May 15, 2015
Journey ending for Tainui kapa haka
Months of preparation will be called on tomorrow when more than a dozen teams take to the stage for the Tainui Secondary Schools’ Kapa Haka Festival.
For the first time the festival is at Claudelands Arena because it has become too big for a single school hall.
Organiser Toti West from Wellington Boys High School says kapa haka is about the journey rather than performance, with roopu spending nights, weekends and holiday time preparing.
That will make up for any inattention in class over the past few weeks.
"Through the journey students learn about themselves, they learn about old stories from their rohe, from the old people, from the iwi. They learn how to make relationships with each other. They learn how to support each other through the ups and downs. Those are the real life lessons students gain from kapa haka. The performance at the end, the 30 minutes, that’s just the cherry on top of the cake," Mr West says.
The presence of current national champions Rakaumangamanga and previous champions Nga Taiatea Wharekura in the competition has encouraged other teams to lift their standards.
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