Popular haka group Angitu has won the Tāmaki Makaurau regional kapa haka competition held at Auckland’s Spark Arena.
Established in 2017, this will be the third time the group has qualified for the national Te Matatini competition, to held next year in Ngāruawāhia.
The group impressed with their polished and entertaining performance. Their whakaeke (entrance) item a notable stand out with an innovative use of kākahu (clothing), choreography and kupu (lyrics, words) delighting the audience with a bit of theatre.
The region is home to three former national champion groups, Ngā Tūmanako, Te Waka Huia and Te Rōpū Manutaki – all have qualified for another tilt at the title next year as second, third and fourth place getters respectively.
Securing the final two spots to represent the Tāmaki Makaurau region are Te Taha Tū and Te Poho o Hinekahukura.
Highlights from the event
Twenty-two teams competed at this weekend’s two-day event for one of six qualifying national spots.
The event started with a line-up of feel-good performances from Te Puru o Tāmaki Kaumātua and the Auckland Anglican Māori Club, one of the region’s oldest kapa haka. They were followed by Te Tāpui Atawhai – Auckland City Mission and newly-revived police haka group, Te Reo Pirihimana.
Aroha Noa, made up of residents from the Grace Foundation, the country’s largest rehabilitation and accommodation service, brought the intensity to the stage with their performance and strong compositions. A mass haka took place from the audience in the wake of their stand with many performers noticeably moved by the display.
For Aroha Noa, the power of haka has been life-changing. (Source: 1News)
Two groups founded on the legacy of the late Dame June ‘Hinekahukura’ Mariu – Te Poho o Hinekahukura and debutante Ngā Rau o Hinekahukura – lined the front of the stage with over 40 photos of loved ones who have passed in another moving display.
It was made all the more poignant by Te Poho o Hinekahukura’s message for people struggling with mental health to talk and seek help.
Former 2019 national champions Ngā Tūmanako placed in all aggregate categories but one. Their first-placed poi was a beautiful lullaby dedicated to the group’s youngest and most vulnerable whānau members.
Groups pay homage to Tā Pita Sharples
Te Rōpū Manutaki, another one of Auckland’s oldest haka groups and two-time national champions, paid homage to group founder Tā Pita Sharples and Hoani Waititi Marae in West Auckland, the cradle of his thriving kapa haka legacy.
Their poi was a tribute to the wharekai Te Aroha and their haka performed entirely with taiaha, a nod to Te Whare Tū Taua, the international school of Māori weaponry – another renowned institution established by Tā Pita in 1983.
A group renowned for their weaponry prowess and strong affiliation to Te Whare Tū Taua, Te Taha Tū stormed the stage in their whakaeke. Men and women wielded taiaha with precision and two pairings broke off for a live bout demonstration. They continued their weaponry use during the haka by wielding tewhatewha, a living testament of Tā Pita's legacy.
Five-time national champions Te Waka Huia came out with an electrifying whakaeke, led by kaitātaki wahine Moeahi Kerehoma. In their haka, Manutaki, they called on Tā Pita - former Māori Affairs Minister - to provide wisdom as Māori face multiple challenges that they say stem from the coalition Government.
Road to Te Matatini 2027
Forty-seven groups have been confirmed for Te Matatini and 11 of 13 regional competitions have now been held – Tāmaki Makaurau (6), Te Tairāwhiti (4), Te Tauihu (2), Tainui (6), Rangitāne (3), Te Taitokerau (3), Te Whenua Moemoeā (3), Te Arawa (6), Te Kāhui Maunga (4), Mātaatua (6), and Tākitimu (4).
The two regional competitions left are Waitaha in Christchurch, and Te Whanganui a Tara in Wellington.
Tāmaki Makaurau Results
Overall
1 Angitu
2 Ngā Tūmanako
3 Te Waka Huia
4 Te Rōpū Manutaki
5 Te Taha Tū
6 Te Poho o Hinekahukura
Kōanga Results
Tāmaki Makaurau has a unique grading system for prizegiving that splits groups into two sections - Kōanga and Raumati. Groups that appear in the Kōanga section are Te Matatini qualifiers.
AGGREGATE
Whakaeke
1 Te Waka Huia
2 Angitu
3 Te Rōpū Manutaki
Mōteatea
1 Te Waka Huia
2 eq (2 groups)
- Angitu
- Ngā Tūmanako
Waiata ā ringa
1 Angitu
2 Ngā Tūmanako
3 Te Rōpū Manutaki
Poi
1 Ngā Tūmanako
2 Angitu
3 Te Rōpū Manutaki
Haka
1 Ngā Tūmanako
2 Te Waka Huia
3 Angitu
Whakawātea
1 Te Waka Huia
2 Angitu
3 Ngā Tūmanako
Mita o Te Reo
1 eq (3 groups)
-Ngā Tūmanako
-Te Rōpū Manutaki
-Angitu
NON-AGGREGATE
Manukura Wahine
1 eq (2 groups)
- Te Waka Huia
- Ngā Tūmanako
3 Te Rōpū Manutaki
Manukura Tāne
1 Te Waka Huia
2 eq (2 groups)
- Te Rōpū Manutaki
- Ngā Tūmanako
Kākahu Wahine
1 Te Waka Huia
2 eq (2 groups)
- Angitu
- Te Rōpū Manutaki
Kākahu Tāne
1 eq (2 groups)
- Angitu
- Te Waka Huia
3 Ngā Tūmanako
Waiata Tira
1 Angitu
2 Te Waka Huia
3 Te Rōpū Manutaki
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