2009
Te Kumara Reka
Te Kumara Reka by emerging Māori playwright Matiu Te Huki is a new Te Reo play commissioned by Taki Rua Productions (Pukunui, Kia Ngawari) that focuses on the power of positive reinforcement for rangatahi.
Whetu is an intelligent and talented student, content to hide her light for fear of being called a show-off or big-headed -something she considers to be very uncool.
One day she is visited by Rua; a happy, fun loving and wise spirit who, remains unfazed by anything life may throw his way. Through their meeting Whetu learns about the universal laws of attraction and she discovers that the power of positive thought can bring about positive results in her life.
Along the way they encounter Waha, the school care takers teenage son and wannabe hip hop gangster, who suggests her skills will best be used making cups of tea rather than taking centre stage. Waha’s negative words leave Whetu doubting her abilities and Rua’s guidance.
Rua’s unfazed approach to his newest challenge takes all three of them on a journey of discovery into the ancient Māori world where they examine Tikanga Māori and its relevance in today’s modern world. This insight gives Whetu and Waha an opportunity to put their differences aside and tautoko each other in a positive and productive way.
Te Kumara Reka addresses big issues in an entertaining way by weaving together dance, waiata and humour. Suitable for whanau from ages 4 and up, Te Kumara Reka empowers rangatahi to say “Yes I am talented, beautiful, powerful and I’m ok with that!”
2008
Te Karakia
Taki Rua Production’s Te Karakia is a love story of religious and racial challenge, forgiveness and hope, set amidst the maelstrom of the 1981 Springbok Tour.
Estranged from both his family and faith, Matthew Connell’s new regimented existence in the police force is threatened when Ranea, a young Māori woman from his childhood, re-emerges to challenge his future. With civil unrest brewing across the country, Matthew is forced to confront his past. A production guaranteed to leave you on the edge of your seat.
Pukunui
An extremely entertaining and uplifting play about sharing, friendship, the value of family and te ao Māori – “Moa Can't Fly” featuring Pukunui and his friend Moata Moa will reward all
those who experience it.
There is magic, humour and Pukunui teaches the audience about the environment. The set is made from recycled materials and great importance has been placed on making the entire production environmentally friendly - integrating environmental education into our children"s lives as well as those in the community.
Respect for the diversity of people and cultures is also an important part of achieving a sustainable environment as it helps to create an environment that is fair, peaceful, cooperative and makes the most of our rich cultural traditions.
Māori perspectives and knowledge of the environment offer unique insights built up over time. This play will help develop student awareness and sensitivity to the environment, knowledge and understanding of the environment, attitudes and values that reflect concern for the environment, and the skills and responsibility to act in addressing environmental issues.
2007
Kia Ngawari
Kai moana on a mission …
Author Willy Craig Fransen (Taku Waimarie) returns for our 12th annual Te Reo Maori tour with Kia Ngawari, a comedic and eventful underwater adventure about the importance of lending a helping hand.
Papaka is a small crab with a big chip on his shoulder. When he inadvertently crosses paths with a great white shark, Mangonui, the challenge is laid down for Papaka to venture on a journey of self discovery.
Amongst the reefs and through the tides Papaka meets an eclectic range of outrageous sea inhabitants both friend and foe including Wheketori the octopus, Korora the dancing penguin, and Kaihi-Ika the hungry fisherman. Papaka soon finds out that to navigate through life’s rough waters one needs to help others in order to help ones self.
Filled with haka, waiata, music and performed entirely in te reo Māori, Kia Ngawari promises to be an entertaining and moving adventure suitable for children and adults alike.
2006
Ngā Tangata Toa
1919 - Taneatua has returned from the war a hesitant hero, a remade man.
His wife Te Wai, proudly escorts him to her father’s remote East Coast marae. Surprising him with the news of the expected arrival of his oldest mate William and her cousin Rongomai, a haunted Taneatua suddenly asks for the return of the pounamu he gave her…
Waiting stoically at the marae her father, Paikea, a rangatira, has given three sons to the pakeha war; he clings to his surviving boy Te Riri, believing he has paid for his sins…
Along with her pakeha husband, Rongomai is coming from the mountains of the south, cradling a legacy of unsettled scores. The dispossessed know when their time has come; her craft tells her so.
Kouka has sculpted a masterly work of eviscerating deceits and moody eloquence, reaching to the very heart of the obsessive nature of revenge. Taki Rua Productions presents a new visioning of Kouka’s celebrated work Ngā Tangata Toa.
Ngā Manu Roreka
There is a message and a reason to everything we do in life! But finding the courage to succeed comes only with hard work and determination.
