American Reacts To Raukura National Secondary Schools Kapa Haka Champions 

Definitely are Golden Brothaa ! Much love from this Samoan in NZ . Nothing but love for our Māori Brothers and Sisters !

The song at 8:50 is a lament for relatives who have passed in the year gone. The first picture is Talei Morrison and the second is Hori Kawai. Both were associated with these tamariki (children) and two kura (schools) Rotorua Girls High School and Rotorua Boys High School who together form Raukura Kapa Haka. The words remember them and many others who have passed but also lament and farewell them. Hori (second photograh) was laid to rest in the Rangitāne region which is known as Palmerston North but his connections are with Hikurangi mountain in the east coast region. They pay tribute to both regions. Talei lays in the home town of this kapa in Rotorua. Below is a quick loose interpretatin of the song. E tangi ana te ngākau mōhau e te whaea e The heart aches for you our aunt Ki ngā wehenga ki ō mātua tūpuna The departure to your ancestors Piere nuku ana te pupuri i a koe e roimata It is difficult to hold back the tears Hoki wairua mai ki a mātou tō whānau o Raukura e Let your spirit return, to us your family of Raukura Ahakoa tō tinana e takoto nei ki Rangitāne Although your body is laid to rest in Rangitane Ko tō wairua kua hoki kē ki a Hikurangi e Your spirit has returned to Hikurangi Anei rā ō mokopuna e mahara nei ki ō kupu Here we are your grandchildren remembering your words Mahia ngā mahi mō Raukura e “Do the work for Raukura” E te mokopuna a Tā Apirana To the grandchild of Sir Apirana Te tama a kuia Mate The son of the elder Mate E te hoa pumas, e te pāpā The husband, the father E koro Hori e Our elder Hori

Wow man. I am Maori and have been in Kapahaka groups as well. As I have experience in the Karanga (Female calling) I can reassure you that when anyone sheds tears whilst watching these performances or hearing the calling, then our job has been done properly. It is all about reconnecting with your innermost (divine) self - including our ancestors. Maori is pronounced Ma or ri (roll the r in ri). I totally love that you resonate with it all. Beautiful just beautiful. Kia ora (stay well)😊

There is a comment you made around the 11:30 point where you say, "I don't even know what the words are. I already know the importance", that e kare (Maori: my friend) shows the greatest respect to these performer's additionally also shows the mana (strength/power) of your wairua (inner soul/spirit). Kia ora, Kia Kaha (thank you, stay strong). The shedding of tears indicates a person in touch with their wairua and is a display of strength.

Don't be embarrassed, this touches your soul, as it should, and that's a beautiful gift. 🤗

The algorithm brought me here. You’re crying cause you feel the Wairua (spirit) of these kaihaka (performers). Always awesome to see my culture through others eyes. Great reaction. You should react to Angitu matatini performance 2023.

I am not a Kiwi...but I find when watching any of the islanders ( Maori, Hawaiian, Samoan etc ) sing their national/cultural songs and haka's I always tend to feel the emotion of it, and then I get emotional...love watching these vids.

just another note: Tears are the waters that cleanse the soul. You're just wonderful man and the group has connected with your deepest self.❤

The action song with the photo's was what we call a poroporoaki or farewell. The lyrics talk about the love a grandchild has for their grandfather that has passed away, they sung about the journey he must take to be with his ancestors and the loneliness that the children feel because of his passing, it is a song dedicated to honouring their loved ones that have passed away. Don't worry bro, you are not the only one this song hits in the heart, I was crying with you.

Amazing, you’re comments are awesome. Even though you don’t understand what this group is saying you still feel the emotion (wairua/spirit) from their performance. This is one of the ways we have a voice and can share throughout the world, so our job here is done. Thank you for sharing x

Such a beautiful tribute to 2 people who made such a contribution to the high schools, their art, their region and their people. The chorus says Even though you may lie in Rangitane (the region he passed) let your spirit fly to your ancestral mountain of Hikurangi Here we are, all of your descendants We will always hold onto your sage words to work hard and aspire to greatness You, the grandson of the much revered Sir Apirana (Ngata) You the son of Huiamate A dear friend A respected elder (The young boy): My grandfather xx

Let your tears flow brother! Our people, practices, & traditional dances often have this affect on people, especially in kapahaka!

We are Maori (pronounced Ma or ri) Many of our groups include pakeha (those other than Maori) as we have intermarried with many other nationalities over the years. We welcome anyone who wants to learn and participate.🤩

its alright my man. you got hit with the Wairua and how special is that. So amazing watching your reaction to our Maori People. It has filled my cup up today and I thank you. Kia Ora XXXX

love to see people appreciating our Māori culture. love brother.

