maurakau insights

The Matarua Federation of Traditional Maori Martial Arts is based on maurakau (māori weaponary). IMO like many martial arts the fighting skills of are a manifestation of the fighters internal world and to be a good fighter means to be at peace with the deeper levels of the art and practice and yourself.  The fighting is almost an afterthought. The most impressive aspect that really caught my eye was the idea that when holding the rakau and thinking of tūpuna and what they would do - you are actually creating the connection and living with the past, as the present.

Rotorua Daily Post

"It's not just about fighting or anything like that - it's about the mind, body and soul," Whatanui Flavell said. "Maurakau isn't about winning, it's about whakawhanaungatanga (kinship), it's about bringing people together in a way our tipuna used to do.

"I was a swimmer and played a bit of rugby and touch.

But with maurakau, it's about body position and thinking about how our tipuna (ancestors) used to do it.

"In swimming you're just trying to be a winner.When I'm holding a rakau in a stance and you're ready to go into a fight, I think 'far out, if our tipuna were in this position, what would they do?"

'The sport has a wide range of people taking part in it including non-Maori, Flavell said."It's for anyone. It's not about who you are or where you come from. "It's about passion, if you want to learn about Maori culture this is a way of going about it."

Open to everyone - just like the beaches. A way to learn about māori culture and yourself - a win-win scenario. Think about the vast storehouse of knowledge and technique that was developed over generations.