Tamaki nui-a-rua kapa haka groups competing in regionals

Te Ringa Kaha performing at Te Matatini, Auckland 2023.

This Saturday, April 20 the Rangitāne regional Kapa Haka festival will be taking place at Fly Arena in Te Papaioea/Palmerston North.

Rōpū kapa haka from around the Manawatū, Te Taperenui o Whatonga (Dannevirke and districts), Masterton and Horowhenua regions will be looking to secure a spot at Te Matatini, the bi-annual national kapa haka festival in 2025, hosted by Te Kahui Maunga in Ngāmotu/New Plymouth.

There are 12 regional competitions across Aotearoa New Zealand and one in Australia, where teams compete to qualify for the nationals. Regionals began in February and the standard of kapa haka across the motu has been excellent with four more regions yet to compete.

Tamaki nui-ā-Rua are sending two groups to compete at the regionals. Te Ringa Kaha will be looking to return to Te Matatini after competing at Eden Park in 2023, the first time a kapa has represented Tamaki nui-ā-Rua on the national stage.

Te Ringa Kaha will be looking to return to Te Matatini next year. Photo / Te Matatini

With experience in the pressure cooker of national kapa haka under their tātua (belt), they will be looking to use that to not only make their way through the regional competition but also improve on their last performance.

Also standing this weekend for the first time are Te Riu o Tamaki, a whakangahau (entertainment) rōpū. They’ve also been putting in the hard yards to be performance-ready. Te Riu o Tamaki are tutored by some of the members of Te Ringa Kaha, whose national showing at Te Matatini last time has led to an increased interest in the takiwā (district) of kapa haka.

Having two teams from Tamaki nui-a-Rua competing in the Rangitāne regionals shows the growth of kapa haka, and that’s not even mentioning the many other teams competing at the other regionals across Aotearoa. Kapa Haka has truly become a vehicle to revive our language and practices.

There’s a lot that goes into perfecting a full kapa haka bracket. Each performance is around 25 minutes long and made up of seven different items, the waiata tira (choral), whakaeke (entrance song), mōteatea (traditional chant), waiata ā ringa (action song), poi, haka and whakawātea (exit song). Each discipline requires its own set of skills and lots of practice to master.

We wish the best to all our kaihaka (performers) taking the stage at the weekend. And of course, there is always an army of people in the background supporting the kaihaka. There’s money that needs to be raised, kai to be cooked and kākahu (clothes) made so that kaihaka can go out there and give it their all. So we also put out a big mihi to all the whānau who have been putting in the voluntary mahi to get both our kapa to this stage.

Te amorangi ki mua, te hapai o ki muri.

(The leader at the front and the workers behind the scenes).

If you are able, get out to Te Papaioea (Palmerston North) this weekend and cheer on our whānau. Karawhuia! (Give it heaps!)