It would be awesome to see you react to a group that recently WON their Regionals. This group is called Te Maurea Whiritoi 2023. A young man who attended the school (and was a member of the rugby team there, who were ranked #1 in the world) lost his life in a tragic accident. The tutors wrote a moving waiata (song) in his memory which the group sang as part of their performance. I think you will enjoy the entire performance though!

So the 3rd song the lady in the photo she's passed on and she was a well respected woman in our community and the man used to teach at the boys high school and also well respected as well. I love that you shed tears shows us Māori that you really care for our culture

It's ok to be emotional when watching maori traditional dance and song, it's steeped in history and culture. Try going to a maori funeral - it's hard to hold it in. Vulnerable and warrior at the same time.

Thats your culture crying out inside you. A great thing to see much love and respect to you

In the 1800's. White missionaries would write about Māori battles. The ground would shake as each side performed the 'Haka' or war-dance, and the dust would rise above the trees from the thousands of stamping feet.

Cry all you need to brother. Men cry all the time. And with songs with meaninging that tough you ley it out

This made me subscribe. What a beautiful, empathetic soul you have. Love from half NZ half Tongan friend

Im so proud to be Māori, it also warms my heart as tht high school is from my home town, i also have relative's who performed in tht kapahaka group right there❤

As a pakeha KIWI, wasn't enough for the toilet paper to wipe tears away, but proud to be a NEW ZEALANDER from AOTEAROA...hauntingly beautiful and harmonizing. Saddens me to say, that in my 60-plus years, our beautiful country is being divided by the day...YES, we are super green, proud to be NUCLEAR FREE, leading the world in being the 1st country to allow women to vote, Sir Edmond Hillary conquered MT EVEREST first, have international top wines and RUGBY WORLD LEADERS, etc, etc, etc...BUT WE ARE BREAKING AND DIVIDING AS A 'ONE' NATION ( no frills) and IT'S SCARY......as for the insane BEAUTIFUL SOUNDS OF A KAPA HAKA EVENT .....without question.....OUTSTANDING!!!

Love your emotions ❤from Aotearoa

Appreciate you brother, ka nui Te aroha Kia koe e hoa, big love to you brother, Nga Rauru, don't worry BRO they are singing to your ♥ no translation needed

Hey mate im a maori from aotearoa nz we are a strong culture we make every1 feel our wairua/strength of our spirit/spirits of our ancestors rise up aotearoa

I feel like you need to attend Te Matatini. Our national kapahaka competition! Its epic, emotional, mind blowing and a truly unique experience (even for us Māori that are huge haka fans) Māori pronounce vowels exactly like japanese pronunciation. Mā - as in 'mah' o - as in the o in for ri - as in e in bee and roll the r. 'mah'-f'o'r-'ree' I enjoy your reaction and clear respect. Ngā mihi nui

What a cool reaction! Yes the beautiful Maori will do that to you brother ☺️ I'm a proud Samoan proud to be born and raised in beautiful Aotearoa (NZ) now living across the ditch in Sydney... it's like a whole production. Loved seeing this growing up. We are rich in culture and so blessed to witness this as a kid. The annual Polynesian festival goes off. So much talent. Never gets old. God bless you and thanks for sharing 🙏❤️

I cry too Phezz - it's cause you have a beautiful wairua. Spirit and you are in touch with yourself

The awesome thing is these are high school students expressing their culture in a really positive way and it’s so beautiful and powerful ❤

A proud moment to be a Kiwi.

Ataahua (beautiful), just speechless. SO PROUD TO BE MAORI!!! Thanks for sharing ❤

Beautiful reaction the fact you you dont need translation to feel the truth and hurt behind their song is pure gold god bless

Raukura did a special bracket at a festival I was at. They blew me away with their sound. Felt really proud to see the calibre of performers we have coming into the mix. From what I understand the girls Are from a girls only school, so too are the boys but they combined to form this group.

Your ancestors are coming through this emotional time for you to find your roots 👍🏽🇳🇿

one thing i like most about this culture is that women there have a voice and seem to be strong (of course exceptions everywhere). Thank you for sharing

I was catching up on the Raukura (Row-ku-rah) performances from this year that brought me here. Love your energy. Its definitely okay to cry, it just means you are feeling what theyre putting out there. As a maori living in Australia, I miss being around my culture. Its beautiful to see our culture through the eyes of another and how its received, especially from the other side of the world. Thank you for taking it in. Just to answer one of your quesions and i see its been answered already but just my 2c. You dont have to be Maori (the 'a' should have a macron, long sound vowel) to be apart of kapa haka, you just have to be willing to learn and be apart of it (theres some tribes that actually have spanish influence) as we are a nation made up of lots of different cultures over time. I hope you get to see a Kapa haka performance in real life one day. Kia kaha (stay strong) brother.

