Ahi Kā

Left alone with just her spiritual guides, a young girl upholds the prestige and sovreignty of the tribe in order to protect the land for generations to come. Due to her brave deeds, she is immortalised forever.

Ahi Kā is based on actual events that took place on lake Rotoiti in the Bay of Plenty in the early 1900’s. It is a personal story about the Director’s grandmother (Taipapaki Curtis) a full blooded Maori from the Te Arawa tribe, Rotorua. She was given the responsibility to protect the land and prevent it from falling into crown hands.

This story draws upon actual events and elements that took place in those times. Maori land was always owned by the local tribes not by individuals. Ahi Kā refers to the long burning fires of occupation or a tribe of people always living on the land.

This story is about a young girl being left alone whilst coming to terms with her isolation and the environment in which she finds herself in. ‘Manupirua Hot Springs’ is a living entity belonging and connected to both the land and the people.