Ethan Browne and Kawakawa Fox-Reo, who play Tane and Nikau Parata, have discussed the inclusion of a Taiaha in their most recent scenes.
Fans in the United Kingdom won’t see them until March, but Tane recently took his nephew Nikau on a camping vacation to cheer him up in the wake of Ari’s arrest.
The aforementioned long-handled weapon with a Mori origin makes an appearance here.
“I certainly understood what it was because I’m Mori,” Browne told Stuff, “but I never really performed Taiaha itself.”
“We did a little amount of Mau rakau (weapon-based Mori martial arts) in high school, so when the scenario came up, I had to call a few buddies for assistance.”
When it comes to adding Mori material, the decision makers at Home and Away appear to be “all for it.”
“They support any and all cultural ideas that we have. We’ll pitch it to them and they’ll say, ‘Oh, sure, that’ll work there.’ There’ll be more, and we’ll keep it going “Tane’s actor made a point.
“It’s something very important to me, and it just feels good to know that I’m helping to raise awareness about our culture.”
Meanwhile, Fox-Reo expressed his delight in his Mori heritage, despite the fact that there is still much to learn.
“That’s who I am and something I’m very proud of, but I’m definitely guilty of not upholding a certain level in terms of language and tikanga [traditional behaviours] that I know I’m capable of.”
“I grew up spending a lot of time at the marae [a sacred site], and I’m always open to learning more,” he explained. “But there’ll never be a period where I’ll be all knowing.”
