My Identity
is proud to nominate
kapa haka, waka ama, rugby, or sport without them. They’d just have to stay at home.’ TRANS-TASMAN TOIKUPU
$119 each Fashionable Medical ID Jewellery
An awesome rangatahi, Milan is going places! Anō te pai! Shop now for a beautiful piece of jewellery and support our community LIMITED NUMBER AVAILABLE. PRICE INCLUDES ENGRAVING AND FREIGHT.
Nearing the end of the interview, Milan casually slips into the kōrero that he is also a poet. And that he wrote a poem on diabetes that he took to a trans-Tasman competition last year. And that he won. This wasn’t a small competition either. He was part of a group of spoken word poets from school who call themselves Rehekōrero, which translates to the youth slang, ‘let’s gooo’ and ‘kōrero’. Milan has not only travelled to Melbourne to perform and win this competition, but has also gone on to take the stage at Laneway, Splore, Pasifika, and Matariki festivals. The four rangatahi that make up Rehekōrero were supported by Action Education, an Auckland-based creative organisation that enables young people to express their authenticity while growing a vibrant community that supports them (actioneducation. co.nz). They offer a range of creative programmes for young people, including spoken word poetry workshops in schools. Milan wrote his diabetes poem for an Action Education school competition, ‘WORD – The Front Line', where his group won the nationwide competition representing Ngā Puna o Waiōrea. He says he wrote it to raise awareness of people with medical conditions and the toll it can take on their mental health. As Milan’s poetry is ‘spoken word’, it is therefore best heard rather than read to fully appreciate its power and message. To watch Milan performing this poem, head to Rehekōrero Instagram page: bit.ly/milan-poetr.y Watch Milan in Word – The Front Line Grand Slam 2023: www.youtube. com/watch?v=6Cjk2CvZr1k. Watch Rehekōrero perform their new poem about Te Tiriti o Waitangi: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=C6qRSb8LIeA.
KUPU | WORDS
Te reo – Māori language Mita – pronunciation Wiri – The wiri (quivering of the hands) is an integral part of Māori movement, seen in haka, making the movements deceptive, which is essential in the arts of combat. Mauri – Mauri is the life spark or essence inherent in all living things that has been passed down from ancestors. Waiata – song, usually commemorative of some important event. Karakia – prayer, blessing. Kaiako – teacher. Kura – school. Tautoko – support. Noho – staying away from home, in accommodation. Kapa haka – Māori performing arts. Waka ama – outrigger canoe. Toikupu – poetry. Kōrero – conversation/talk. Rehekōrero – slang for ‘let’s go’, talk.
