Te Mana Kuratahi has had a roaring start with day three of the event done and dusted ready for the final performances kicking off tomorrow.
The four-day kapa haka competition has made its biennial return after a four-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s festival is hosted in the beautiful Whakatū/Nelson.
So far, 41 primary school kapa haka groups across Aotearoa have been battling it out to make it to earn a top spot in tomorrow’s wā tuku taonga - there are still four groups left to perform.
The competition has been stacked with mind-blowing group vocals, haka and poi performances. The sheer mana of every kapa was incredible.
Here are some of our favourite moments from the competition so far:
Te Kura o Manutuke, Tairāwhiti, did an amazing job during the first day of the comp.
“So gorgeous seeing our young ones proud as punch to represent,” wrote one supporter wrote on Instagram.
Another favourite was Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga.
Check out the spine-tingling mana of these two tama.
“They mean as,” someone wrote showing their love of the haka, with another adding: “hecka they’re on!!
We’ve got chills after Te Kura o Te Koutu, Te Arawa, performed earlier today.
“WHOOOOOOLEYYYYY,” one fan wrote, which is the perfect way to describe how we feel after their waiata.
And we have to shout out the unreal vocals of Ngā Iti Rearea.
“Shot nga iti showed so much mana in your performance,” one supporter praised the group.
Of course, these are just a few of the very talented groups of students that have put in the hard mahi during their performances.
With four groups left to perform, we’re sure there’s plenty more where that came from, and can't wait to watch it all play out tomorrow.
