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If you don't do well at school,
you won't be allowed on stage to perform.
That's the rule for students at Western Springs College
and teachers say it's a challenge taken up by the students themselves.
Champion haka group, Nga Puna o Waiorea,
have a unique strategy that determines their success
on and off the stage.
First and foremost
they must perform well in class.
That's most important.
So, if they fail in class,
they don't make the haka team.
It all goes hand-in-hand and in support of our principal's vision,
which is, this is a school, not a club.
We must adorn our students with the cloak of knowledge.
When I was at this school,
kapa haka instilled in me
values and principles
so that I could succeed in the classroom.
The team rule is that if you don't complete your school work,
you don't get on stage.
It's a challenge,
but it's achievable.
School work goes hand-in-hand with kapa haka.
I've seen our school rules and protocols in play.
They practice working as one, young and old.
They also abide by tapu and noa, right from wrong.
I want to see our youth holdfast to the knowledge of our ancestors
so they stand strong in this world.
He's a hard worker, he growls,
but he pushes us hard so we all look after one another.
He's a great teacher who shows us how to hold on to our heritage.
Through kapa haka we learn about humility.
We learn different songs and haka
then use the histories within those in our exams.
My dream is our items are not kept hidden,
but are shared wide and far.
That we embody our school proverb:
The bird that feeds on the miro berry owns the forests.
The bird that feeds on knowledge owns the world.
It's an easy job.