Association of the Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, it marked the end of months of intense preparation and the beginning of five unforgettable days in Hamilton.
To trace that journey, we spoke with the beloved Tumuaki (President) of Te Rōpū Māori, Porourangi – also known as Pou-Resident – and first-year tauira Jacqueline about the grind, the glory, and the kaupapa that binds it all together.
The Hustle – Beyond The Stage
Preparing for Huinga is no casual affair. For tuakana (elder students) like Pou, it means juggling timetables, locking in budgets, motivating an entire rōpū (group), and keeping morale high – all while reminding everyone why this kaupapa matters, and working part-time jobs on the side. The year brought extra pressure when his co-President resigned after the first semester, leaving Pou to carry the responsibilities solo. As he put it, their campaign stretched across seven weeks of rehearsals, fundraising, and academic and hauora check-ins. Gruelling, yes – but it helped them “glue together as a whānau.”
And it wasn’t just kapa haka. Prior to the campaign for Huinga, Te Rōpū Māori poured relentlessly into producing and releasing their own EP – a testament to the creativity and sheer drive of tauira. The project, equal parts late-night recording sessions and collective passion, became a soundtrack to their preparations and another way to represent themselves on a national stage.
Behind the scenes, Pou noted that involvement in Te Huinga Tauira isn’t just about showing up. Students had to be tracking well academically, and participation came on top of everything else Te Rōpū Māori was already balancing. From the regular kaupapa at the TRM whare, to cultural hour evenings, the Māori pre-graduation ceremonies, and now an EP launch – Huinga was one more kaupapa in a long list, and a big one at that.
For Jacqueline, the build-up looked different. Fresh out of high school and in her first semester of Law and a Bachelor of Arts, she was still finding her footing at Otago when Te Huinga Tauira became her biggest kaupapa yet. The weeks leading up were packed: kapa haka practices, study wānanga (seminars), and late-night hāngī prep for fundraisers. “It helped turn strangers into whānau,” she reflected. Even when tired, the rōpū pushed through together – a crash course not only in kapa haka but in the whanaungatanga that defines TRM and its mission as a kāinga rua – a second home – for tauira Māori.
Her journey into Te Rōpū Māori began almost by accident. Encouraged by her sister and drawn in during O-Week’s Cultural Hour, Jacqueline’s first performance came at the Scholarship Dinner where incoming tauira were celebrated for their achievements. From there, the momentum was unstoppable – by semester two, she was shoulder to shoulder with her rōpū, preparing to carry the name of Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka on the national stage.
In the Action – Where Culture, Competition, and Kaupapa Collide
When Huinga finally kicked off in Waikato, the tempo only intensified. Delegates moved through days stacked with kaupapa – morning karakia (incantation/prayer) setting the tone, sports tournaments igniting friendly rivalries, careers expos and workshops sparking futures, and Ngā Manu Kōrero testing both intellect as well as courage. Add in iwi-off contests, the esteemed kapa haka competition, and the Te Mana Ākonga (the National Māori Tertiary Students’ Association) AGM, and the schedule was as exhausting as it was exhilarating. Nights barely slowed the pace, rolling into dance battles and the pō whakangāhau – the night of entertainment – where rōpū traded formality for pure celebration.
Tradition also anchored the week, from the first pōwhiri (welcome ceremony) to the final poroporoaki (farewell). Huinga also thrives on its “unofficial” customs – the ones that pull whanaungatanga into the fabric of the event. From merch swaps between student associations to dart games, buddy challenges, first-years leading the haka, and the unspoken rule that nobody really sleeps – these are the moments that stick longest.
For Jacqueline, the kaupapa wasn’t about a singular highlight but the collective rhythm and “soaking up the whole atmosphere” – the laughter, the nerves, the late nights, and the pride of standing together.
The Highs – Leadership, Legacy, and First-Year Fire
The real buzz, Pou says, came from watching tauira step up into leadership roles across the week – whether standing as kaikōrero (speakers) in Ngā Manu Kōrero and poroporoaki, or stepping into the gumboots of Kaitātaki Tāne and Wahine – the male and female leaders of the performing group. While Te Rōpū Māori didn’t walk away with the top kapa haka title, they still made their mark – earning recognition for Te Mita o Te Reo, their whakawātea item, whaikōrero, and celebrating their Kaitātaki Wahine placing second overall. For Porourangi, it was never just about the points. His proudest moment came when a first-year stood to deliver a whaikōrero (speech) before a packed audience. “It gives me hope that the mana and legacy of TRM will continue in future years to come,” he reflected.
Jacqueline’s highlight was more personal; Huinga was about finding her people. “I could see myself in this space for the next few years,” she said. As a first-year, being surrounded by hundreds of tauira Māori unapologetically celebrating themselves, it was as empowering as it was unforgettable. And when it came to what she valued most, Jacqueline didn’t hesitate. “The biggest thing I have taken away is the appreciation for my TRM whānau – everyone made an effort to look out for me as their teina,” she shared. “I feel like we all have each other’s backs, and have made life-long friends.”
Looking Ahead – Passing the Baton
More than just a conference, Te Huinga Tauira is a catapult – a stage where Māori student leadership is tested, sharpened, and launched. It’s where tauira maps out the future of Māori student life, and where the big issues surface: self-determination within universities, equity in education, and how to carry kaupapa Māori into spaces that often overlook it. These kōrero, shaped in wānanga and debated in AGMs, are what ripple out long after the pōwhiri and poroporoaki are over.
Porourangi has seen this cycle firsthand. After nearly a decade of Huinga appearances – four as a kaihaka (performer) and now as Tumuaki – he’s watched tauira cut their teeth in leadership, step into their own roles, and carry those lessons back home. Now, as he prepares to take that next step himself as a director on the Te Mana Ākonga board, his own journey reflects what Huinga is all about: passing the baton so the next wave can rise stronger.
For teina like Jacqueline, the spark has already caught. Jacqueline entered TRM wide-eyed and a bit unsure, and today she is gearing up for her first campaign for Te Rito – the executive for Te Rōpū Māori. “I came in fresh, not knowing much. But now I’m thinking – what could my role be in the future? Huinga lit that fire.”
As the dust settles, the mahi doesn’t stop. From kapa haka to kaupapa, sports fields to study wānanga, and even the recently released EP that TRM poured their all into – the grind continues. Te Huinga Tauira is never just one week in the calendar; it is a legacy in motion. A relay where each generation runs their leg, then passes the baton forward.