The school's Kapa Haka group farewelled a special chapter of our history with the departure of tutors Matua Toti and Whaea Frankie, who had been our main tutors for many years. Despite the disappointment, we were told two old boys would help tutor the group, Te Wakaiti Southon and Te Kopere Simmons. They were also supported along with Whaea Puhi. Reassured of our potential, everyone was now ready to prove that we were still a proud Kapa Haka rōpū.

Kapa haka noho or stay overs were not easy. More than half of our rōpū were new to kapa haka. We had no choice but to train harder, sacrificing weekends, after school hours and even sports games. Every minute spent on the floor working on our craft was important to our improvement and development. Our tutor would say, “diamonds are formed under pressure”. These proverbs would reassure us that our sacrifices were necessary, it was now the mentality we had moving forward.

Over the next couple of months training continued, including a four day camp at Manaia Marae in the Coromandel region. A few performances took place at local schools and marae. This built up the team spirit and bond. Arriving back from camp we were ready to roll with the regional Kapa Haka competition just a few days away.

The Waikato Kapa Haka festival was an amazing experience. We were excited to compete with new tutors and members of the group. After our performance, it was announced that we qualified for the New Zealand Secondary Schools National Kapa Haka competition in Tamaki Makaurau next year. We are optimistic about the future of Te Maurea Whiritoi and look to the journey ahead.