Ramai and Takimana are two troublesome yet talented junior high school students struggling with rules and boundaries, school and authority. Yet underneath the cool hard exterior are two students with dreams but no belief, ambition yet no motivation, however, with a little support, they discover the determination to succeed. This eventual support reveals itself in the form of two ancestral Poupou who by the grace of Tane are able to return disguised as students to guide and support their descendants Ramai and Takimana. Many lessons are learnt through trust and respect, but life’s journey is not an easy road as Ramai and Takimana soon discover.
Become an active member of the audience and show your support to Ramai and Takimana as they embark on a journey of learning and self discovery.
2005
Taku Raukura E
Ko Taku Raukura e he kōrero mo tētahi kotiro i tu maia ahakoa ngā whakatoi me ngā puhaehae o ona hoa. Ka whānau mai a Raukura e mau ana hoki te tohu ki tana kanohi, ka riro hai whāngai ma Hiraka, te morehu huia o te wao nui a Tane. Nā te poipoi a Hiraka i ako ai a Raukura kia aroha tonu ki te tangata ahakoa ngā whiu, ka mutu ka manaaki hoki i ngā taonga tuku iho hei korowai mo ngā uri whakaheke.
info2004
Whakaahuatia Mai
Whakaahuatia Mai is a snap shot of discovery for Miharo, a young boy who must share his birthday with the passing of his Kuia. Through his time on the marae he discovers the beauty of tikanga, the importance of Tangihanga and gains a deeper understanding of his whakapapa. Ultimately he realizes that spending time on the marae and getting better acquainted with cousins is cool, and that hakari can be an excellent way to celebrate life, and of course, birthdays! Miharo’s story teaches all of us valuable lessons through capturing the ripe innocence of a child learning the meaning of whanaungatanga.
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The Prophet
"Joshua was special, the chosen one, the prophet."
Five cousins have returned to their 'home' on the East coast for another cousin's unveiling. Over the three days they are there, they grow from being kids to adults.
With the backdrop of basketball, cool urban sounds and the beautiful East Coast of the north island, The Prophet is chill, funny and definitely unforgettable.
2003
The Untold Tales of Maui
Taki Rua Productions and Humourbeasts invite you to enter into a new kind of theatre experience. Join us as we bring the ancient legends of Maui-tikitiki-a Taranga into the modern age and tell them in a funny way.
Young Tama is a troubled teen. His Nanny a simple but wise woman, is given the task of imparting to her wayward grandson, the sacred knowledge and lessons of her forefathers through the tales of Maui, our most revered ancestor.
The stories take us on a journey into ancient Hawaiki, to a time when the sun raced across the sky like an impatient horse and you could catch fish the size of a small South Pacific nation. Centring around Maui, the tales follow him from birth to death, include all the famous myths and also one or two that have, up until now, never been heard.
At first, young Tama has no interest in these ancient myths, but through his Nanny’s incredible storytelling abilities, coupled with state of the art multi-media devices such as massive back-projections, puppetry and computer animated characters, the young fool is soon drawn in to the mysterious and fantastical world of Maui and his famous exploits.
Strata
Set in the late 1800’s on the rugged West coast of the South Island, Strata is the story of brothers Angus and Mo, and Angus’ search for redemption 1000ft underground.
Mo, a mountain of a man, is a simpleton, relying absolutely on his younger brother since childhood. Angus has become provider, protector and only friend.
Angus has lured Mo into many mines with the promise of earning enough money to get back home. Now working as strike breakers in the union stronghold of the West Coast, all Mo wants is to feel the sun on his back instead of 1000ft of earth.
But Angus has a different motive, using his brothers ability to see “don’t knows”, spirits that don’t know they are dead, to find a way to Ruaumoko, God of earthquakes, volcanoes and the unborn child, in the hope of reclaiming the soul of the child he has lost.
Into the pit comes Pushy, their trucker, a Welshmen who is not what he seems, offering Mo the possibility of independence and hope in the face of tragedy.
Awhina
Taki Rua Productions latest offering, ‘Awhina’, brings simple messages of love, respect and spirituality.
Enhancing the message “Our children are our greatest treasure”, therefore, the memories we leave them of ourselves are what lives with them the rest of their lives.
Through the beauty of the language, Hone Hurihanganui has used his storytelling skills to bring to life a slice of realism. His gentle approach to the harsh realities of losing a loved one is encapsulated in this production. He captures the mammoth journey of two children, who must face the world without their Mother.
Awhina has left the world of the living leaving behind her children Tama and Te Aniwa and their vivid memories of all of her wonderful teachings, her guidance, her wisdom, her songs – everything they knew and loved about her. Watch Tama and his younger sister Te Aniwa as they strive against all odds to retain all she gave them and as they battle the challenges this turbulent world presents them.
