Nā Shakayla Andrews-Alapaki tēnei atikara.
Punch Up at the Pā returns with hapū pride on the line
Ngāi Tahu whānau stepped back into the ring over the weekend as Punch Up at the Pā returned for its second showdown, bringing together fighters from across the iwi for a night of competition and hapū pride.
Rūnanga members went head-to-head through nine bouts, including the event's first-ever tag-team fight, as teams representing different parts of the Ngāi Tahu takiwā battled it out for bragging rights.
The event featured competitors from Te Tai Poutini, Te Tai o Mahaanui and south of the Waitaki, with months of training culminating in a packed night of boxing. For many, the event was about much more than winning.
TAG TEAM SHOWDOWN, RŪNANGA VS RŪNANGA
A highlight of the night saw Te Tai Poutini and Ngāi Tūāhuriri battle in a new tag-team format. After 12 weeks of training, Te Tai Poutini's Riana Tamati and her whānaunga Chris Tauwhare-Lewis stepped into the ring ready to represent their rohe.
"Ngēngē ināianei, engari pai … a new experience for me, training for 12 weeks, all come together tonight. The tag team was a different experience again because it was three minutes, but we're in the ring together, so it was about supporting each other."
Ngāi Tūāhuriri's Marewa Hoeta-Pitama said she jumped at the chance to compete alongside her whānaunga, Dan Buchanan, after event organiser Kelly Barry floated the idea of a tag-team bout earlier this year.
"Last year I went to Punch Up at the Pā and I watched some cousins like Te Maire, Mananui, Tāwhai and Michael, and they inspired me," she said.
"When Kelly started talking about a tag-team fight, I thought, 'Yeah, I'll sign up.' Before I knew it, I was in the ring."
Tauwhare-Lewis encouraged others to consider taking part in future events and said he hopes to see the tag-team concept continue to grow.
"If you're thinking about giving it a go, just give it a go, 100 percent.”
"Hopefully the missus comes in next time too. Maybe we can get a couples tag team going or something."
The inaugural tag-team title went to Te Tai Poutini, with the crowd voting them the winners over Ngāi Tūāhuriri, etching their name into Punch Up at the Pā history.
PUNCHING FOR A PURPOSE
Another crowd favourite was the bout between Kare Tipa of Te Tai o Āraiteuru and Meikura Arahanga of Te Taumutu. As mothers and taua in their 50s, both wāhine used the bout to prove that age should not stand in the way of trying something new.
"I whakaaro au, e 53 ōku tau engari kāre he mea, he issue. He pai māua mō ngā rangatahi o ngā rā o muri ake," said Arahanga.
“tino miharo au ki a ia, ki tōna mahi. Te nuinga o ngā tāngata, te maha o ngā tāngata i roto i te whare.”
For Tipa, the fight carried a deeper personal significance. Tipa said organisers had approached her about joining the event in previous years, but this Matariki she was reminded of a promise to honour her late son by stepping into the ring.
"Engari, tēnei tau i te wā o Matariki i puta anō mai te tono. Kātahi ka hoki mahara atu ki tēnei tamaiti tāku me tētahi moemoeā i puta kia tū a māmā hei whakaea i tōna moemoeā kia ora ia. Engari, kāre i ora." Tipa says,
“Heoi anō, e whawhai ana ahau mo te hunga hoki kua pāngia te mate pukupuku, ngā whanauka i taku reaka e kore tāea te tu.”
By unanimous decision, Tipa was victorious in the bout.
Kāti Irakehu representative Julian Phillips also stepped well outside his comfort zone, swapping the Tāwhaki aerospace industry for the boxing ring. Although he was defeated by Liam Day of Ngāti Whāwhākia, Phillips said stepping into the ring was a bucket-list achievement in itself.
"Make sure that I don't feel fear”
“Not saying I don't have any fear, but I won't let it dictate what I do and the challenges I accept. I climbed a hill today, came up against a good boxer and he was a good match for me."
While the final bell has rung on this year's event, the sense of achievement shared by fighters, supporters and organisers suggests the rivalry is far from over.
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KUA HOKI MAI A PUNCH UP AT THE PĀ
I hoki atu ngā whānau o Ngāi Tahu ki te rīngi i te mutunga wiki nei nā te hokinga mai o Punch Up at the Pā. Koinei te whakataetae tuarua, ā, e whakakotahi ana i ngā kaimekemeke nō ngā pito katoa o te iwi mō tētahi pō whakataetae.
I tūtaki kanohi ki te kanohi ngā mema o ngā rūnanga i roto i ngā tukinga e iwa, tae atu ki te tukinga takirua tuatahi o te kaupapa. I whakataetae ngā tīma nō ngā wāhanga rerekē o te takiwā o Ngāi Tahu kia whai mana, kia whai taitara hoki ēnei rūnanga.
