On The Up: Kapa haka - From Rotorua to Te Matatini to the world and back again

NZME has launched On The Up – a national campaign showcasing stories of inspiration, success, courage and possibilities. Aleyna Martinez talks to key figures in the world of kapa haka as it continues to evolve as both an artform and a way of doing business.

Performing arts in Rotorua have always been strong, Te Arawa Kapa Haka chairman Trevor Maxwell says.

“We are blessed, we’ve grown up with tourism all our lives – we’re proud of our culture and want to give it the best always.

“It’s good for the economy, employment and keeping ourselves what we call haka fit,” he said.

The Lakes district councillor said the legacy of tourism in Rotorua meant kapa haka performers had established business pathways set up to perform for manuhiri or visitors, which added to the competition and skill level coming from the city. It added to the quality of performances overseas, he said.

“It means that you can proudly say that our shows in Rotorua have a high standard because that’s where a lot of our performers come from.”

Many Te Arawa kapa haka team members have been involved in the Māori performing art since they were babies, say kaihaka [performers] who spoke to the Rotorua Daily Post about their 2025 victory at the fiercely competitive kapa haka competition, Te Matatini.

With the increase in kapa haka teams entered this year, Maxwell said the festival itself was growing in popularity and audiences.

“It’s not just the kapa haka that’s growing.”

“These pathways have boosted our culture in other areas,” he said.

Te Arawa kapa haka groups brought back multiple wins and achieved regional firsts, claiming first and second place at this year’s competition in Taranaki.

For the first time in 52 years, Ngāti Whakaue were crowned champions of the biannual event. They will now represent the New Zealand Government on overseas trips this year.

Flying the flag

The New Zealand Government has an agreement with Te Matatini to use the kapa haka groups judged among the top groups to accompany official delegations overseas.

Te Kapa Haka o Ngati Whakaue at 2025 Te Matatini Festival. Photo / Te Matatini Enterprises

One of the largest-ever prime ministerial delegations was sent to India recently with top businesspeople, community leaders, and a kapa haka group packed across two 757 aeroplanes.

Christopher Luxon told reporters from India: “Every time I’ve gone overseas, I’ve tried to take a kapa haka team with me because I actually think that really unlocks ... a lot of the relationship.”

Senior kaihaka of Ngāti Whakaue, Kereama Wright, said he had seen the benefits of kapa haka ambassadors when accompanying previous Te Matatini winners, Te Kapa Haka o Te Whānau-a-Apanui, to China last year.

Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao were among the 12 finalists at Te Matatini 2025. Far left front: Kaihaka [performer] Tukiri Tini travelled to Tokyo as a NZ ambassador in 2024, he said it reminded him of "home". Photo / Supplied

“The Chinese, as well as the Indians, want to forge a relationship with people based on shared values and customs, firstly, and before they do business.

“Te Kapa Haka o Te Whānau-a-Apanui were there as the winners of Te Matatini but actually played an integral role in forging that relationship with the Chinese ambassadors.”

Chair of Aronui festival and Deputy Chair of the Civic Arts Trust for Rotorua, Mercia-Dawn Yates at Lake Rotorua. Photo / Andrew Warner

‘Our culture is our commerce’

Mercia-Dawn Yates, 56, has been a kaihaka in Kapa Haka o Rangiwewehi for 40 years. She is the chair of Aronui Arts Festival and deputy chair of the Civic Arts Trust for Rotorua.

She was a part of the delegation that accompanied Luxon to South Korea last year at the same time as Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII’s funeral. She said it was a moving ceremony, especially at that time.

“We had a very special tribute at the National War Cemetery ... Māori soldiers are also buried there, those who fought in Vietnam and across Asia, they’re buried at that particular cemetery, so it was very special,” she said.

“When you hear a karanga ... especially in a spiritual place like the cemetery, you know, there wasn’t a dry eye.

She said Covid-19 and the events of 2020 presented tourism operators “with a unique opportunity to reset, restart, rejuvenate and re-product Rotorua.

“Five years on from that, I believe we are now in a place, and space and time where our culture is truly being valued.”

“The products that we now can exhibit confidently to the world here in Rotorua are of high quality,” she said.

She looked forward to pushing boundaries in contemporary Māori arts at this year’s Aronui Arts Festival in September.

The next generation

Eugene Temara is a core member of the creative team and guitarist for Kapa Haka o Ngāti Whakaue. He was appointed the new lead singer of the New Zealand band 1814 in February.

“To win the Ngāpō Pīmia Wehi Duncan McIntyre trophy, [for] the overall winner, was one of my biggest goals in life,” he said.

“Now that we’ve won Te Matatini, there’s so many trips coming up that we need to really sift through which ones we want to do.”

From Wellington, he moved to Rotorua in 2018 to start a family. He saw the pandemic’s impacts on the city’s economy, “but it’s slowly growing again,” he said.

Temara said the Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival, in its second year, was “fusing both Te Ao Māori and contemporary [performing arts].

“What I’m loving is they’re bringing in the next generation of performers and creating a succession plan here in Rotorua, where when it’s our time to finish kapa haka, they’ve got the next young kids coming through.

“That may be through contemporary dance, bands, or production theatre stuff, so they’re doing an amazing job,” he said.

Aleyna Martinez is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. She moved to the region in 2024 and has previously reported in Wairarapa and at Pacific Media Network.