Our two talented Kapa Haka roopu take out first and third at the competitive Tainui Secondary Schools Kapa Haka Festival.

We are delighted to extend our warmest congratulations to our joint HBHS and HGHS Kapa Haka roopu Te Maurea Whiritoi and He Maurea I Whiria for their exceptional performances and outstanding achievements at this year's Tainui Secondary Schools Kapa Haka Festival. 

The festival brought together an exceptional gathering of bright, talented young men and women from across the Tainui region in June, showcasing the finest performers the greater Waikato has to offer.

On the first day of the festival, supporters gathered to watch our Division B group He Maurea I Whiria take to the stage with mana and precision. Their hard work paid off as they took out first place in this category!

Toi Tupu (Division B ): He Maurea I Whiria

🥇1st Overall

The next afternoon the Claudelands Event Centre was filled with an enthusiastic crowd cheering passionately for their whānau and friends, with the largest crowd by a significant margin being there to support Te Maurea Whiritoi. Highlights included a performance from Year 13 HBHS student Te Ao Tuuroa Samson who brought an unseen energy to the stage, and Year 9 Delilah Petelo Te-Pere who won female leader, believed to be the first Year 9 to ever win this category.

Competing in Toi Ora (Division A), Te Maurea Whiritoi achieved:

• 🥉 Third Place Overall

• 🏆 First Place in eight competition categories:

  • Kaitātaki Kōtiro (Female Leader)

  • Kākahu (Traditional Dress)

  • Titonga Hou (Contemporary Composition)

  • Waiata Tira (Choral Performance)

  • Mōteatea (Traditional Chant)

  • Waiata-ā-Ringa (Action Song)

  • Poi (Poi Performance)

  • Haka
    

These outstanding achievements reflect not only the talent and dedication of our students, but also the strength of our school's wider community's commitment to preserving and celebrating Māori culture and traditions.

We extend our deepest gratitude to all the tutors: Hawaiki Te Aho, Paina Mapu, Marcus Wilson-Rangitaawa, Matawai Winiata, Toti West, Frankie West. We are also grateful for all of the supporters and whānau providing medical care , cooking, drawing moko on competition days, making implements, sewing kākahu, creating headdresses and so much more. Their contributions are paramount to the success of both Te Maurea Whiritoi and He Maurea I Whiria.