The kaitataki tane began performing when he was 17 in 1998, and has been leader of the group for the past seven competitions.
Te Kapa Haka o Te Whanau-a-Apanui are a tribal, and religious performing arts group hailing from the East Coast, in the Mataatua - Eastern Bay of Plenty region.
Although being the reigning champions was an honour, Mr Waaka said it could also be a burden.
"You've got a lot of weight on your shoulders, everyone's gunning for you because you're the reigning champs. It's a burden but it's a good burden," he said.
"Being first, everyone knows what you've got and they know what to expect and they expect better."
While they had been practising for months beforehand, the kaitataki tane said they had faced challenges in preparing for yesterday.
International travel had cut into their practice time, which was hard to organise as the members were spread across the Mataatua area - with some having to drive up to five hours for a practice.
Mr Waaka said their performance could have been better, "it wasn't too bad, we have a few improvements to make".
However, yesterday cheers and applause rang out after their performance, helped by hundreds of supporters from their region who had travelled to Hastings.
"We've got a tribe of 13,000 ... but in our area we've got a thousand people who live there so 20 per cent of them will have come," Mr Waaka said.
"Plus we've got descendants from others parts and they're everywhere in the crowd.
"When we stand on that stage we represent them, and they're proud."
Te Kapa Haka o Te Whanau-a-Apanui was one of the last groups to perform yesterday, following Muriwhenua kapa haka from Northland.
Since being formed in 2009 the group have competed in three Te Matatini's, and won the Tai Tokerau regionals in 2014.
Group member Tia Waitai-Henare said performing on the specially built stage at Kahungunu Park was "beautiful".
"We've been preparing for about seven, eight months worth of wananga and live-ins," she said.
"We're very happy with the groups' performance, all those hard months of training worked out for us."
Ms Waitai-Henare, the daughter of the group's leaders, said Te Matatini was another way to tell the group's story.
"We represent five iwi from the top of the North Island and we have so many stories and so much history to share with everyone," she said.
"It's a good way for us to tell those stories to the rest of the country."
The Muriwhenua group includes participants from Ngati Kuri, Ngai Takoto, Ngati Kahu, Te Aupouri and Te Rarawa.
Yesterday they performed a special new haka, Ko te Wharetapu o Muriwhenua, around sustainable health leading to a collective stance against drug use, gambling harm, unhealthy food and smoking.
A flash haka broke out in the crowd at the end of their performance.
Involved was 15-year-old Memory Matete, who said the group from Whangarei had been practising the haka for nearly a year to support Muriwhenua.
