Small wooden instruments surround two edges of the floor. Two white walls hold large framed negative photographs of Kaumātua. A man with his hair in a bun, dressed simply in black pants and white shirt, sits cross-legged in the corner facing us as we walk in and take our seats. He is not still. Indeed, he moves like the flow of a river: torso, arms, hands, and head in perpetual motion. Sometimes his eyes are on us, sometimes his eyes belong to his work. His mouth moves with soundless words. It seems he is within an offering to the earth, the rivers and their eels, and sky.

It is a meditation to watch and feel as I relax into the space. He starts to croon in a luxurious tone and is joined by a woman creating her own acoustic resonance. Together, the harmony they create is delicious and reminds me of a Maori flute, a Kōauau. 

River Seeds Collective is a collaborative company of two Actors, Periri King and Kristyl Neho, their Director, Puti Lancaster, Performance Designer Marama Beamish, Janice Chen Lighting Designer and their Researcher, Moana Munro. They reside in Hawke’s Bay.

Tonight’s work is a story which affects every single person living in this area. It is about water. Rain water, river water, drinking water, aquifer water. Hastings was built next to the Makirikiri river which flowed through and around this Hawke’s Bay town. It was swum in, canoed on and fished in but in 1897 was dammed up when the local council decided it wanted to build where the Makirikiri flowed. Ma means to cleanse and kirikiri means ‘through shingle’.

The Actors tell us that where we are sitting right now, in this old pump station, the Makirikiri once flowed right under us. At that moment, in this room, I feel a collective shift of energy within the audience, myself included. I realise history is about to repeat itself. I wonder if we can use the Makirikiri’s experience to bring with us into the future as we move forward towards actively living with clean rivers, and a full aquifer.

Periri recites a poem rhyming like rap, not messing with its meaning, and in the style of a beat poet. It is good and I think it could be published in Hawkes Bay Today. One of the most striking lines refers to the fact that he is labelled a protester, when in fact he is a protector. Fantastic. 

An overhead projector with dripping water along with an 1864 map of Hastings and surrounding rivers, Makirikiri included, is simply and poignantly used to add depth and visual clarity.

The expression in this work is not unique to Hawke’s Bay because we all need clean water. It is a gentle work with a strong message.

There are two more performances for the Hawke’s Bay Art’s Festival (click on the title above for details). Go experience it for yourself.

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