Rōpū from across the Mātaatua rohe will compete at the qualifying competition, Mātaatua Regionals, next weekend to see who will advance to Te Matatini, the ‘Olympics of Kapa Haka’.
Ngā Uri a Awanuiārangi are well underway with three-hour rehearsals twice a week, practising waiata, haka and poi.
The rōpū represents the three whare of Ngāti Awa: Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa and Te Tohu i te Ora o Ngāti Awa.
Students and staff have come together to build the team.
Kaiako Waitangi Black said the kapa has the basics down, they just “got to polish off now.”
She explained that they will be attending the competition to “tautoko and to put our Ngāti Awa stand on stage in support of our other three kapa that have lined themselves up for it [the regionals].”
“We're just there to stand in kotahitanga and to broaden.”
“There's many here that haven't performed before. They're all new, lots of new people here. And it's just to keep strengthening their stand and their confidence in te reo,” Black adds.
“Te reo is very, very important and being able to stand confidently in their culture.”
This year’s regionals will be the fifth stand for the kapa.
“We had three as Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. And now this is our second stand as a joining of the tripartite joining of the whare,” said Black.
Last year, they took home the trophy in the Toi Moana section.
“We're going in to defend our taonga, our trophy,” she said.
Ngā Uri a Awanuiārangi performing at Ngā Whakataetae Kapahaka o Mataatua in Tōrere last year.
The 2026 Mātaatua Senior Regional Kapa Haka Competition will be held on February 27 to 28 at Te Kāeaea o Taiwhakaea, Rugby Park, Whakatāne.
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