Girls in Wanganui City College's Te Roopu Punawai kapa haka group practise ahead of the National Secondary Schools Kapa Haka 2014 that starts on July 29 in Gisborne.
The Aotea region will be represented by Te Roopu Punawai and Cullinane College's Te Ngakau o te Awa.
The 36 boys and girls in the Wanganui City College group will spend three weekends in intensive practise before they head for the East Coast, supporter Tamahau Rowe said. With them will be Christian Yates and Mark Pirikahu, who wrote most of their material. It contains acknowledgments to the East Coast and a showcase of "the old traditional Aotea songs".
The students are excited about the trip and are still fine tuning to deliver their best. It was a big effort for them, Mr Rowe said, because they had to keep up their sporting and academic work too.