I tae atu ngā kaiwhakataetae nō Te Tai Poutini, Te Tai o Mahaanui me Te Tai o Āraiteuru, ka mutu, kua roa nei rātou e whakaharatau ana mō tēnei pō whakaharahara mō te mekemeke. E ai ki te tokomaha, ehara te wikitōria i te whāinga matua.
HE TUKINGA TAKIRUA, HE TUKINGA RŪNANGA
Ko tētahi wāhanga whakahirahira o te pō, ko te tukinga i waenga i a Te Tai Poutini me Ngāi Tūāhuriri mā roto i tētahi tukinga takiwhā. Koni atu i te 12 o ngā wiki e haratau ana, i uru atu a Riana Tamati, nō Te Tai Poutini rāua ko tōna whānaunga, a Chris Tauwhare-Lewis ki te rīngi hei whakakanohi i tō rāua rohe.
"Ngēngē ināianei, engari pai … a new experience for me, training for 12 weeks, all come together tonight. The tag team was a different experience again because it was three minutes, but we're in the ring together, so it was about supporting each other."
Hei tā Marewa Hoeta-Pitama nō Ngāi Tūāhuriri, i whai wāhitanga ki te tū tahi me tōna whanaunga a Dan Buchanan. I pupū ake te hiahia a Hoeta-Pitama whai muri i te kōrero a te kaiwhakarite a Kelly Barry mō tētahi tukinga takirua i te tīmatanga o tēnei tau.
"Last year I went to Punch Up at the Pā and I watched some cousins like Te Maire, Mananui, Tāwhai and Michael, and they inspired me," she said.
"When Kelly started talking about a tag-team fight, I thought, 'Yeah, I'll sign up.' Before I knew it, I was in the ring."
I akiaki a Tauwhare-Lewis i ētahi atu kia whai wāhi atu ki ngā kaupapa ā muri ake nei, ā, e hiahia ana ia kia tipu tonu te kaupapa takirua.
"If you're thinking about giving it a go, just give it a go, 100 percent.”
"Hopefully the missus comes in next time too. Maybe we can get a couples tag team going or something."
Nā te pōti a te marea, i puta te ihu a Te Tai Poutini. Ka noho rātou hei tīma tuatahi ki te toa i tēnei wāhanga, ā, kua tuhia te ingoa ki te hītori o Punch Up at the Pā.
EHARA I TE MEA KO TE WIKITŌRIA TE WHĀINGA MATUA
Ko tētahi atu tukinga i kapo ake i te titiro o te marea, ko te tukinga i waenganui i a Kare Tipa nō Te Tai o Āraiteuru me Meikura Arahanga nō Te Taumutu. Ahakoa kua eke rāua ki ngā tau rima tekau neke atu, he tūāpapa tēnei kaupapa mā te tokorua hei whakaatu atu e kore te pakeketanga e aukati i te tangata ki te whakamātau i tētahi mea hōu.
"I whakaaro au, e 53 ōku tau engari kāore he mea, he issue. He pai mō ngā rangatahi o ngā rā o muri ake." i kī a Arahanga.
"Tino miharo au ki a ia, ki tōna mahi. Te nuinga o ngā tāngata i roto i te whare hoki."
He take hōhonu tā Tipa ki te uru atu ki te whakataetae. Kua roa nei ngā kaiwhakarite e tono ana kia uru atu ia, engari i te wā o Matariki i tēnei tau ka hoki anō āna whakaaro ki tana tama kua riro ki te pō, me tana hiahia kia whakatutuki i tētahi moemoeā mōna.
"Engari, tēnei tau i te wā o Matariki i puta anō mai te tono. Kātahi ka hoki mahara atu ki tēnei tamaiti tāku me tētahi moemoeā i puta kia tū a māmā hei whakaea i tōna moemoeā kia ora ia. Engari, kāore i ora."
"Heoi anō, e whawhai ana ahau mō te hunga kua pāngia e te mate pukupuku, me ngā whānau hoki i taku reanga kāore e taea te tū."
Nā te whakatau kotahi a ngā kaiwhakawā i wikitōria ai a Tipa.
I puta anō a Julian Phillips nō Kāti Irakehu i waho atu i tōna wāhi haumaru, ko te ao tuarangi kia kuhu atu ki te rīngi.
Ahakoa i hinga ia ki a Liam Day o Ngāti Whāwhākia, i kī a Phillips kua tutuki i a ia tētahi wawata nui i runga i tana rārangi hiahia.
"Make sure that I don't feel fear."
"Not saying I don't have any fear, but I won't let it dictate what I do and the challenges I accept. I climbed a hill today, came up against a good boxer and he was a good match for me."
Ahakoa kua tangi te pere whakamutunga mō tēnei tau, ko te ngākau hihiko me te whakahīhī o ngā kaiwhakataetae, ngā kaitautoko me ngā kaiwhakarite e tohu ana kāore anō kia mutu te whakataetae ā-rūnanga nei.