Returning to the Source

Through Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi, many carry early lessons in identity, connection, and responsibility. In the five months before the marae and kura kaupapa birthdays, former students found their way back to those foundations, rebuilding ties and caring for their wellbeing through tikanga and collective effort. By the time the celebrations arrived, that reconnection was already firmly in place.

A group of tane who once learned, played, and grew at Hoani Waititi Kura were ushered back to the place that shaped them, returning for the 45th birthday of the marae and the 40th of the kura. Cloaked in the nourishment of te ao Māori and the tikanga they grew up with, tāne committed to five months of training for the league tournament.

The early days were difficult - sore knees, short breath, and a lot of second-guessing - but tāne persevered. They were posting clips, sharing the grind, and no one wanted to be the one watching from the couch. Sport Waitākere Māori Outcomes Lead, Khlani Paenga-Hayward, continues.

“What we noticed early on was how quickly the mindset shifted. The training was tough, but once the tāne started turning up for each other, it stopped being about fitness alone. Sharing the journey, the clips, the progress, that collective accountability meant no one wanted to be left behind"

As the weeks went on, the training became less about fitness and more about reconnecting to a place where they understood the rules of engagement, where the expectations weren’t foreign, and where the relationships held them steady. By the time the celebrations rolled around, they were ready, not just as individuals, but as a collective who had rebuilt old ties through shared effort. Coach and former tauira, Tuteauru Maipi, explains.

“Coming back to kura (Hoani Waititi) wasn’t just about preparing for the weekend. It was about reconnecting with a place where we already understood the expectations tikanga and the values. Training together brought back those old ties and reminded us that when we move as a collective, the load is lighter.”

On the day itself, around 150 people took part. While the long haul had centred the tane, the courts and fields filled with wāhine and tamariki playing netball and touch rugby, weaving the wider whānau back into the celebration. It showed something simple but often overlooked: when people gather in a space that recognises them and reflects their own ways of being, they look after each other.

“This kaupapa emerged because it was clear the tane needed a place where their wellbeing was part of being connected to something they already carried,” Klhani explains. “Hoani gave them that - a return path to the tikanga and relationships that first shaped them, and a chance to stand inside that again, shoulder to shoulder as they stood years ago.”