Rotorua takes 2011 kapa haka title
21 Feb 2011
Te Matarae i Orehu, a Māori culture group based in New Zealand’s geothermal Rotorua district, won the national Kapa Haka Championship title in Gisborne over the weekend.
The group was one of 42 highly polished teams from throughout New Zealand and Australia competing at the biennial Te Matatini o Te Ra Festival, a world showcase for Māori performing arts.
The event attracted tens of thousands of supporters back to their home in the culturally-strong district of Gisborne on the East Coast of the North Island.
Rotorua 2013
The Te Matarae i Orehu group hailing from Rotorua, the region that will host the next competition in 2013, has spent the last 12 months preparing for their winning act - a 25-minute action-packed performance in front of more than 10,000 people.
Teams had already been through a difficult elimination programme to reach the final stage of competition at Te Matatini and judges faced a difficult task in the final three days of performance.
The festival was staged in the Waiohika Estate where the annual Rhythm & Vines New Year concert is held - just outside Gisborne, the first city in the world to see the sun rise.
Popular festival
Darrin Apanui, Executive Director of the Festival says the 2011 event far exceeded expectations.
"The Tairawhiti Cultural Development Trust and the Gisborne community have really turned it on to host the thousands of people who have come to the region over the last week. Local businesses have extended their hours and the army of volunteers have worked tirelessly to host the crowds. Their generosity and commitment has been overwhelming," he said.
With the Māori culture stronghold of Rotorua hosting the next festival, Apanui says can only grow in popularity.
Haka record
As well as the final of competition on Sunday, Te Matatini also provided a stage for an attempt on the Guinness World Record for the biggest-ever haka.
Organisers say they believe the bid to break the existing record of 3264, set in Ngauruawahia in 2000, was successful but the official number won’t be confirmed until later in the week.
Rain had affected the turn out but Apanui said it appeared from his point of view that the people who were tuturu (staunch) to the haka cause, had pulled off the record.
Gisborne Mayor Meng Foon, his wife, Gisborne Police Officer Jamie Hutana officiated the event to ensure all the Guinness World Record requirements were met.
More information
Te Matatini haka attempt
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