New Air Force Haka
Ko wai matou? Ko te Taua-a-Rangi!
Who are we? We are Air Force!
W/O ‘Wal’ Wallace, RNZAF Maori Coordination Officer (MCO)
Members of the 08/01 Recruit Course cap - Image 1. (WB-08-0078-30).
Thursday 24 April was a day of significance for Air Force culture. It was the day that the words ‘Ko te Taua-a-Rangi’ (we are Air Force) rang out across the parade ground into the hearts of our ancestors and the pages of history.
On that day 08/01 Recruit Course graduated and capped off a proud day with a stirring rendition of the Air Force haka - a first in Air Force history. Yes, Air Force now has an official haka and credit must go not only to those that performed it and performed it well, but to those in the background who took a fleeting dream many years ago, and made it a reality.
Members of the 08/01 Recruit Course - Image 2. (WB-08-0078-13).
It arose from the collective minds of many, too many to name here. They had one aim – to create a haka that told our story and that all Air Force personnel can share ownership in. In 2003 that came true and it was performed to then CAF, AVM John Hamilton, who endorsed it. He proclaimed ‘Ko te Taua-a-Rangi’ (literally ‘Warriors of the Sky’) as the official Air Force haka.
It’s been a long road since then. Our Base MCGs have performed it at Open Days and cultural festivals and some units have performed it on deployment. However dispersal has been slow and ad hoc. The time had come for a major infusion of the haka directly into the bloodstream of the Air Force. The Recruit Course graduation was the perfect vehicle to carry the haka to the masses. The recruits were hungry for it and CPL Will Taylor, newly posted into CRTS, was the perfect person to drive it home.
He cleared the proposal with the haka’s creators and got Command Recruit Training Squadron (CRTS) command endorsement. He drafted the training schedule and enlisted the help of fellow CRTS staff CPL Matt Roberts and CPL Lydia Savage. All he needed now was a bunch of haka-hungry recruits to teach it to and they answered the call in their droves!
Learning the haka was purely voluntary and around two thirds of 08/01 Recruit Course took up the challenge. Not to be outdone they were joined by 08/01 IOTC (DE) Course and several CRTS staff and WB personnel.
Members of the 08/01 Recruit Course - Image 3. (WB-08-0078-18).
Around sixty people took to the parade ground to perform the haka that day but the road leading there was paved with many hours of hard work. CPL Taylor led the way but as the horse reached the finishing post he was deployed to Timor Leste! He didn’t get to see the fruit of his labour as he handed the reins to CPL Roberts.
CPL Matt Roberts comments: ‘I know that the haka hasn’t been promoted to the wider service yet and that it is a great haka to learn as part of the Air Force culture. To have an active part in this and to see the end result of the training and dedication put in by all is a personal value for me.’
Regarding the end result he adds: ‘Many of the parents and other instructors approached me on graduation day congratulating me on a job well done. We (instructors) can’t take credit for that. The trainees did the work, we just showed them the way!’
Members of the 08/01 Recruit Course - Image 4. (WB-08-0078-20).
As for the performance itself – it was riveting, it was powerful, and it was emotional. Faces beamed with honour and body language spoke volumes of self-esteem and pride. It was a proud moment to witness and even prouder to be part of. The whakatauki or proverb that opens the haka sums it up well - ‘Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini.’
‘My achievements are not attained single-handedly but by the combined efforts of many.’ Well done to all.