Starting a regional kapa haka team has unified a Te Atiawa iwi after years of division, a Te Atiawa cultural advisor says.
Nga Uri o Tamarau was formed in 2012 as a ngahau [entertainment group] to perform at the regional Te Matatini cultural festival, and to also help tell the iwi's stories.
Te Atiawa cultural advisor Kura Moeahu says the primary reason Nga Uri o Tamarau (the descendants of Tamarau) was formed was because many different factions within the iwi started emerging.
He says he wanted to unite his iwi, and one common ancestor all hapu and whanau link to is Tamarau, the father of Awanuiarangi.
The team qualified for the national Te Matatini competition to represent Te Upoko o Te Ika, or the Wellington region.
The kapa haka team has also been another vehicle to help keep the Taranaki dialect alive, he says.
