Waiora Te Ūkaipō

“I am standing in the water so I can touch home…”

Set in the summer of 1965, Waiora follows Hone, who brings his family from the East Cape to the South Island in search of a better life. As they gather for a beachside birthday hāngī with their Pākehā guests, buried secrets and cultural tensions rise to the surface. Far from their tīpuna, the family must navigate questions of identity, belonging and survival.

Originally commissioned by the Festival in 1992, Waiora is landmark piece of New Zealand theatre exploring the impact of colonisation, the urban drift, and the tension between past and future.

An “urgent and vibrant story” (Stuff), Waiora is a powerful reflection on family, culture, and belonging.

Presented in partnership with the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts, Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival, Auckland Theatre Company and Tawata Productions.

“Kei te wai ahau e tū ana, e pāngia ai e au te kāinga..”

He mea whakataruna ko te tau 1965, ka whāia a Hone, nōna ka kawe i tōna whānau i te Tai Rāwhiti ki Te Waipounamu ki te kimi oranga. Ka huihui rātou ki tātahi, he huritau, he hāngī te kai, he manuhiri hoa Pākehā, he kupu muna, he tohe ahurei ka puea ake. Matara ana i hō rātou tūpuna, me āta karo e te whānau ngā pātai o te tuakiri, o te hau kāinga, o te ora.

He mea tono tuatahi e te whetiwara i te tau 1992, he whakaaturanga hirahira a Waiora nō Nui Tīreni, nā te toki nei nā Hone Kouka o Ngāti Porou, Raukawa me Kahungunu. He mea matapaki i te tāmi, te rere ā-tāone, me te whakatete o te onamata ki te anamata.

He whakaaturanga hirahira mō te āhua ki te whānau, ki te ahurea, me te tūranga waewaetanga. He mea whakatū tahi e.

Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts, Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki  Auckland Arts Festival, Auckland Theatre Company me Tawata Productions.