Ko Kataore tetahi o nga kapa hou e whakakanohi ana i te rohe o Te Arawa ki Te Matatini, engari e kake ana i nga taumata.
I a ratou, te kapa tuarima o Te Arawa, e kainamu atu ana ki te tunga tuarua i te taumata-a-motu, e ai ki a Riki Pihopa he tuakana o te kapa, ahakoa e rua noaiho nga wananga mohoa nei, etipu ana te whakaongangoa, me te whanaungatanga i waenga i te kapa.
"Ko te kaupapa matua mo Te Matatini ko te 'ngakau aroha'. Ko te mea miharo o tenei kaupapa, koia ra te tuapapa mo matou mo te whanau o Kataore."
He kapa no Ngati Pikiao, ko te nuinga o nga kaihaka no roto ano o Ngati Pikiao. Whakairohia ai a ratou mahi i nga paparinga o Te Rotoiti, ki Hohowai Marae i Mourea, me Pounamunui marae ano hoki i raro i te maru o to ratou pou tikanga i a Te Ariki Morehu.
No te tau 2010 te kapa ka whakaeke tuatahi atu ki te whakataetae-a-rohe o Te Arawa. Ko te kaupapa he te whakarangai ake i te hunga rangatahi me te whakatakoto huarahi ano hei takahi ma ratou.
"He miharo katoa mo matou i taua wa i te mea tokomaha nga kaihaka, ko te wa tuatahi tera i eke ki te pae haka. He kaihaka-o-mua no te kura o Mokoia, he hunga ano kai te kura tonu."
Kare te kapa i waimarie i taua tau, engari ka waihape ano i te tau 2012,katahi ka ao ake nga wawata kia tu ki Te Matatini i tu ki Rotorua.
"I taua tu, tokorima anake o nga kaihaka kua tu ki runga i te atamira-amotu". Na wai, no te hokitanga atu ki te whakataetae-a-rohe ka pahemo nei, ka tuarima mai te kapa.
Kua tohua a Kataore ki Te Haumi o te waka, ara, ki te rangi whakataetae tuarua. Hei hoa haere, ko Te Matarae i Orehu me Nga Uri o Te Whanoa i tuatahi mai, tuarua mai hoki i te whakataetae-arohe o Te Arawa. Ko ratou ko nga taniwha o Te Tai Rawhiti a Whangara Mai Tawhiti, Tu Te Manawa Maurea.
Ahakoa e whakaae ana a Pihopa he wero nui kei mua i a ratou, hei tana, ina te nui o te mahi ahakoa ko tehea puna". Ko te matua ia he kaweake i te mana o Ngati Pikiao, otira o Te Arawa ki te aroaro o te motu.
Kataore may be one of Te Arawa's newer faces, but they're making a name for themselves.
As the fifth placed Te Arawa group closes in on their second consecutive appearance at the national Te Matatini kapa haka festival, senior member Riki Pihopa says the excitement and the kinship amongst the group is building.
"The main theme heading into this Te Matatini competition is 'kindess'. The great thing about it is it lays the foundation for everything we do as Kataore."
With strong links to Ngati Pikiao, most of the performers also affiliate to Ngati Pikiao.Based on the shores of Rotoiti, the group mainly works out of Hohowai Marae, in Mourea and Pounamunui Marae under the guidance of Te Ariki Morehu, a prominent kaumatua from Ngati Pikiao.
Kataore made their regional debut in 2010. The priority at that stage was to elevate their youth and offer more opportunities through their culture.
"That was a fantastic time because it was the first time most of our group had ever performed. We had graduates of Mokoia Internediate and other kids who were still at school."
They failed to qualify for the nationals that year, but returned in 2012 where their hopes were fulfilled - to perform at Te Matatini for the first time in Rotorua.
"At that point only five of us had ever performed on a national stage". Kataore came back bigger and more experience at last year's regional competition, where they placed 5th to qualify for the upcoming nationals."
Kataore were drawn in to the Te Haumi section, essentially pool B. They're also accompanied by Te Matarae i Orehu and Nga Urio Te Whanoa who placed first and second at the Te Arawa regionals, along with east coast giants, Whangara Mai Tawhiti and Tu Te Manawa Maurea.
While Pihopa acknowledges the task ahead of them he says "it's always a threat no matter which pool you're in". But the priority is to represent their whanau, Ngati Pikiao and Te Arawa with dignity.
