AUT students shine at Auckland FC game
Two representatives from Tītahi ki Tua, AUT’s Māori Students’ Association, performed stirring renditions of the New Zealand and Australian national anthems ahead of kick off at Auckland FC’s latest match at Go Media Stadium.
As a result of the University’s partnership with Auckland FC, current Master of Arts student and kaimahi for AUT’s Office of Māori Advancement, Aiesha Kahui-Heke, was invited to sing God Defend New Zealand in Te Reo and English, while third-year Communications Studies student, Te Ahi Kaa Trotman, was invited to sing Advance Australia Fair.
As a group, Tītahi ki Tua performed the haka and the well-known waiata, Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi, on the pitch at half-time.
AUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Damon Salesa says, “'Te Ahi Kaa and Aiesha's individual performances and the group’s performance were outstanding, making for significant moments for the University that we should all be immensely proud of.”
Enhancing AUT’s reputation as the country’s only University of Technology, one of its 1.4 metre tall humanoid robots also walked the game day ball onto the field and delivered it to the referee.
Professor Salesa says, “AUT’s visibility and presence at Go Media Stadium this season has reinforced the position the University holds in the heart of Auckland’s football landscape as a leading sports university.”
AUT’s Office of Māori Advancement Manager: Special Projects, Strategic Relationships and Equity Māori, Colleen Laeuanae says, “Tītahi ki Tua’s contributions to this high-profile Australasian sports event, televised live on Sky Sport, were real highlights at Go Media Stadium. As a rōpū and as individuals, their talent and mana were clear to all and made for a very special experience in front of the large Tāmaki Makaurau crowd watching on.”
Auckland FC CEO, Nick Becker, says, “Tītahi ki Tua’s powerful performances brought the spirit of the place and our partnership with AUT to life in a way that created a very memorable and proud moment for our club. It was an honour for our team to hear the haka from the changing room at half-time as they were preparing to come back onto the field and face their Aussie opponents.”
Commenting on the half-time opportunity Tītahi ki Tua’s Aiesha Kahui-Heke says, “Our rōpū was thrilled at the chance to represent AUT at Go Media Stadium. To be able to connect with such a big Auckland crowd through the national anthems, a waiata and the haka was an epic experience for us. We’re very grateful that AUT’s partnership with Auckland FC enabled this exciting opportunity for our students,” she says.
AUT’s Tītahi ki Tua are fresh off a first-place win at Te Huinga Tauira, the National Tertiary Students’ Conference, and have recently been the back-up vocalists for the famous singer-songwriter, Marlon Williams, singing the much-loved Pōkarekare Ana, in a new Air New Zealand commercial.