Te Matahaka: Five notable gems from Te Matatini 2023

Te Karere is broadcasting a special summer series profiling 15 different kapa haka and dedicating a show to each respectively. A performer from each of the haka groups sat down with Pere Wihongi to chat about all things haka and of their kapa. Here are five notable gems from the series.

In case you missed it, Stan Walker debuted on the haka stage at Te Matatini this year for Te Reanga Mōrehu o Rātana, performing a powerful solo as part of the group’s waiata tira (choral) item which has subsequently done the rounds on the net gathering tens of thousands of views. They wanted to keep his appearance a surprise so leader Te Taepa Kameta said the group were told from the get-go not to post any pics of the singer on social media.

“I te tīmatanga o ngā mahi haka ka mea atu au ki te kapa, kaua e tukuna a Stan ki runga i ā koutou waea (At the start of our campaign, I told the group, don’t put Stan on their [socials]).”

Kameta said Walker’s introduction into the kapa was easy considering his links to Rātana. The singer’s grandfather was born at Rātana Pā, which is about 20 minutes south of Whanganui, and was raised there until he was a teenager.

“Ko te hoki mai o Stan ki tōna ūkaipō, ki tōna pā, ki waenganui i tōna whānau ake. Nō reira, māmā noa iho te hoki mai (Stan made a return to his roots, his village—among his own whānau. So, it was an easy homecoming).”

At the time, Walker said his debut on the stage at Te Matatini was a childhood dream come true.

"This, for me, means everything. It has been one of the biggest dreams of my life to stand on stage at Matatini and to stand with Te Reanga Mōrehu o Rātana.”

Speaking of dreams, one of this year’s standout items is the waiata tira Manawa by Tauira Mai Tawhiti which composer Brooke Williams said came to him while asleep in their wharenui.

“I had a dream one night and I can remember waking up from the dream and I turned to [Waimihi Rota-Matchitt] and I said, hey I think I heard the tune of our waiata tira.

“The picture I saw in my dream was Tauira [Mai Tawhiti] singing the waiata. There [were] no words, just rangi (tune) and feeling and we were singing it to Te Whānau a Apanui – our whanaunga (relations) up the road.”

Williams explained the lyrics of the song also interweaves the names of the Auckland haka groups that hosted this year’s national competition as a way of acknowledging their manaakitanga during the event.

Te Arawa groups are well-known for their poi skills and this year Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao were awarded top place in the poi category for their item, Ngā Kōpara. Performer Tiahuia Ropitini said it was dedicated to two beloved exponents of the poi: Hereana Roberts and Kiriwaitingi ‘Del’ Rei.

“Ko te nuinga o ngā nekehanga, i tīpako i ngā poi o Tūhourangi i roto i ngā tau, te nuinga o ngā nekehanga nā Hereana i waihanga. Nā reira koirā he mihi ki a ia i roto i ngā nekehanga (Most of the movements were taken from past Tūhourangi poi items, and most of those movements were created by Hereana. So, the acknowledgement to her can be found in the actions).”

Another special feature of their item saw the wāhine sport two short poi before shifting to two long poi and ending with half of the women swinging four long poi, a technique that is often brought out as a solo performance due to its mastery.

“Ko ngā poi e whā he mihi ki a Nanny Del. Ko Nanny Del, i a ia e tamariki ana ka haere ia ki ngā konohete, ka kiia tōna kuia, a kuia Kiriwaitingi Rei te Tuatahi ki a ia, haere koe ki waho me rere ngā poi e whā (The four poi, that’s a tribute to Nanny Del. When Nanny Del was a child she’d go to [haka] concerts, her kuia, Kiriwaitingi Rei the First, would tell her to go outside and swing the four poi).

“Nā reira, ko ngā kōrero tuku iho ki a mātou, nā Nanny Del, nā Nanny Kiriwaitingi ngā poi e whā i rere tuatahitia. Nō reira koirā te mihi ki a ia (So, what we’ve been told is that Nanny Del, Nanny Kiriwaitingi originated the four poi. So that’s a tribute to her).”

There is only one person in the history of all national kapa haka competitions who has performed at every single event since its inception.

Louise ‘Nuku’ Kingi—affectionately known as Aunty Nuku by her whānau—has performed at every national event with Waihīrere since 1972.

It’s an incredible feat considering each group that makes the nationals can only field 40 performers. Some musters can attract a crowd of hundred-plus hopefuls making kapa haka selection a competitive sport in of itself. And if you’re one of the successful performers to be selected, then your group must make it through regionals to qualify for the nationals, and Waihīrere performs in one of the most competitive regionals in the country – Te Tai Rāwhiti.

Group leader Ruth Smith said Kingi never takes selection for granted. “Me kōrero pono ahau, he wahine puku mahi anō hoki. I roto i o mātou mahi whakariterite, ia te haratau, kāore ia i te noho, e whakaheke werawera ana, e mōhio ana ia me pakanga ia e eke ai (Honestly, she’s a hard worker too. During our preparations, at every rehearsal, she never sits still, she’s always going flat out, fighting for her spot).

“Ko ia kei te whakatau i te tauira ki a mātou (She sets the example for us).”

The group made special reference of her 50-year milestone in their whakaeke (entrance) item.

It’s no easy task to crack the finals on your first Te Matatini appearance, but this year there were three groups who managed to make the top 12—Ngāti Whakaaue, Angitu, and Te Hekenga a Rangi.

For Bay of Plenty-based Te Hekenga a Rangi it was a goal they set out to do right from the start which isn't such a surprise with veteran husband-wife tutoring duo Dan and Hiria Vaka at the helm. Competing for prestigious groups such as Taniwharau and Waihīrere, and most recently in Ngāti Rangiwewehi, they’ve racked up an impressive 30 years of competitive haka experience.

Their daughter and fellow performer Puahaere Vaka spoke of her parent’s legacy in establishing Te Hekenga a Rangi.

“He uaua mō ngā kapa hou, te hau mai roto i Te Matatini me te tutuki i taua whāinga (It’s difficult for new groups to make it to Te Matatini, and achieve that goal),” she said regarding the group making it into the top 12.

“Engari i whakatō i taua kākano i tā mātou wānanga tuatahi e ōku mātua, nā reira i whakatakoto i te mānuka me hikina te marea, rātou e haere mai ana ki tēnei kapa, me te whakapono ki tāua whainga, kimi kapa atu rānei (However, my parents instilled in us from that first practice, they laid down the challenge to everyone, to believe in that goal, otherwise they can find another group).”

You can watch the special summer series Te Matahaka on TV1 on weekdays at 4pm or TVNZ+.

kapa haka – Māori cultural/performance group

kapa – group, team

Te Matatini – national kapa haka competition; also name of governing body

waiata tira – choral item

wharenui – meeting house

rangi – (in musical context) tune, melody

whanaunga – relative, relations

manaakitanga – hospitality, generosity, support, kindness

poi – a light ball on a string, swung around using hands and wrists

wahine/wāhine – woman/women

whānau – family

Te Tai Rāwhiti – East coast of the North Island