Matamata Wāhine – Graduation 2: He Taonga Tuku Iho

Couldn’t be prouder of our Mau Rākau Kaupapa continuing to flow and strengthen here on Te Tai o Poutini. This weekend we celebrated our second graduation, with six achieving their next level. Ngā mihi nunui ki a koutou, your commitment, resilience, and hard mahi are truly inspiring.

A massive shout-out to Maia Tonihi and Te Amo Tamainu for their leadership, guidance, and dedication, and to everyone who works tirelessly behind the scenes. There are so many hands and hearts that keep this kaupapa moving, you know exactly who you are. Thank you for holding the wairua of this mahi so strongly.

Matamata Wāhine was established in 2023 as an offspring of Te Whare Pū Rākau o Matamata, our Māori weaponry fighting school here on the Coast. It was created to provide wāhine with a safe, empowering space to immerse themselves in mau rākau, pūrākau, and kotahitanga, strengthening identity, confidence, and cultural connection.

Under the guidance of Jerry Pu, with the leadership of Te Amo and Maia, the kaupapa has grown into a rōpū grounded in discipline, reo, tikanga, structure, and whakapapa. Every strike, stance, and movement connects our wāhine back to the stories of our tūpuna and the legacy of our Māori martial traditions.

There are seven levels, each named after a pounamu and linked to a different weapon. In this graduation the focus was on:

• Aotea, utilising a koikoi

• Kōkopu, utilising a pouwhenua

Each level is divided into two sections, Kā Takahitaka Waewae and Kā Mau o Tūmataueka. This means beginning with strong foundations: footwork, balance, and body awareness. Once grounded in these basics, the wāhine progress to on-guard stances, weapon handling, strikes, blocks, and eventually, controlled contact. This is more than physical movement, it is reconnecting to lineage, to pūrākau, and to ourselves.

He kaupapa tuku iho. He kaupapa whakapakari. He kaupapa whakakotahi.