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The national secondary schools kapa haka competition has become an internet sensation.
Organising committee member Willie Te Aho says there were 700,000 hits from 43 countries on the website last week as it streamed live performances from the Gisborne stage.
He says it was an outstanding event, and many in the audience were moved to tears when the Turakina Girls High School roopu performed with black eyes, bruises and bandages after their bus crashed on the way to the event.
He was overwhelmed by the standard from the 40 teams and by the diversity.
"You couldn’t really say one group was the same as another. Some brought half a forest onto the stage, some brought a big net, some brought nothing, some came with moko, some came without, so it was a really exciting event and the kids and the people behind our rangatahi need to be really proud," Mr Te Aho says.
The standard of performance bodes well not just for the future of the Maori performing arts but for the prospects of the students involved.
The aggregate winner was Huntly’s Te Wharekura o Rakaumangamanga, followed by the joint Rotorua Boys and Girls High team Te Roopu Raukura and Nga Puna Waiorea from Auckland’s Western Springs College.
Copyright © 2014, UMA Broadcasting Ltd
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