Hui e! Tāiki e! United and ready to progress the purpose

Pōwhiri has a long history and generates deeper meanings beyond the formal enactment of welcome. What happens when this ritual is transferred into contemporary environments, especially those beyond the traditional marae? In particular, how might the performance of this ritual as adapted to suit objectives beyond its ritual origins be seen, even so, to reconstruct and reinforce the sense of identity, communality and belonging—who we are and how we come together—that pōwhiri was evolved to engender? The act of performing pōwhiri itself creates a sense of marae—a kind of “virtual” or “alt-marae”— regardless of the actual setting. Excerpts from my documentary series Mata Hou: Marae show how pōwhiri have been adapted to suit modern demands in varying circumstances and environments, including marae, kōhanga reo, Parliament and other ātea. Through such adaptations, pōwhiri ethos can be sustained now, in the 21st century and the aftermath of colonisation.