Who Leads the Pōwhiri?
Your school is hosting a pōwhiri for three visiting schools - about 150 guests - at the local marae at 9am on a Friday. The pōwhiri must fit a 20-minute window before morning tea. The kuia who normally karanga is unavailable. Two students are proposed: Mere, 15, who belongs to the local iwi and has practised karanga with her nan but has never called on this marae; and Tama, 16, from Tūhoe, who has strong reo and has done whaikōrero at his own marae but has no whakapapa connection to the local marae. The principal wants 'students to lead' and has told the visitors that students will handle the pōwhiri. The marae committee has said it expects local tikanga to be followed. You have three days to prepare. A backup kuia can come but only if asked by 5pm today.
1. Advise on the karanga. What are the risks of Mere calling, and what conditions would make it acceptable?
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Karanga is not a generic 'female part'. It is a mana wahine role governed by local protocol. Mere has a strong base because she has whakapapa to the local iwi, but she has not called on this marae. The risks are real: a mistake can embarrass her, the marae and the school, and it can breach local expectation.
Conditions that would make it acceptable: the marae committee and a kuia approve; she rehearses on the marae with the backup kuia; she knows the visiting schools' names and the order of call; there is a clear handover if she falters; and the backup kuia is physically present. If those conditions cannot be met by 5pm, ask the backup kuia to call and give Mere a different role, such as leading waiata tautoko.
The principal's promise of student leadership should be kept through a range of roles, not by putting an unprepared student in a role that carries mana.
2. Advise on whaikōrero. Should Tama speak? What alternatives preserve student leadership and tikanga?
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Strong reo alone does not make Tama the right host speaker. On the host side, the first whaikōrero is normally given by a local kaikōrero with whakapapa and a mandate from the marae. Tama is from Tūhoe and has no whakapapa to this marae, so he should not take the first host speech.
Options: a local kaumātua speaks first; Tama gives a short mihi only if the local kaumātua invites and briefs him; otherwise Tama leads the haka or waiata tautoko after the speeches. That keeps him visible and useful without misrepresenting the marae.
If the visitors have been told students will handle everything, correct that now. A quiet conversation with the principal is better than an awkward moment on the day. Student leadership can be distributed: karanga, mihi, waiata, haka, and care of guests.
3. Set out a three-day preparation plan and the decision points.
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Day 1, before 5pm: phone the backup kuia; meet the marae committee; confirm which roles are permitted for students. Decision point: if no kuia is available, no student karanga.
Day 2: rehearse on the marae with the kuia; brief Tama and the other student leaders; assign waiata and haka; write a 20-minute run sheet with times for karanga, whaikōrero, waiata, hongi and kai. Decision point: if no local kaikōrero is available, ask the marae committee for one rather than using Tama.
Day 3: full walkthrough with the run sheet; prepare the backup plan; confirm with visiting schools. Keep one person responsible for signals so the 20 minutes is respected. The plan should be written down and shared, not held in one person's head.