Ka Whawhai Tonu

I was swept up in this story from the first line, it is romantic, exciting and full of action, but not going to spoil it here. The acting is superb and the music deserves recognition especially because it serves the story, not drawing attention to itself. What sticks with me though is, this is the history we weren't taught in school, this is what colonisation was like at the time before the official, sanitised version was written down. To tell this story in the Maori language in 2024 is the victory that Rewi Maniapoto hoped for. Kia kaha te ao Maori, kia kaha te Reo Maori, Ake, Ake Ake tonu e.