The winning team, Te Kura o Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi Marae, during its performance. Photo: Supplied / Te Mana Kuratahi
Te Kura o Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi Marae has taken out the top prize at Te Mana Kuratahi primary school kapa haka competition.
The Auckland based rōpū overcame 45 other schools from across the motu who competed over the four days of competition.
Tauranga's Maungatapu Primary School finished in second place with Te Kura o Te Teko rounding out the podium in third.
Groups came from Kawakawa to Christchurch, each bringing around 40 performers.
Tauranga's Maungatapu Primary School was second. Photo: Supplied / Te Mana Kuratahi
The competition was hosted in Whakatū, Nelson, by the eight iwi of Te Tauihu o te Waka-a-Maui, with each iwi supporting six schools.
Schools had only 25 minutes to impress the judges, performing six or seven items, waiata tira (choral), whakaeke (entrance song), waiata tawhito (traditional song), waiata ā ringa (action song), poi, haka and whakawātea (exit song).
This was the first time Te Mana Kuratahi has been held in the South Island and it is the first of several kapa haka events lined up for Te Tauihu, with the national secondary school competition to be held in Nelson next year, followed by Te Matatini in 2027.
Ngā Huiarau o Kawakawa travelled from Te Tai Tokerau in the Far North to Nelson for this year's national competition. Photo: Erica Sinclair Photography