Heated battle for Hawke's Bay schools kapa haka Te Matau a Maui

A winning performance at Te Matau a Maui regional secondary schools kapa haka in Napier on Friday. Photo / Supplied

A combined group from two schools over 100km apart took top honours at the regional secondary schools kapa haka competitions in Napier on Friday.

The roopu, one of 11 from Hawke's Bay region Te Matau a Maui, drew talent from Hastings school Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Kahungunu o Te Wairoa.

Competing during almost six hours of performance in Napier's Municipal Theatre, the group had a clean sweep of all categories and headed four qualifiers chosen to represent the region at the national secondary schools kapa haka championships to be held at Spark Arena, Auckland, next year.

The nationals had been deferred two years because of the Covid-19 crisis, necessitating a new round of regionals to find the 42 groups that will take part.

The other Te Matau a Maui qualifiers are regionals runner-up and combined Hastings boys and girls high schools representative Te Rōpū Manu Huia, third-placed Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Wānanga Whare Tapere o Takitimu, from Hastings, and the Wairoa kura's own group.

A mixture of groups representing individual schools or combined to maximise resources and opportunity ranged in size from 24 to 40, and included an Ahuriri combination of Napier schools William Colenso College and Tamatea and Taradale high schools, while Napier Boys' High School teamed with Sacred Heart College.

Each had 30 minutes to work through the routines from the whakaeke to the whakawatea, including haka, waiata and poi, under the watchful eyes of eight judges and a sometimes packed auditorium and those watching by CCTV from the foyer.