Talented Trainer on the Card for Super Classic
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- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Tui Teka is a horseman, entertainer, mentor and so much more. His deep affinity with horses and the ability to work with them continues to inspire and entertain.
He’s once again joining forces with long-time friend Kevin Hansen and over the three days of the Cartown Kiwi Super Classic will take a young horse from wild to willing. He’s also bringing his “old mate” Kingston out of retirement and back under the spotlight. They’ll be performing in Feilding’s main square on Thursday and Saturday between 12.45pm-1.45pm as well as throughout the show.
The man from the Coast is now based at Ness Valley Ranch in Clevedon where he operated his horse – and people – training business and running a small breeding programme that he hopes will revive a breed from the East Coast. He also works with Equine International Air Freight, travelling the globe with horses as a senior groom. Most of them are racehorses but there is also the odd warmblood, Arab and standardbred.
He first met Kevin when he was working with New Zealand Performance Horses at Ocean Beach in Hawke’s Bay.
Their paths crossed again when Kevin was involved with EQUITANA and encouraged Tui to be part of The Way of The Horse, which he won in Auckland and also took part in the all-stars version in Melbourne.
“They gave me a great opportunity to grow into what I do now,” he says.
Tui is dad to four-year-old TJ who he says encourages him to find the best possible version of himself.
He’s looking forward to showcasing his skills through the colt he will start at the Super Classic. “I am very passionate about working with young horses – they are closest to the truth,” says Tui. “It will be an unhandled youngster who I don’t know. The process over the three days will take people on a journey with me and hopefully they will have a better understanding from a horse’s point of view in building confidence, trust and finding the best for the horse’s future.”
Sunday will be a demo day where he will show all the youngster has learnt.
His old horse Kingston still has plenty of party tricks. Tui figures he’s around 15 now and spends his days watching over the young stock. “We’re both looking forward to the Super Classic. Kevin has a way of bringing all sorts of people together and putting out the best horse education and entertainment together. It is a privilege and honour to be working alongside him again.”
Tui has both a television series and a film under his belt too. He did Native Ride as a role model for up and coming horse men and women on the East Coast. From there he got his own show – Tui Teka’s Trails – which is still screening on Country TV and Māori TV.
“I really enjoyed that but I also love what I am doing now,” he says.
The Native Ride won the Best TV Series, Best International and Best Cultural Presentation prizes at the Equus International Film Festival in the United States where Tui worked alongside the Black Feet people. “It was amazing and opened my eyes to a bigger scale of horsemanship and the capacity of performance level too.”
Tui credits his time with Ngahiwi Horses’ Bruce Holden with setting him off on his own journey of discovery with horses. “I really looked at him as a father and role model and learnt so much with him.”
Tui’s own breeding programme pays homage to Bruce’s equine bloodlines. “I am breeding all round versatile horses that have the right temperament, can jump, hack, trek, cross all disciplines and are good on a farm too.”
He has one line that traces back to American saddle horse Kingston, who was imported to the East Coast in the 1900s by Edward Murphy and the Lipizzaner line which Edward brought in from Spain. “I want to revive those lines – the saddle bred one was the working class horse while the Lipizzaner added the balance, confirmation, elevation and muscle.”
You can catch Tui and the colt at the following times –
Friday 10am-11.30am (Tui’s Arena)
Friday 5pm-6.30pm (Kiwi Arena)
Saturday 10am-11.30am (Tui’s Arena)
Saturday 4.15pm-5.15pm (Kiwi Arena)
Sunday 12.30pm-1.55pm (Kiwi Arena)
WHAT: Cartown Kiwi Super Classic
WHEN: December 19-21, 2025
WHERE: Manfeild Park, Feilding
Words by Diana Dobson - The Black Balloon
