Nine kapa haka from throughout Tāmaki Makaurau will compete for six qualifying spots to represent the region at the national competition, Te Matatini 2025, which will be held in New Plymouth next February.
Competition host Ngāti Whātua Orākei hosted an event at Orākei Marae last night alongside officials from the Tāmaki Makaurau Senior Kapa Haka Society Inc, with representatives from competing groups in attendance, where the order of performances was drawn for the two-day Tāmaki Makaurau Regionals at Spark Arena on May 11 and 12.
A special ceremony was also held at the event to officially hand over the national award for the best male leader manukura tāne - Te Taonga a Dr Bruce Gregory - to Hemi Tai Tin, male leader and tutor of Te Taha Tū.
Tai Tin was one of three to place first equal for the manukura tāne title at Te Matatini 2023, alongside Jamus Webster of Te Waka Huia and Te Korou Whangataua from Te Rangiura o Wairarapa.
Mau Tai Tin, who represented his father Hemi and Te Taha Tū last night, accepted the trophy passed on by Webster via Tapeta Wehi, Te Waka Huia tutor.
Formed in 2008, Te Taha Tū has represented the region regularly at Te Matatini since 2017. The team qualified for the 2011 nationals in Gisborne for the first time but was forced to withdraw after being disqualified for unknowingly breaching competition rules on criteria for performers.
The team will be the first of four West Auckland groups competing at the regional competition this year. They have been drawn to perform just before their senior group, Te Rōpū Manutaki, one of the country’s longest-serving kapa haka, established by Sir Pita Sharples at Hoani Waititi Marae and two-time national winners, in 1975 and 1990.
Closely connected to both groups is Ngā Tūmanako, which won Te Matatini Ki Te Ao in Wellington in 2019 and made the final 12 at Te Matatini Herenga Waka, Herenga Tangata at Auckland’s Eden Park last year. They have been drawn to follow after Te Rōpū Manutaki.
New group Te Poho o Hinekahukura will make their debut at this year’s regional competition. Based in Te Atatū, the kapa is led by Jeff Ruha, former member of the current Te Matatini champions Te Whānau a Apanui and former member of the 2019 winning team of Ngā Tūmanako.
The group will end day one of the competition after being drawn to perform after Te Waka Huia, one of the most successful kapa in the motu alongside the recently announced winners of the 2024 Tairāwhiti Tamararo Regional competition, Waihīrere, each with five national championships under their tātua.
Under the leadership of kapa haka icons the late Pīmia and Dr Ngāpō Wehi, Te Waka Huia have travelled the world extensively representing Aotearoa and will be looking to rebuild on their legacy after missing out on making the top 12 at Te Matatini last year.
Meanwhile, Angitu, whose members hail from throughout Auckland city, were crowd favourites and one of two finalists on debut at Te Matatini 2023. They will be the second of the first three competitive groups to perform, after Te Puru o Tāmaki representing Ngāti Whātua Orākei and before Te Toka Tū Manawa from South Auckland, both of whom have represented the region at nationals in the past.
The nine groups competing to qualify for Te Matatini will take the stage on day one of this qualifying round with all remaining groups taking the stage on Sunday.
The Tāmaki Makaurau Senior Kapa Haka Regional competition is the last and one of the most highly anticipated of all 13 regional competitions.
Tāmaki Makaurau Senior Kapa Haka Society Inc is yet to confirm the official timetable. However, the official order of performances are as follows:
Rāhoroi 11 Mei 2024
1. Te Puru o Tāmaki Kaumātua
2. Auckland Anglican Māori Club
3. Aroha Noa - Grace Foundation
4. Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua
5. Waipareira Kapa Haka
6. Te Tāpui Atawhai - Auckland City Mission
7. Te Puru o Tāmaki
8. Angitu
9. Te Toka Tū Manawa
10. Te Uku Tōia
11. Te Taha Tū
12. Te Rōpū Manutaki
13. Ngā Tūmanako
14. Te Waka Huia
15. Te Poho o Hinekahukura
Rātapu 12 Mei 2024
16. Te Pou Whakairo
17. Te Tai Tonga
18. Te Whānau o Ngā Tūmanako 2
19. Manutaki Mātāmua
20. Angitūturu
21. Te Wānanga Ihorangi
22. Te Waka Huia o Mua
23. Hinekahukura
24. Te Whānau o Ngā Tūmanako 1
25. Manutaki Mātāwaka