Its algood to cry bro, this is my millionth time watching them and i still get teary 😂😂. This has got to be the most favourite to watch because the reaction you gave was real. Keep going brother 😁👍👍

You don’t need translations, when you feel everything it means…Kia kaha (be strong, hold strong)…love your reactions..brother, can’t wait for you reaction from within New Zealand 👍🏼😂❤️

as Maori, we take great Mana ( pride) in our Whakapapa ( heritage), and we show it through our Waiata ( songs).

Thank you for your honest reaction ❤ . Oùr culture has this impact on people, its our way of staying connected with our ancesters and doing what they want us to do. To keep our culture alive. to stay connected with our roots (who we are) and to protect the whenua (land) we belong to. Yes your reaction is honest and as a Maori myself we have and will continue to protect and care for what we have OUR CULTURE. OUR HERITAGE. OUR LANGUAGE. Thank you for connecting with us. 😎😇❤ . One last message your tears never be sorry let them flow i say that shows us you have connected with our Wairua (spirit),and our people. Respect bro

Have you watched Stan Walker? A seriously good singer. I reckon he’s up for an Oscar for his song ‘ I am’ I know how you feel, I am a Brit in NZ, I fell in love with this country when I was a child, I’m in my 70s now, spent half of my life being a kiwi, of which I am truly grateful.

I feel the love , the emotion and the loss as i too am Ma or ri my spirit is connected to the here and now and those who have gone forth into the mist ... Good health and well being to you and your's Kia Kaha ... 🌹🌹🌹

Your tipuna: ancestors are proud of your love nd compassion my bro as u have shown here to our Maoridom thanku nd God bless nd ur whanau: family

thats the power of kapa haka. allows you to connect on a deeper level no matter what gender or race. love this

One song that always makes me tear up is Merediths' song in the series 'Kaitangata Twitch'. If you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend it.

Nawww... You have to come to Aotearoa 2025 for our next Matatini Kapa Haka...the best of the best!!...you'll love it.

When you stop to get toilet paper, that's a sign it's gonna be good 👍 👌. Proud Maori here from New Zealand 🇳🇿

Your reaction is really heartfelt and shows that you are tender hearted towards our Whakapapa (heritage). You would absolutely love our beautiful country....Kia Kaha (stay strong)

Finding relatives from all threw the world is a blessing❤ and peace brother i love you 2024,alberta cree first nation,

You're the man. There's no denying the sincerity in these reactions.

Always beautiful to see our culture spread through out different parts of the world. It can touch your heart ❤ hard PS kapa haka Easier to pronounce as Car par --- har car but said short and quick

thanks for supporting our people, now I'm going to buy one of your merch now.

Wairua sir the spirit touches angels like you

The young boy holding the photo is his grandson this group are family I cry everytime i see it. Do you practice your culture. I told my grandchild that Phezz says we are gold coloured his eyes lit up thanks❤

if no one has said it already the third song is called a waiata tangi or a song for mourning its waiata (songs) which were written when mounring just about anything from a persons life to a break up but that song was more focused on the celebration and respect to those who they were holding photos of its very common for performers to bring photos of passed relatives or loved ones to these performances to hold while singing waiata tangi

You should of done Te Maurea Whiritoi. They actually won (and yes i go to their school) but still it was real emotional, especially Karma (Kaitaataki Waahine) 😭

Tena koe (hello) what you feel we call Wairua (spirit) in our māori culture our language has feeling what you felt during that waiata (song) was its intent to convey emotion about two iconic people in our culture...So alguds we feel the same...😢❤

Stan walker ❤ any song of his ❤ yes he's NZ to the bone comes from a church back ground a survivor of Cancer an amazing role model my suggestion is amazing grace❤that will tear u up as it was for me ❤

The first song they sang was a Māori version of Stone cold by Demi Lovato!

And as we say IN NZ KIA KAHA which translates to be strongstay hard

You must give way to your right, when you approach the roundabout and of course, enter on the left and roundabout goes round clock ways

Aroha nui brother ❤🥲

Ooosh my guy feeling the wairua ✊🏾✊🏾

Some tribes have Matua tu taua. These are warriors trained to fight rather than entertain. Myself and 3 sons are a part of a taua from the Central Plateau of the North Island. Only males are allowed. Training is brutal and the rules are not for the feint hearted. You mess up, you suffer the pain. Having said that, these people are dedicated and also train hard and keep our culture alive in the public arena. Cheers brother.

