TĒNEI TE PŌ ~ Winter Wānanga
Thu, 18 Jul
|Memorial Hall
Three nights and one day. Thursday night is our open community dance ~ optional Full wānanga Friday and Saturday


Time & Location
18 Jul 2024, 6:30 pm – 20 Jul 2024, 10:00 pm
Memorial Hall, 98 The Parade, Paekākāriki 5034, New Zealand
About the Event
To dance the dance of Pō requires us to be together at night.
Because of this, the timetable looks a bit unusual.
For those who already know they are coming or are leaning in, I will lead with our wātaka | timetable:
Three nights and one day:
Thursday: ~ Open community dance everyone welcome
6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Friday: ~ Wananga only participants
7:00 PM - 10:00/10:30 PM
Saturday: ~ Wananga only participants
12:00 PM - 3 PM - afternoon session
Break 1hour - afternoon tea
4 PM - 630 PM - early evening session
Break 1.5hours ~ DINNER SHARED KAI
8 PM - 1030 PM - final session
I understand Thursday may be difficult for those coming from afar, so please don't stress. It is optional, but if you can, COME!
THURSDAY NIGHT ~ This first night, we honour Hinenuitepō, a great Atua | Māori Deity who underwent a great and unimaginable transformation. We call them in to support us as we journey together. This is where we start/continue from.
As we all know, great transformations require great awareness and intentional effort. Hinenuitepō didn't just slip over to the dark side to catch us when we die; they had a journey like all of us. They made choices that affected everyone they loved and continued even with great sacrifice. So we begin Thursday with Hinenuitepō, acknowledging our great journeys with awareness and intentional effort.
This is the beginning of our Māori New Year, this is a great moment to have supported awareness.
And have the advantage of long nights already here to amplify this mahi.
Let us wānanga as a collective, supported by the dance within darkness.
Our Map, our pathway of awareness.
Te Pō nui - the great night
Te Pō roa - the long night
Te Pō urirui - the deep night
Te Pō kerekere - the intense night
Te Pō tiwhatiwha - the dark night
Te Pō tē kitea - the night in which nothing is seen
Te Pō Tangotango - the intensely dark night
Te Pō whāwhā - the night feeling
Te Pō namunamu ki taiao - the night of seeking the passage of the world
Te Pō tahuri atu - the night of restless turning
Te Pō tahuri mai ki taiao - the night of turning towards the revealed world
I will not take us through all these stages; that is not the point.
The point is for me to resource us enough so that we can go in, welcome the change, dissolve the edges, and be with the cycles of existence much bigger and much more supportive than just tangata.
If you joined me for Te Kore - the dance of deep dissolve,
you know that decolonisation and a re-indigenisation are part of this dance within the darkness.
There are parts of us that need to be unmasked, parts that are scared af to change,
parts that need shedding, parts that only come out in the dark, parts that are tender and brave calling to be with.
Darkness supports this.
Hinenuitepō welcomes us.
What to Expect:
Creative process
Unmasking
Construction and deconstruction
A place where movement, dance, and creativity help lead us
A brave space, wild skin
Cultural sensitivity
Decolonisation awareness
Resources for the Revolution 😉
Movement as Mihi
Open Floor Syllabus
Manāhau Embodied Movement Facilitation
Sound and resonance support by Erika Grant with Gongs and other beings.
A hearty community of humans and a full-flavored dance floor
All infused by my indigenous heart, a reset, acknowledgment
Space to exist
Space to form
Space to align with our natural cycles
We get an opportunity in this human body of ours right now, to continue as we are or to make intentional change together.
What we create in this wānanga is here to help us towards TE WHAI AO.
And before we look for the light,
let us just be bathed in bass and darkness.
Following on in our connected series;
Te Whai ao - the glimmer of dawn - (spring wānanga in regional locations August/September)
Te Ao mārama - the bright light of the day - (4-day wā in Kapiti 17-20th Jan 2025)
For accommodation
Check out; Paekakariki Camp Ground, they have great cabins and showers!
https://www.paekakarikiholidaypark.co.nz/
If you wish to stay with someone in the community please reach out and I will try and locate another human for you.
Please share this event with people you know who may be interested. It makes for a fantastic dance floor. One last thing is that this is open to all ranges of movers, and humans. I would prefer you to be 12 and over and that’s the only restriction.
Acess into the space by three steps at the front door,
or three steps with a side rail
or a side ramp to the south facing door.
Please let the crew know if you need support or more information.
There are always chairs on the floor for all our dancers, please leave them on the floor during our dances and please use them x
I would encourage you to bring a good soft blanket to rest on, a pillow for your head and or cushion to sit on.
Come and join us for a weekend of dance on the Kāpiti Coast, no regrets.
With love and awareness
Kaia.
Small print
This workshop will only take place with enough participants.
If I choose to cancel this workshop I will let people know
No refunds from 5days before the event until the event.
Prior to that, dance credit or 50% on amount paid.