Coco Reo Māori stars make Matariki connection with Mexican holiday
Wednesday, 12 July 2023
Eleven-year-old Mānuera Mānihera (Ngāti Wai, Muriwhenua, Ngāpuhi) is the voice of protagonist Miguel Rivera in Coco Reo Māori, the latest Disney reo Māori adaptation.
Over four months, Mānihera has been in full rehearsal and study mode to prepare for his film debut, alongside homeschooling and performing in his kapa haka group, Ngā Whānau Mānihera.
Not only did Mānihera master his waiata and scripts which were in Te Tai Rāwhiti dialect, he learnt some Spanish and the tikanga of Mexican culture as well.
“First we had to learn Pāniora [Spanish], just iti noa iho [a little bit]… then we had to bring te reo Māori and Pāniora together.”
Mānihera says the discipline, hard work and singing skills gained from kapa haka, helped him immensely with the recording work.
“At first, I was kind of maemae [hurting], [and] āwangawanga [worried] to try to get this character.”
But once he landed the role, he began to make himself at home with his character.
Mānihera says he and Miguel share a heart of song, but the most rewarding part of this kaupapa has been giving te reo Māori a voice in one of his favourite Disney films.
“The singing and wairua and all of it gives me lots of love.”
Looking fondly at the rising generation of young talent is Naomi Herewini-Houia (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Waikato, Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungunu) who plays the stern and short-tempered Rivera matriarch, Mamá Imelda.
“I didn’t picture myself being that particular character,” she says, “I’m not really a grumpy or growly person.”
But through the recording journey, Herewini-Houia learned that Mamá Imelda is “all about her family”, something that she relates deeply to.
Herewini-Houia says the experience has been amazing.
“I get to work with beautiful tamariki like Mānuera here and then right up to Nanny Kuini.
“It reminded me of being a kid, growing up in kapa haka, and now it’s brought us to spaces like this,” she says proudly.
She dreams that all tamariki Māori with talent can be exposed to such large-scale opportunities.
It is also humbling to be a part of normalising te reo Māori, as an extension of language revitalisation, Herewini-Houia says.
“Now people overseas get to watch it, hear it and feel it,” she says. “I’m very proud of that, having not grown up with te reo but being very passionate about kapa haka.”
Herewini-Houia is a senior member of Te Kapa Haka o Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, three-time Te Matatini champions. She’s also a composer, performer, advocate and educator of kapa haka, “used to being in front of hundreds of people”, yet the experience of getting into a recording booth was new.
“Kapa haka is actually a great foundation for things like this, not only the discipline side of things,” she says.
Their lessons in Spanish and Mexican culture were guided by Edd Rivera, a Mexican comedian based in Tāmaki Makaurau.
“If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have understood the bigger picture… He was guiding us [to do] justice to the culture.
“What a journey to learn another language in just a short amount of time. It’s not just learning the language, you’re learning about their world,” says Herewini-Houia.
Mānihera says that Rivera explained to the cast how hard they fought for the tikanga of El Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
That it’s recognised now is “a tohu [sign] of how much they fought, and now it still lives – just like our one, Matariki”, says Mānihera.
“It’s like weaving the worlds together.”
Mānihera is now back home in Te Tai Tokerau for his Matariki hautapu.
“We’re probably gonna get tuna, [and] make stuff out of harakeke [flax,] like fish and stars,” he says.“We’re going to have a little celebration for Coco Reo Māori too.”
Mānihera says he will karanga to Hiwa-i-te-rangi to help him continue his performing journey, and he hopes to be involved in the next Disney Reo Māori adaption, Encanto.
Coco Reo Māori will be available to watch at participating cinemas from Thursday, July 13, just ahead of Matariki.