That’s your ancient dna awakening and resonating that’s why the emotion is so strong. You remember

Kapa haka is so powerful it hits you in almost every emotion

Absolutely amazing. Made me shed some tears too. It’s very powerful and awesome.

beautiful reaction brother and while believe I am the exact same emotionally its not embarrassing for anyone but you. We feel nothing but love and aroha

theres a maori comp in nz its the biggest one we have it every 2 years called matatini it just makes you cry cause the singing is just beautiful is like a week comp tribes all over nz come to compete

You definatel dont need a translator, you can feel what us maori are saying….you feel the emotions portrayed….ataahua brother….(beautiful)

Pronounciation guidance brother . Rolling the Rs is like a south afrikaan saying the word rubbish in the accent just as a similar example . Say row sort of with a d Could uhh Cup are huh car Together row could uhh cup are huh car Raukura kapahaka much love brother

Actually the 2nd song was just a cover of Sarah McLachlan's "In the arms of an angel", so you could just google the lyrics of that for the translation.

Maori we have photo for those who have passed on so we remember them in our songs . U cry because u can feel spirit of our people. Mihi aroha ia koe ehoa (Much love to you my friend )

Tears in Maori culture is also honorific. You are not alone. The song included around the photograph honours the recent passing of either a teacher, leader, or member of te kapa haka. Kia ora!!!

You have big heart bother yes our waiata(Songs) those who have passed away. Can you do a reaction on Maori group called Angitu Waiata Tira 2023

Maori boy here Living in WA Port Hedland - Maori is pronounced Ma (as in far) O (Door) Ri (dee) roll the r on your tongue. easy aye!! LOL Chur!!

This is “The Arms of a Mountain” for sure - amazing how you can hear and feel the emotion even if lost in translation

You MUST REVIEW NZ’r Stan Walker and his new song I AM. He composed it for the American movie ‘Origin’ which has just been released I. The US. Emotion overload xxxx love how you respect and love our Maori culture!!!

Watch the movie-Convert It’s a NZ movie, a really excellent watch snd awesome representation of Māori snd history of colonialisstion. Some Māori are lite some are dark, some people in nz with Māori heritage can be blonde. We are very proud of the Maori culture

kia ora bro, the kapa haka is a way to express our culture here in aotearoa

P.S... New Zealand is the english colonial name for AOTEAROA the Land of the Long White Cloud.. thus named by our Maori Peoples on their great migration to our beautiful land.. when you fly across the Tasman Sea, you know you are close to home when you see that long white cloud. Tis a beautiful name. No disrespect to the Dutch who originally called the land New Zeeland, (renamed by the english invaders.)

what a Journey huh Brother!!! Much love from NZ

hey man i had a feeling you lost someone close to you and it brought you tears

Awesome reaction bro!🤙🏾

You get it ❤

Tino Aroha Kia koe e hoa🥰 much love to you my friend 💯🥰 you don’t have to understand the language of my ppl my brother we are connected by our spirits (Wairua) of the song/music (waiata) that touches the hearts of all mankind Kia ora 👍🏻Music/Wairua is a Universal Language

Hold your identity, we are mixed race here in NZ but we stand for our Generation, that we were taught, just how to grow a Potato.and sow on and sow on,🌎🌏

This really took you through a rollercoaster of emotions 😂

A Very Special People, the Maori , no other like them in in any Indigenous Tribe,

You need to watch six60 "kia mau ki tō ūkaipō" live, and Stan Walker "Te Matatini" and "Aotearoa" (and also his studio version of "Ultralight beam"

Chur brother... I was always told that the tears are you, connecting with your ancestors. Also, never be afraid to be proud of your brown skin my bro, its what makes us, us!

I love Kapa Haka but miss the Poi work like was performed growing up in the 70s 80s. I think New Zealand is one of the best countries in the world 🌎 that really encourages and embraces the heritage of our country. Yes of course things weren't all good vack in the day but I think out of alot of countries, NZ has really tried to bring it back.

So amazing when you keep in mind these are high schoolers

You feel the spirit as all of us indigenous have. Stemming from our forefathers. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Twelve Tribes Of Israel. The 12 Patriarchs. By, RH Charles. All 12 attributes. You will find there, who you are. Read it brother. Stay blessed, Stay hedged. 🙏🏿❤

In the arms of an an angel

😂😂😂😂😂😂 it's Kei te pai ( it's all good)...lol.. Enjoy it my friend

I know it's long ago , but yea ,it gets me everytime ,I'm in NZ. 😮

Say it like huh-kuh