Ari Parata’s brother Tane, nephew Nikau, and other family members conducted a traditional Kiwi haka in Home and Away yesterday in honour of their fallen loved one (March 10).
Following 2020’s landmark homage to Mikaere Parata, this isn’t the first time one has appeared in the serial, but the emotions it has evoked among the Home and Away fandom in Australia illustrates just how important such representation is on screen.
Many people praised the scenes on Twitter, which will appear on Channel 5 in the UK in April.
“@homeandaway, you make me so sad. I adore how you’ve included Maori culture into the play; it’s so respectful and beautiful; the Haka gave me chills. One user tweeted, “#HomeAndAway #Maori,” while another said, “Everything” about Ari’s send-off was “wonderful.” “..
“That Haka was incredible. “Absolute goosebumps” and “Tonight’s episodes of Home and Away were really emotional.” It’s wonderful to see Mori culture honoured “read a new set of tweets
Ethan Browne and Kawakawa Fox-Reo, who play Tane and Nikau, spoke about their characters’ intense Taiaha sequences earlier this year.
“It’s something very important to me, and it just feels good to know that I’m helping to bring awareness about our culture,” the former added.
Fox-Reo expressed his pride in his Mori history and stated that he wants to learn more about his roots.
“That’s who I am, and I’m very proud of it,” he said, “but I’m definitely guilty of not upholding a certain quality that I know I’m capable of in terms of language and tikanga [traditional behaviours].”
“I spent a lot of my childhood at the marae [a sacred site], and I’m constantly interested in learning more.”
