15
TRUST WA I KATO
ANNUAL REPORT
2 0 1 4
Tainui Waka Cultural Trust’s vision is for ‘excellence
in Māori performing arts and associated Māori
cultural art forms throughout Tainui waka’. Every two
years it hosts the Tainui Waka Kapa Haka Festival,
one of the biggest cultural events in the Tainui region.
Teams vie for the honour of representing Tainui waka
at Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival – which
attracts performers from all around New Zealand
and Australia.
Held in March 2014 at the new Claudelands Events
Centre, the Tainui Waka Kapa Haka Festival was an
extravaganza of cultural excellence. Performing to a
sell-out audience of over 4,000 people, 13 kapa haka
groups took to the stage, showcasing Māori culture
through traditional and contemporary performance.
Many hours of practice go into perfecting a group’s
performance, in the lead up to the competition.
Attention to detail is paramount, as the competition
is fierce. Apart from rehearsing, many of the
groups’ preparations include activities to promote
togetherness and fitness among its members. They
participate in other recreational activities like fishing
and diving during their noho marae.
Awards are presented in a variety of areas including
best costume, choral, original composition, reo, poi,
weaponry, and mōteatea (traditional chant) to name a
few. And then there’s the ultimate prize – the overall
title of best kapa haka group in the Tainui region.
The 2014 festival overall winner was Mōtai-Tangata-
Rau, whose many years of hard work came to
fruition. Second to fourth place getters were Te Iti
Kahurangi, Te Pou-o-Mangataawhiri and Ngaa Pou o
Roto respectively.
AUDIENCE
Tainui Waka Cultural Trust
2014 Tainui Waka Kapa Haka Festival
– a cultural extravaganza
The four teams will head to Christchurch in 2015
to compete nationally at Te Matatini National Kapa
Haka Festival.
The Tainui event included a number of other
festivities such as Māori arts and crafts, market stalls,
kiwi kai, and entertainment by Rootz Konekt.
Tainui Waka Cultural Trust’s chair Paraone Gloyne
says, “All of the groups have been working hard over
the past months to showcase their love for kapa
haka, which provides a great vehicle to uphold our
traditions, share our stories, and speak, sing, and haka
our language. We thank you all, as the success of the
festival is due to the participation of all the rōpū, we
salute them and all of their supporters.”
4,000+
COMPRISING 100’S
OF PERFORMERS
13 kapa
haka groups
$10,000
TRUST WAIKATO DONATION 2013
AND $10,000 SPONSORSHIP
2014 Festival overall winner Mōtai-Tangata-Rau
