August 01, 2022
Haka ngāhau shows Tāmaki ready for kapa
Hosts Tāmaki Makaurau has shown some of what they’re bringing to Te Matatini 2023.
Te Matatini rōpū delegates and the executive were welcomed to Ōrākei Marae before a tour of Eden Park, the venue for the national kapa haka competition.
Joe Pihema from Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei says after two years of delays, the tour gave people a sense the event was really going to happen in February.
It was followed by Saturday’s Haka ngāhau at the Spark Arena at which the region’s five qualifying teams performed, which felt at times like a rock concert with the phones lit up recording.
“It was a beautiful wairua down there. It was a celebration and I think people are looking forward to next year, wanting to get along to a big venue like Eden Park and celebrate our culture, celebrate the reo, celebrate just who we are through that beautiful thing called kapa haka,” Mr Pihema