The road to Te Matatini 2027 is heating up as kapa haka groups from across Tāmaki Makaurau battle for a coveted place at the nation’s premier Māori performing arts festival.
The Tāmaki Makaurau senior regional kapa haka competition is underway at Auckland’s Spark Arena this weekend, with top rōpū competing for qualification to Te Matatini 2027, which will be hosted in Waikato. So how did it go?:
- Angitu
- Ngā Tūmanako
- Te Waka Huia
- Te Rōpū Manutaki
- Te Taha Tū
- Te Poho o Hinekahukura
The regional qualifiers are part of a nationwide series of competitions being held across Aotearoa and Australia over the coming months to determine which kapa will earn a place on the prestigious national stage.
Te Matatini remains the pinnacle of kapa haka in Aotearoa, showcasing excellence in haka, waiata-ā-ringa, mōteatea, poi and Māori language performance while celebrating iwi identity, whakapapa and cultural expression.
Interest in the competition continues to grow rapidly, with Te Matatini 2025 attracting record audiences and participation numbers. Organisers have acknowledged the festival’s increasing scale has created major demand for regional qualification spots.
The Tāmaki Makaurau competition is expected to feature some of the country’s strongest and most recognised kapa haka groups, with performers judged across multiple disciplines including leadership, language excellence, choreography and traditional performance standards.
The qualifiers also represent an important platform for emerging talent, rangatahi performers and the ongoing revitalisation of te reo Māori and tikanga through performance arts.
Te Matatini 2027 will be hosted at Hopuhopu in Waikato, marking the festival’s return to the region for the first time in more than two decades.
For many kapa haka supporters, the regional competitions are just as fiercely contested as the national finals themselves, with pride, whakapapa and years of preparation on the line as groups compete for a place among the best in te ao haka.
