Kiingitanga chairperson Ngira Simmonds says many will naturally be saddened that covid-19 has again affected Poukai, but the decision was made with the King's response throughout the pandemic, "Amohia ake te ora o te iwi, kia puta ki te whei ao!" (The wellbeing of the people is paramount) in mind.
"Nā runga i ngā tatauranga o te wā, otirā i te whakaū ki te Mana Māori Motuhake, koia tēnei te whakatau a Kiingi Tuheitia kia whakakorea ngā Poukai, me te Rīketa me ngā hui nui o te wā mō te marama o Maehe," Simmonds told Te Ao Māori News. (So with cases rising, and his commitment to Mana Māori Motuhake, King Tuheitia has opted to cancel Poukai, the regatta and other kaupapa scheduled for March.)
Poukai are kaupapa first introduced in 1885 by Kiingi Tāwhiao for te pouaru, te rawakore and te whānau pani (the widowed, the destitute and the bereaved), and can attract large crowds to the 29 marae who host the kaupapa annually. Over the course of the global pandemic, which is now into its third year, marae have had to cancel kaupapa, and close their gates to protect their communities.
While the government has abandoned lockdowns, and responsibility has fallen to individuals to manage the response to Omicron, despite daily case numbers sitting above 10,000 for almost a week, Simmonds explains the king's mantra is only half accomplished.
King Tuheitia: Get vaccinated
He says the Kiingitanga is going to wait for case numbers to recede while the King is urging his people who can, to get vaccinated and boosted and continue to wear masks, to limit the spread of the contagious variant.
"A tōna wā, ka puta mātou ki te whei ao, ki te ao mārama. Koia rā te tikanga o tōna tongikura, kei te noho tātou ki te wahanga o te amohia ake o te ora, inā ka ū tonu tātou ki tērā o ngā tongikura, kāore e kore ā tōna wā ka puta ki te whei ao." (In time we will be open and free again. That is the definition of his saying. We are currently focusing on the wellbeing of our people, and if we keep that in mind with what we do, we will soon be back to normal.)
Despite the cancellation of the large-scale events, Simmonds says whānau can still uphold the tradition of Poukai safely, with Maurea Marae at the weekend being an example. The King and his entourage did not attend, and the event was carried online. A small bubble of six or seven was at the marae, while kai packs were distributed to its community.
Getting back to normal
"Koia ngā tikanga o te Poukai, ko te pani, te pouwaru me te rawa kore. Nō reira ka taea tonu, i runga i ēnei āhuatanga, engari ko te tino raru o te whakatau o te kingi, me waiho ēnei rā whakanui ki tēnā whānau me tōna anō mirumiru, ki tēnā whānau me tōna anō mirumiru." (That is after all what the poukai is about, looking after the bereaved, widowed and destitute. So those can still be cared for by families, but what the King is saying is do it safely within their little bubbles).
Despite the latest setback, Kiingitanga is hopeful of welcoming people back to Tūrangawaewae marae later this year for the 16th coronation commemorations of Kiingi Tuheitia.
"A tōna wā ka kitea he aha tana whakatau, a engari he kaha whakapono ana te kingi kia tātou te iwi Māori e mōhio ana tātou he aha te huarahi tika, pono hei kōkiri mā tātou." (We'll see what he decides in due course, but the king has full confidence in our Māori people that we know what we have to do to get back to normal.)