With experience in the pressure cooker of national kapa haka under their tātua (belt), they will be looking to use that to not only make their way through the regional competition but also improve on their last performance.
Also standing this weekend for the first time are Te Riu o Tamaki, a whakangahau (entertainment) rōpū. They’ve also been putting in the hard yards to be performance-ready. Te Riu o Tamaki are tutored by some of the members of Te Ringa Kaha, whose national showing at Te Matatini last time has led to an increased interest in the takiwā (district) of kapa haka.
Having two teams from Tamaki nui-a-Rua competing in the Rangitāne regionals shows the growth of kapa haka, and that’s not even mentioning the many other teams competing at the other regionals across Aotearoa. Kapa Haka has truly become a vehicle to revive our language and practices.
There’s a lot that goes into perfecting a full kapa haka bracket. Each performance is around 25 minutes long and made up of seven different items, the waiata tira (choral), whakaeke (entrance song), mōteatea (traditional chant), waiata ā ringa (action song), poi, haka and whakawātea (exit song). Each discipline requires its own set of skills and lots of practice to master.
We wish the best to all our kaihaka (performers) taking the stage at the weekend. And of course, there is always an army of people in the background supporting the kaihaka. There’s money that needs to be raised, kai to be cooked and kākahu (clothes) made so that kaihaka can go out there and give it their all. So we also put out a big mihi to all the whānau who have been putting in the voluntary mahi to get both our kapa to this stage.
Te amorangi ki mua, te hapai o ki muri.
(The leader at the front and the workers behind the scenes).
If you are able, get out to Te Papaioea (Palmerston North) this weekend and cheer on our whānau. Karawhuia! (Give it heaps!)
