Mihimihi in 60 seconds for 25 visitors
Hēmi is in Year 11. His mother is Ngāti Porou; he was born and raised in Ōtautahi and goes to school there. His kura is hosting 25 visiting students and teachers from a Wellington school, including two kaumātua, and Hēmi has been asked to mihi to the visitors on behalf of the school. He has 60 seconds - about 100 to 120 spoken words. His draft opens: 'Tēnā koe, nau mai haere mai ki tō mātou kura.' It then gives his full pepeha, including the waka 'Tainui', which he found online because no one in his family has told him his waka; his mother's marae is on the East Coast. He also plans a waiata and a list naming everyone in his whānau. Read aloud at a normal pace, the draft runs to about 2 minutes 30. His teacher says he must decide what stays.
1. Fix Hēmi's opening line and explain the reasoning behind each change.
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Two kaumātua plus 23 others is a group of 25, so the greeting must be collective: Tēnā koutou katoa. Tēnā koe is singular - it addresses one person, and spoken to a whole visiting group it reads as a mistake, especially to the kaumātua. Because Hēmi's kura is the host speaking first, he also carries the welcome itself: Nau mai, haere mai ki tō mātou kura. A workable opening: 'Tēnā koutou katoa, e ngā kaumātua, e ngā tauira, nau mai, haere mai ki tō mātou kura.' Naming the kaumātua before the students reflects tikanga - elders are acknowledged first. The judgement is that the greeting word is only one decision; number of listeners, role (host or visitor) and order of acknowledgement all have to line up.
2. What should Hēmi do about the waka he found online, and what could he say instead?
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He should not use Tainui. A pepeha is a statement of whakapapa, not a script: a waka found online for a different branch of the family is not his to claim, and if a kaumātua asks a follow-up question the answer collapses - which damages the mihi far more than a gap would. A pepeha does not have to be complete to be respectful. Two safe options: omit the waka line altogether, or state the gap honestly - Kāore au i te mōhio ki tōku waka / Kāore i te mōhiotia tōku waka - and then ask his mother or her marae before the next occasion. This tests whether a candidate prefers accuracy and honesty over sounding complete.
3. Cut the draft to 60 seconds. What goes, what stays, and why?
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Sixty seconds is roughly 100–120 words, so the 2-minute-30 draft has to lose about two-thirds. Keep the three load-bearing parts: (1) acknowledgement of the visitors and kaumātua, (2) his own identity - name, his mother's iwi and marae - and (3) the kaupapa, why everyone is standing there, plus a short closing. Cut the list naming his whole whānau (a mihimihi does not require every name), cut the online waka, and cut the length of the waiata - or ask the teacher whether the waiata can be led separately at the end so the mihi itself fits. Pacing matters too: the draft is three mihi crammed together, so trimming sentences is not enough; he must rehearse aloud against a timer. Priority order is identity, acknowledgement, occasion.