June 04, 2021
Taitokerau celebrates flax roots kapa haka
After not being able to run a competition last year because of Covid, the Waitangi Cultural Committee is roaring back this weekend with a festival of kapa haka in Whangārei.
It starts this evening with a pōwhiri at Pehiaweri Marae, followed by a strategic wānanga at which kapa haka leaders, composers and choreographers will consider the future direction for Māori performing arts in Taitokerau.
Tomorrow there are performances at McKay Stadium.
Committee chair Ropata Diamond says the idea is to open it up, so there are no competition rules and everyone from tamariki to kaumātua can stand and perform waiata from today as well as the golden oldies.
"Especially those whānau rōpū, our hapū rōpū, our marae rōpū – we all undertand there are competitions and festivals, but the best kapa haka is the kapa haka on the marae," he says.
The festival will conclude on Sunday with a black tie ball titled Kapa Haka Through the Decades.
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