Ka tū te ihi, ka tū te wehi. The stage at the Waitaha Senior Kapa Haka competitions certainly rocked on April 12. Ten teams took part in a fierce competition to qualify to represent Waitaha at Te Matatini 2015.
First to take the stage were our kaumātua from Ngāi Tūāhuriri. They glistened in their finery and wowed us with their gentle sweet singing. The showstopper though was Jimmy Brennan’s amazing boots. They really were things of beauty.
Te Ahikaaroa were second on and Te Ruahikihiki were well represented. Fab work Dave O, Patsy, Te Puawai, Awhioraki, Justice, Teijana, Carla, Ripeka, Tania, Aunty Raylee and Tāua Doe. What a stunning line up.
Following in quick succession were Te Iti o Tahuna from Queenstown, Ngā Tumu ki Ōtākou from Dunedin, Te Mana o Mareikura, Te Pao a Tahu, Ngā Manu a Tāne, Pounamu Ngāi Tahu me Ngā Tai e Rua, Te Ahikōmau a Hamoterangi and Te Kotahitanga. Each team brought their A-game and were thrilling and inspiring.
The audience laughed, cried and cheered all day long. We certainly have a lot of very talented people out there.
At the end of the day though, there could only be three qualifying teams, so hearty congratulations to Ngā Manu a Tāne, Te Ahikōmau a Hamoterangi and Te Pao a Tahu. They all deserved the win. They were spine-chillingly good.
Whānau, we have a significant amount of Ngāi Tahu talent within all of these groups.
We should be extremely proud of their achievements and I encourage everyone to get behind them as they prepare to represent us at Te Matatini 2015. I know they will all do us proud. Te Matatini 2015, watch out, here we come.
Competing for a place at Te Matatini.
Te Ruahikihiki rocks the stage.
Competition was fierce at the Waitaha Senior Kapa Haka competitions in April.
Taumutu members who performed with Te Ahikaaroa in support of getting three teams through to Te Matatini 2015.