The Rena disaster, the Tuhoe "terror raids" and oil drilling were among issues highlighted by groups at the Mataatua Regional Kapa Haka competition.
Te Whanau a Apanui won the competition which attracted about 5000 to the small East Coast settlement of Omaio on Saturday. Seventeen teams from Tauranga and theEastern Bay of Plenty competed for five places at next year's national competition. Heading to Rotorua next year to represent the Mataatua rohe (tribal territory) at the national Te Matatini competition will be Te Whanau a Apanui, Opotiki mai Tawhiti, Ruatahuna Kakahu Mauku, Tauira mai Tawhiti and Te Karu.
Tui Pook (Te Whanau a Apanui), who has been involved in judging kapa haka for 10 years, said the day had been well run and the competition had been tough. "It was very tough, very close. There were some very good groups coming through, especially the groups who came through from Tauranga Moana, they were very competitive ... It was a lovely day and well hosted by Te Whanau a Apanui," she said.
Mrs Pook said a lot of the haka and songs had themes based on issues affecting the different iwi, including oil drilling in the Raukumara basin and the Tuhoe "terror raids".
"There were some good composers coming through and varied topics. A common topic throughout the day was the effects of the Rena on our iwi and people of this area are also very aware that oil drilling permits have been issued in our area without any acknowledgment of the local iwi or community.
"There were also haka composed about the Tuhoe people who have been arrested and are in court."
Mrs Pook said many of the teams had been practising for months.
"People are really starting to put a lot of effort in. Some of these teams have been putting in some good, hard extra time so they need to be congratulated for their effort and commitment," she said.
The competition was held outdoors at Omaio Primary School and Mrs Pook said it was lucky the heavy rain from last week had left by Saturday, although they did have a few showers.
"It was quite hard work. It was cold in the morning when we started at around 8am, very hot during the day and then showery weather later on, but I don't think anyone was fussed about that," Mrs Pook said.
