The Te Ahurea Tino Rangatiratanga Secondary Schools Kapa Haka Competition has long been a platform for young haka performers to prepare themselves for the more senior competitions.
Te Kāea spoke to some of the top groups from past competitions to see how they've continued to breed performers
Te Pou Herenga Waka is a junior team, a group to help develop the younger performers for their senior team Te Kapunga.
Te Kapunga tutor Matua Hammond says “'We are training our children now so that it doesn't put more pressure on them at the beginning of the school year and stress them out more, so therefore this is a way to ease those pressures.”
Te Pou Herenga Waka along with Ngā Oho from Western Springs College were the only non-competitive teams in this competition.
Jono Whaikoa says, “Western Springs students are renowned to participate in all Māori things, for example protocols, something else that is equally important is the Mahepohepotanga competition, but indeed kapa haka is important because we are all Māori.”
Ngā Oho is also utilised as a stepping stone to the senior team, New Zealand's third placed secondary school team Ngā Puna o Waiorea.
Te Ahurea Tino Rangatiratanga is the platform that helps develop youth's desires to make top national teams.
While every group cannot be made a winner, we've seen the incredible efforts from all the participants on stage.
The winners of the competition were Ngā Puna o Waiōrea, second was Te Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae and third place went to Te Kapunga of James Cook High school.
