He kapa haka hou ka eke tuatahi ki te atamira o ngā whakataetae ā-rohe o Waitaha, ka tū ki Ōtautahi āpōpō. Nō ngā tōpito katoa o Te Waka-a-Maui ngā kaihaka e whai nei kia hiki i te taumata o te haka i Te Waipounamu.
Kei te whai te rōpū hou a Te Poutūmāro i tētahi taumata kē i roto i te āo kapa haka.
Hei tā te kaiako o Te Poutūmāro a Tom Alesana , “Ko Te Poutumaro tētahi o ngā rōpū i whakaara ake ki tētahi whakaaro i a mātou e i Hawaii mo te Manahua i tēra tau. Nā mātou ano i āta whakaaro, me pēhea te eke ki tētahi atu taumata mo mātou ake ngā pouako.”
He kapa i hangaia hei whakakotahi i ngā uri Māori e noho nei ki Te Waipounamu, me te whakawhirinaki atu ki ngā hoa piri tata e ngākau nui ana ki ngā mahi kapa haka.
Ea ia ki a Jahmaine Cummings-Hodge he kaiako anō nō te tīma, “The idea stemmed from myself and Mahia Brown from tutors of Te Iti o Tahuna and tutors from Te Whatukura. So we started to pull in a group and look for performers who were eager to raise the bar in the level of competitiveness with Kapa Haka in the South Island.”
Hei tā Alesana, “Koina te ngako o tēnei rōpū ko te whakakotahitanga o ngā iwi o ngā whānau, o ngā hāpū o Waitaha, Otepoti, Whakatū, tāe noa atu ki Tāmaki.”
Ko te mahi tuarua, ko te whakapakari ake i nga tinana a te kapa mo nga whakataetae a-rohe o Waitaha.
Hei tā Mahia Brown, “We also started a six week challenge with them, Te Wero, so majority of our group are on the challenge they teach us about a healthier lifestyles teach us exercises to do at home.”
Ko tētahi o ngā wero mo te kapa ko te kimi i tētahi momo tū hei whakatinana i ngā kōrero a Te Poutūmāro.
“We haven't yet identified our style but what we've tried to do is veer off what's been happening in the current market,” hei tā Cummings-Hodge.
Apōpō tātou ka mohio he aha te tu ka whakaaturia e Te Poutumāro i Otautahi.