Te Roopu Raukura wins major kapa haka honour

The Rotorua Boys' and Girls' High schools group (seen here in their regional kapa haka finals last year) won the national finals today at the Pettigrew-Green Arena, Taradale.

ROTORUA Boys' and Girls' High schools group Te Roopu Raukura today won the major honour at the national secondary schools kapa haka festival in Napier,

Carrying the name of the boys high's haka, Raukura figured in a particularly close contest but won the overall aggregate on the final day at Pettigrew-Green Arena in Taradale, featuring nine of the groups among the 39 which took part in the four days of competitions.

About 1600 people took part in the performances, from as far afield as Kaitaia and Invercargill, with the festival bringing an estimated 4000 people to Hawke's Bay for the week.

In a twist of fate, Raukura was one of four Te Arawa groups drawn among the 13 in Pool C, and after winning their round yesterday had to pull out all stops for a second consecutive day to beat several strong strong challengers.

Auckland's Western Springs College group Nga Puna o Waiorea was runner-up and third place went to Huntly school Te Wharekura o Raakaumangamanga, which won the supreme title at the 2014 festival in Gisborne.

The closeness was highlighted by results across the categories, with several multiple-group dead heats despite the introduction of a judging system similar to that used for such things as Olympic Games gymnastics. With 14 judges line-up each day, the highest and the lowest scores for each group would be discarded from the calculation and the rest averaged to produce a group's score.

Raukura were joint winners in Te Mita o te Reo, Whakaeke, Moteatea, Poi, and Whakawatea.

While none of the three host Hawke's Bay area Te Matau-a-Maui groups reached the finals, Te Aute College won Mau Rakau honours, based on their performance with taiaha.

A feature of yesterday performances was that of Manawatu boys school Hato Paora with poi, after organisers reconsidered a rule change which would have barred males from including poi in their routines.

DAILY RESULTS
Results from the three pools on Tuesday-Thursday, from which the placegetters qualified for yesterday's finals:
Pool A: Te Maurea Whiritoi (Hamilton Boys High School, of Hamilton, Tainui) 1, Whakatane High School (Mataatua) 2, Te Piringa (Palmerston Boys High School, Palmerston North Girls High School, Te Kura Kaupapa Moari o Mana Tamariki Freyberg High School, of Mamawatu-Horowhenua) 3.
Pool B: Te Wharekura o Rakaumangamanga (Huntly, of Tainui) 1, Te Manawatahi (Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Horouta Wananga/TKKM o Nga Uri a Maui, of Te Tairawhiti) 2, Nga Taiatea Wharekura (Hamilton, of Tainui) 3.
Pool C: Te Roopu Raukura (Rotorua Boys High School, Rotorua Girls High School, of Te Arawa) 1, Te Kura Maori o Nga Tapuwai (Tamaki Makaurau) 2, Nga Puna o Waiorea (Western Springs College, of Tamaki Makaurau) 3.
■OVERALL RESULTS
Overall winner: Te Rōpū Raukura 1, Ngā Puna Waiorea 2, Te Wharekura o Raakaumangamanga 3.
Waiata Tira (non-aggregate): Te Piringa, Te Ngākau o te Awa, Te Kura Tuarua o Te Mānuka Tū Tahi, Te Wharekura o Raakaumangamanga, and Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Puku o Te Ika a Maui, 1 equal.
Manukura wahine (non aggregate): Te Wharekura o Raakaumangamanga, Te Wharekura o Ruatoki, Te Manawatahi, Ngā Puna Waiorea, Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Puku o Te Ika a Maui, and Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae, 1 equal.
Manukura tane (non-aggregate): Te Maurea Whiritoi and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Kawakawa Mai Tawhiti, 1 equal, Te Wharekura o Te Rangi Āniwaniwa, Te Kapa o Kingi Kāreti, Te Wharekura o Ruatoki, and Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi Marae, 3 equal.
Nga Kakahu (non-aggregate): Kahurangi ki Mangawhau, Te Kapa o Kingi Kāreti, and Te Reo Whakakoko o Mauao, 1 equal.
Te Mita o te Reo: Te Piringa, Te Maurea Whiritoi, Te Wharekura o Raakaumangamanga, Iti Rearea, and Te Rōpū Raukura, 1 equal.
Whakaeke: Te Wharekura o Raakaumangamanga, Ngā Puna Waiorea, Te Rōpū Raukura, and Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae, 1 equal.
Moteatea: Te Wharekura o Raakaumangamanga, Te Manawatahi, Te Wharekura o Ruatoki, Hāto Paora College, Ngā Puna Waiorea, Te Rōpū Raukura, Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Puku o Te Ika a Maui, and Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae, 1 equal.
Poi: Te Wharekura o Raakaumangamanga, Ngā Taiātea Wharekura, Te Rōpū Raukura, and Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae, 1 equal.
Waiata-a-ringa: Te Kura Tuarua o Te Mānuka Tū Tahi, Te Maurea Whiritoi, Te Wharekura o Raakaumangamanga, Te Manawatahi, Te Wharekura o Ruatoki, and Te Rōpū Raukura, 1 equal.
Haka: Tai Wānanga, and Te Maurea Whiritoi, 1 equal, Te Manawatahi, Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi Marae, Ngā Puna Waiorea, Te Rōpū Raukura, and Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae, 3 equal.
Mau Rakau: Te Rōpū Kapa Haka o Te Aute 1, Te Kapa o Kingi Kāreti (King's College, Auckland) 2.
Whakawatea: Te Wharekura o Raakaumangamanga, Te Kapa o Kingi Kāreti, and Te Rōpū Raukura, 1 equal.