2002
Home Fires
Home Fires is the story of two brothers estranged for fifteen years. Jacob (Taylor) has remained at home to keep the ahi kaa (home fires) alight; while younger brother Tau (Paratene) has become a traveller trying to keep one step ahead of his memories. They are re-united for one night to explore the shadows of their history and the secrets of their lives.
Home Fires is the second in a trilogy of plays by Hone Kouka. The first play being the successful Waiora that premiered in the 1996 International Festival of the Arts. Waiora toured to Brighton, UK and throughout New Zealand. The final play in the trilogy, The Prophet, premiered in 2003.
Te Aka Tawhito
Rongotai has a burning ambition to be the hottest DJ in Aotearoa but Nanny Hauora thinks her mokopuna is losing her way. So, with the help of her country cuzzie Whai, a magic hue, some waiata and a little bit of haka, Nanny Hauora teaches Rongotai that traditional music may just give her the edge to compete at Te Pao Roa.
Will DJ Wave succeed at Te Pao Roa?
Will Nanny Hauora still have the love of her mokopuna?
And will cousin Whai survive in the big smoke?
E te iwi whakapiri mai, whakatata mai ki a DJ Rongotai e paopao waiata ana kotahi te whakaaro ki tana ngakau - ko te waiata pao roa.
2001
He Taniwha Tino Pai
Meet Hope, Matau, Moeroa and Maui - four fun loving friends that get the whole house pumping! Singing while they’re travelling to the coast, they get lost and wind up at a mysterious bay…and in their enthusiasm to have a good time they throw caution and common sense to the wind – with consequences!!
What lessons can we learn from the mistakes made by the rangatahi?
Will Taniwha be able to help them make the right choices?
What are the consequences for one and all?
Have Car Will Travel
A darkly funny and menacing road play, this is a cross between Pulp Fiction and Wild at Heart – modern Maori let loose on an unsuspecting audience. We follow Brian and Diane, drugged up and sleep deprived as they attempt to beat the sun on their way to a dance party
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2000
Tu Rangatahi, Tu Tangata
This new play is about the adventures of a young boy Rangirua and the choices he must make to complete his journey into the world of honesty, reliability and responsibility. Rangirua is caught stealing watermelons, lies about it and gets sick from eating too much! While he is sleeping the Taniwha Whakatika comes to take his wairua to Te Ao Pokiki (The World of Confusion). Rangirua and his kuri must battle the Taniwha to get back to Te Ao Marama (The World of Light). It is all up to Rangirua to make the right choices.
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Purapurawhetu
When someone special dies, their spirit joins others in a wild tango across the night sky. An epic tale of loss, grief, forgiveness and healing.
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Woman Far Walking
A 161 year old woman gives a moving personal account of her long life, touching on some key events in New Zealand’s social history, and the survival, struggles and resilience of the Maori people.
It is the 6th February 2001 and Tiri O Waitangi Mahana is awaiting the arrival of another birthday telegram from the Queen. She takes us a journey through her life: childhood in her beloved Valley of the Rainbows; the New Zealand wars and her faithful following of Te Kooti; the 1918 flu epidemic which decimated her people; the violent protests against the South African Springboks tour of 1981, and finally her return in the mid 1990s to the valley of her early years to save it from developers.
On 6th Febraury 1839 the Treaty of Waitangi, the founding document of modern New Zealand was signed between the British crown and the Maori chiefs. Although much contested, it committed to a sharing of the land between both the Maori and British settlers (more widely known as the Pakeha "white people"), and respect of both English and Maori languages as official languages of the state. Woman Far Walking is a stunning work of imagination and memory by the acclaimed New Zealand writer Witi Ihimaera, through the creation of a character, Te Tiriti O Waitangi Mahana, born on the same day as the signing of the treaty. For the entire time that Maori and Pakeha have shared New Zealand, she has walked with them.
"This is a story which encapsulates 161 years of political history," says Ihimaera. "It’s important for women and it’s important for the Treaty. I think of myself as a storyteller and it’s important this story is told
Haruru Mai
Following the success of Purapurawhetu, Briar Grace-Smith's eagerly anticipated new work won acclaim at the 2000 International Festival of the Arts.
Silas, a Maori Battalion veteran who returns home after 20 years of wandering, haunted by his role in the World War II Italian campaign.
Seeking comfort in the people and place of his birth, he is bewitched by the young and troubled Paloma. But the revelation of a long-kept battlefield secret unleashes a daughter’s vengeance and the wrath of a ghost of war.
Described by The Listener as ‘the play New Zealand has been waiting for’, Haruru mai is a potent love story of filial retribution and the human scars left by our history.
Weaving together redemption and revenge, past and present, Haruru Mai is a potent New Zealand story of ill-starred love, filial retribution and the human scars left by our history.
