Of course the koroneihana symbolises the succession of the head of the Kingitanga and the Kingitanga in itself has a more in depth meaning and purpose not just for me or the people of Tainui, but for maori as a whole. In saying this as a young child, the deeper meaning of koroneihana was irrelevant. Even as a teenager. It was more about people coming together to celebrate collectively as one. It was about seeing my cousins and building long lasting relationships with friends and whanau. It was about experiencing an environment that encapsulated the importance of being maori and for my family, it was about coming together and making it happen.
I have wonderful childhood memories of the koroneihana. My grandparents were always working the event, along with my mother and other family. I would stay at my grandparents which was only 50 metres from the marae and there was a constant humming of people throughout the week.
My grandfather - Binga Haggie was always at the marae, tending to anything and everything from unblocking the toilets, to keeping the boiler going, to being on the paepae, to attending distinguished dinners within Turongo/Mahinarangi. If it needed doing, he was either doing it, or helping someone to get it done. At night I would hear his name announced "would Binga Haggie please come to the office". As a child, I knew he was at the marae, but where on the marae was always a mystery. With so many people, it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack and when I did finally see him, he was generally in a place where as a child, I wasn't allowed to go.
My grandmother on the other hand - Noki Haggie would be working the netball competitions with her sister-in-law - Doreen Gregory. The both of them would have their little caravan parked up on the sports field close to the netball courts at Paterson Park and be constantly announcing games/results or simply sorting out some controversial decisions on the courts themselves. I always knew where she was if I needed her and resting in the covered caravan out of the wet and/or cold of the winter weather was a god send. The only problem with reaching my nana was getting past the wardens. In those days, you had to pay to get into Paterson Park and as a child, you wanted to save your money for lollies, not spend it on getting into the sports field. Back then the wardens were really fast and fierce. If you were fast enough you would jump the wire fence and sprint into the sports crowd and disappear OR we would climb the trees or hide in the shrubs until the wardens went past. If they caught you, you got a good slap, and then you were taken to the wardens office to be collected by a family member. In the earlier days, people were fined for not adhering to rules of the wardens. Lucky for me, I didn't get caught. Not because I didn't want to get it from the wardens, I was more scared at what my mother or grandparents would do to me.
My mum - Maata McManus on the other hand was always away from the sports field and marae. Her job was to run the squash tournament which generally happened from Tuesday night through to Saturday at the local squash club, across the bridge on the other side of the river. As a child I didn't spend a lot of time at the squash club, because all the action was either at the marae or on the sports field.
It was a pretty full on time for my grandparents and mother and there wasn't room to look after the children. On the Friday night I would be given some pocket money for the whole weekend, and the doors to my grandparents’ home was always open so that me and my cousins could come and go. Of course budgeting wasn't a strong point. I usually found my way down to the lolly caravan across from the marae where my oldest sister Tanya would be working with my cousins from Te Awamaarahi Marae. I'd stick my head into the titi tent, which was run by my nana's sister Iti Rawiri. Nothing like a hot fried bread to get the energy levels up and then off I would go with my cousins again. The kimiora kitchen was always a hive of activity and as a young child, I would head down there every now and again to see my aunty Anne Berryman who ran the kitchen. I never stayed for very long as it wasn't a place for children to be.
Back in the earlier days, my grandmother - Dorothy McManus also contributed to the koroneihana by cooking the overflow of food for Kimiora offsite in Horotiu. She managed the cafeteria at AFFCO back then and the food would be cooked in "the cookhouse" and then transported to Kimiora to her sister-in law Anne Berryman.
When I reached high school, my involvement at the koroneihana changed and I found myself working the event itself. Although not in Kimiora, or the sports field, or the titi tent. My job was to help my mother at the squash club. This involved running the shop making toasted sandwiches, burgers and hot chips. It started Tuesday night and went right through to Saturday night, when Te Arikinui would arrive in time for the prize giving and then announce the end of the squash tournament. Once she left, the squash club turned into a night club where everyone would turn up for a dance and a few drinks to celebrate.
If I am to be honest, I didn't enjoy working the squash club because it was so far away from the marae and the koroneihana "life" I experienced as a child. I wasn't even allowed to take time off to go and watch the famous league match between Turangawaewae and Taniwharau on Saturday afternoon. Work was the purpose and I believed I was hard done by, particularly when my cousins would tease me and then come back that night telling me how awesome it was.
Eventually my mother passed on the reigns of running the squash tournament and she became involved in the mirimiri workshops during koroneihana at Nga Miro. Everyone loved this and people would arrive in numbers to recieve a nice massage. This was definitely something the kaumatua enjoyed. I would venture in there every now and again to help her and if I was really lucky, I'd get a mirimiri from one of the other aunties - because mum's a little too hard for my liking :-)
Upon reflection, change is inevitable. Today the koroneihana is held in August. My mum's role is a kaumatua on the paepae alongside my aging grandmother Noki and I find myself working within Kimiora kitchen. The crowds are different today along with the activities that are run during the celebrations and the cooking facilities have been upgraded to be able to cater for the large numbers more efficiently. Regardless of change, I have some very special memories of koroneihana and more importantly of my wonderful whanau who have long passed from this earth but left their legacy to continue on. Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu, Binga Haggie, Doreen Gregory, Dorothy McManus, Anne Berryman and Iti Rawiri to name only a few. I think back on the times of first working the koroneihana thinking how hard done by I was, then laugh at my immaturity to not see the bigger picture. The koroneihana has taught me many things. If anything it's made me want to contribute to a much bigger purpose than just myself. It has taught me to be a part of a purpose where my tupuna contributed so much in. It has made me feel my own sense of purpose and in some ways - worth. It's taught me how to balance my contribution with my work and whanau. But most importantly, it has opened the doors for my future generations to choose to be a part of this legacy. Whether they choose to be a part of it or not, is entirely up to the knowledge they gain and how they are taught.
This Wednesday 19th August 2015 will see the celebrations begin starting with the kawe mate o Tainui waka. A time when we remember our love ones from the Tainui waka who have passed away during the course of the year.
Thursday 20th August 2015 is the kawe mate o te motu. The day when we remember love ones from outside the Tainui rohe who have passed away during the course of the year.
Friday 21st August 2015 is Kingi Tuheitia's day. The day when he succeeded his great mother and took on the challenge of leading his people.
On Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd August we continue with the celebrations with kapa haka performances and sports competitions from all over New Zealand throughout the weekend.
I encourage anyone who is keen to get involved in the koroneihana to come to the marae. To me, it is truly an inspiring opportunity where I get to work alongside some of the hardest working bodies, and most intelligent minded people I have every come across and I am so proud to be apart of it.
Happy living peeps!!
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