I ke kauwela i hala aku nei, ua huakaʻi ke kime ʻo Hui Kanaka Pōwāwae no Hawaiʻi i Aotearoa no ka hoʻokūkū aku me nā kime pōwāwae ʻo Māori Football Association o laila. He kime ʻo Hui Kanaka Pōwāwae i hoʻohui ʻia ai nā ʻālapa Hawaiʻi o ka pae makahiki ʻumikūmāono a hiki i ka ʻumikūmāwalu mai ʻō a ʻō. Ua noho i Aotearoa mai ka lā 17 a hiki i ka lā 27 o Iulai ma Tāmati Makaurau, ʻo ia hoʻi ʻo Auckland. Iā mākou ma laila, ua hoʻomaʻamaʻa, ua hoʻokūkū, ua hoʻokamaʻāina kekahi i kekahi, a ua hiki pū ke nānā i ʻelua pāʻani ma ka hoʻokūkū kau honua ʻo ka Women’s World Cup. Ua eo ka lanakila iā mākou ma nā pāʻani ʻekolu i pāʻani ʻia e nā ʻalapa wāhine. Ua nani loa kēia huakaʻi ʻoiai ua hiki ke kū ʻelele no Hawaiʻi ma ka ʻaʻa i ka pāʻani pōwāwae me ka kaʻanalike pū i ka moʻomeheu Hawaiʻi, nā mele a me ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi me nā hoa hānau o Aotearoa. Ua nani pū ka hiki ke pāʻani me nā ʻālapa mākaukau mai nā kula like ʻole, mai nā kalapu pōwāwae like ʻole a me nā kaiaulu like ʻole a he mau Hawaiʻi mākou a pau. Ua hoʻokuleana ʻia au e oli ma ka powhiri, ʻo ia hoʻi ka hoʻokipa ma ka marae i mālama ʻia no mākou. Ua noi pū ʻia e pule ma mua o ka ʻai ʻana a me nā pāʻani a ua hula ma ka pāʻina pani. ʻOiai he ʻike ko kākou, nā haumāna Nāwahī, he mea nui ka hoʻohana i kēia ʻike a me ko kākou mākaukau ma nā pōʻaiapili like ʻole. 

Nui koʻu mahalo i ka poʻe i kākoʻo mai iā mākou ma nā ʻimi kālā, ma ka hoʻonui ʻana i ko mākou ʻike pōwāwae, ma ka hoʻolako ʻana i nā lako a me nā kumu waiwai. He honua hou kēia e lanakila ai kākou ka lāhui Hawaiʻi!

This summer, I traveled to New Zealand with the Hawaiʻi National Soccer Team, Kanaka Pōwāwae to compete against the Māori Football Association Teams. Kanaka Pōwāwae is a team composed of very skilled Hawaiian soccer players from different communities and soccer clubs within the State of Hawaiʻi. It was a wonderful experience to be able to represent Hawaiʻi at the international level while also exchanging culture, language and songs with our Māori cousins. While we were there I was tasked with chanting at certain events, praying before games and before meals as well as leading songs and dancing hula. Because I am a student of Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu, I had a responsibility to use my knowledge in different situations. 

I am very thankful for this opportunity and to everyone who made it possible for me to be a part of this team. This is yet another arena in which we can be successful as Hawaiians!

Na Nāliʻipōʻaimoku Harman