Ten more kapa haka have qualified for next year’s Te Matatini following another weekend of regional competition. Te Arawa and Te Kāhui Maunga held their events in Rotorua and Hāwera respectively with groups going all out on stage.
Six rōpū head to Te Matatini from Te Arawa
Te Arawa kicked off their two-day competition on Friday, with an unprecedent 24 groups taking the stage.
As a result, six groups from the rohe have been put forward to compete at next year's Te Matatini national comps, hosted in the Kāhui Maunga (Taranaki) region.
Tamariki scramble over lollies
First placegetters Ngāti Whakaue started the competitive section on Saturday morning, winning the crowd over with a lolly scramble during their whakaeke (entrance).
They captivated the judges from then onwards, dedicating the majority of their performance to the last living survivor of the 28th Māori Battalion and Ngāti Whakaue uri, Sir Robert (Koro Bom) Gillies.
It’s their first win at a regional level. This follows their second placing in the Te Matatini comps last year.
"Tō mana e kui, ka mau tonu nei" – Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao pays tribute
Whakarewarewa-based rōpū Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao produced an electrifying performance, personifying the teachings of one of their veteran performers, Ngamoni Huata, who passed away on New Year’s Day.
Their waiata-ā-ringa (action song) item paid tribute to her and the significant contributions she made to the rōpū, especially in developing the skills of poi. These skills were demonstrated in their poi item which displayed an array of poi both long, short, double and singles.
They won first place in the poi and were runners-up in the comp overall.
Ka pū te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi
In his final kōrero as leader of Te Hekenga-ā-Rangi, Dan Vaka challenged Māori to nurture the next generation as he and his wife Hiria passed the mantle of leadership to his eldest daughter Puahaere Vaka and Darcey Ray Flavell-Hudson, incorporating the transition into their onstage performance.
“I te rangi tonu nei kua mana aku kupu, nā ngā mātātahi o te kapa, Te Kapa Haka o Te Hekenga-ā-Rangi, e kawe ki tua... nō reira tukuna te reo kia rere (I’ve done my part today, it is now up to the younger generation to carry our group, Te Kapa Haka o Te Hekenga ā Rangi, into the future... so let the language fly)!”
The two younger leaders came through the ranks to flank the couple and take over the kaitātaki responsibilities in the whakawātea.
Te Hekenga-ā-Rangi placed fourth overall in the competition.
Te Kāhui Maunga send through four kapa to Te Matatini
Te Matatini 2025 hosts Te Kāhui Maunga will have a strong representation in next year’s national event in New Plymouth.
Powerhouse group Te Reanga Mōrehu o Rātana came out top in the regional competition. Thirteen groups competed at the sold-out event which saw four kapa haka from across the region qualify for the nationals.
As well as Te Reanga Mōrehu representing Rātana Pā in the southern-most part of the region, Whanganui-based, and newcomers, Te Kura Nui o Paerangi, Ngā Waihotanga in south Taranaki, and Ngā Purapura o Te Tai Hauāuru in the north will join them at Te Matatini 2025.
A popular trend emerging from many of the kapa in this haka season is the support for the Toitū te Tiriti movement and Te Pāti Māori. Ngā Waihotanga ended their bracket with a crowd-pleasing whakawātea that saw six of its members dressed as the six Te Pāti Māori MPs: Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi, Tākuta Ferris, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke.
Kapa haka heading to Te Matatini 2025
Te Arawa
Ngāti Whakaue
Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao
Te Pikikōtuku o Ngāti Rongomai
Te Hekenga-ā-Rangi
Ngāti Rangiwewehi
Te Hikuwai
Te Kāhui Maunga
Te Reanga Mōrehu o Rātana
Ngā Purapura o Te Tai Hauāuru
Te Kura Nui o Paerangi
Ngā Waihotanga
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