Close-up of the performance showing the leads Wharemako Paewai and Zena Maria Gatonyi Te Huia.
Close-up of the performance showing the leads Wharemako Paewai and Zena Maria Gatonyi Te Huia.
As journeys to performances go, the one travelled by Rangitane’s Te Ringa Kaha to the Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Competition last week was a long one – three years in fact – but the end result “felt cool” in the words of its male lead and tutor Wharemako Paewai.
It started way back in late 2019 when a group of senior Rangitane leaders began collecting together those interested in kapa haka enough to have a tilt at the ultimate challenge, the New Zealand National Kapa Haka Festival - Te Matatini.
It was partly led by the late Jade Moses who became the group’s first chairman, a man determined to see Rangitane launch a challenge.
Te Ringa Kaha at the Pahiatua marae after the final dress rehearsal.
The first challenge was to qualify for the nationals in the Manawatu Regional Finals in Palmerston North in February 2020 and after a huge amount of training the 40-strong team called itself Te Ringa Kaha, meaning “The Strong Arm”, after an ancient alliance with other iwi to keep Tamaki Nui A Rua safe from invaders was formed and it achieved its goal, much to the excitement of iwi because it had never done that before.
Set to compete at Te Matatini later in the year, Covid caused its postponement until 2021 and then its postponement again until finally in 2023 it was set for Eden Park Auckland on February 22-25.
It was a tough challenge to keep the group together training regularly and hard each year in anticipation of a final and finally getting to compete three years after qualifying.
Jade Moses sadly passed at that time but his picture was featured on stage at Eden Park during Te Ringa Kaha’s performance.
And training was tough – before Christmas every Monday night and every third or fourth weekend at two-day camps and after Christmas every weekend in camps with Mondays as well.
The group was led and tutored by Wharemako Paewai and newcomer Zenna Maria Gatonyi Hepe Te Huia, both of whom had some experience in such events.
After going the extra mile to ensure everything was correct, including training in the Bush Multisport Arena which had the only stage big enough to match the venue of the finals, the bus headed to Auckland with 35 performers and 15 supporters, setting up on North Shore at Camp Maynard Sunday, February 19.
After two days of strenuous rehearsing at different venues, Te Ringa Kaha took the stage at 10.30am Wednesday on the first day of the competition.
A welcome in Rangitane Square on Monday.
They had been up at 2.30am to begin preparing their appearance and minds for the event to come, plus travelling to the venue.
They were hugely awed by Eden Park, were hosted before their event in its rugby changing rooms, and hit the stage fizzing.
“We left it all out there,” says Wharemako. “The performance was unreal, so different from anything we had been in before. I just felt so proud and happy that after such a long build up we had made it and 35 performers had an experience they can build on for the next Te Matatini in two years’ time.”
Okay so they did not make the finals on Saturday, but the Tararua contingent were newbies. The winners have been competing since at least 2005. The judges gave positive feedback to Te Ringa Kaha with tips for future events. The entire group watched the finals on Saturday which “were awesome and great for ideas for the future”.
Upon its return to Dannevirke Te Ringa Kaha was given a great reception by a big crowd of locals on Monday at 10am in Rangitane Square followed by another at Makirikiri Marae.
Te Ringa Kaha – your journey was worth it – you are launched in the kapa haka world and we are proud.
