Te Wharekura o Māngere has been crowned Toa Whakaihuwaka, the overall winner of this year’s Te Ahurea Tino Rangatiratanga secondary school competition in Tāmaki Makaurau.
The two-day festival, hosted at Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae, brought together more than thirty kura – including newcomers from Rodney, Otamatea, and Kaipara – marking the largest turnout in the event’s history.
Guided by tutors Pere Wihongi, Christina Looker and others, the rōpū dedicated their waiata-ā-ringa to newly elected Tāmaki Makaurau MP Oriini Kaipara.
Te Wharekura o Māngere, along with runners-up Ngā Puna o Waiōrea, have now qualified for the 2026 National Secondary Schools Kapa Haka in Tauranga Moana.
