Waiora: Displacement & identity

On Wednesday 11 March, the Year 11 and 12 Drama classes went to see Waiora - te Ūkaipō - The Homeland at the ASB Waterfront Theatre.

Presented by the Auckland Arts festival with Auckland Theatre Company and Kawata Productions, this was a revival production of Hone Kouka's classic work first performed in 1996, and set in 1965.

It tells the story of a Māori family who have recently moved from Waiora in Tairāwhiti to urban Christchurch. Their sense of displacement raised questions around the impact of colonisation, and the urban drift of tangata whenua. As Kouka himself explains, '“Ultimately, it’s an immigrant story. We as tangata whenua were immigrants in our own country.”

The production was a moving experience for our ākonga, who were also given the incredible opportunity of a Q&A session after the show, and then a special moment of meeting one of the actors, Te Mihi Potae, who played "Boyboy".

Reflecting on the production, Year 12 Drama student Floyd Benfell says, "I have some Māori heritage, so Waiora really resonated with me. I've never seen something so unique yet so touching before. It was truly an outstanding performance!"

Year 11 students Izzabelle Chong adds, "This performance of Waiora truly opened my eyes into this world how these matters not only existed just in the 60's, but until now still do!"

Students will now take their learning back to Avcol where they will critically reflect on how theatre communicates social issues and informs creative practice in the classroom.