Te Tini o Rehua will be one of three new groups who is set to take centre stage tomorrow at the Rangitāne Tangata Rau Kapa Haka competition.
Tutors Pita Savage and Niko Maruera however, are no strangers to the kapa haka stage.
What started off as a hobby turned into a lifestyle for this duo.
From performing in Te Tū Mataora to leading the revival of Te Kapa Haka o Kairanga in 2014, where they managed to secure not one, but two regional titles.
The duo decided to branch away from Kairanga and establish their own kapa haka, Te Tini o Rehua.
“We wanted to establish our own group, secondly it was to increase kapa haka in the region.”
He believes putting in the hard yards and practise will raise the quality of kapa haka in the region.
However, he says there’s still room for improvement.
“The level of kapa haka can still be improved here, to enable us to reach the standards of regions like Tainui, Te Arawa, the East Coast and Mataatua.”
Tomorrow Te Tini o Rehua will make their debut on the Rangitāne stage in the hope that they will be one of the two teams advancing through to Te Matatini next year.
Tune in to the Māori Television website for live coverage of the event.
See below for the schedule: