Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Whakaue win Te Matatini

March 2, 2025

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Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Whakaue from Te Arawa has won Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga 2025, the prestigious national kapa haka competition.

The second-place spot was awarded to Ngāti Rangiwewehi, also from Te Arawa, while Ngā Tūmanako from Tāmaki Makaurau placed third. The announcement came after an intense five-day competition featuring 55 teams from across Aotearoa.

The event, held in front of a sold-out crowd, showcased the very best of Māori performing arts. Judges had the difficult task of narrowing the field down to a top 12 before selecting the winners. The Kohine Ponika ‘Aku Mahi’ Memorial Trophy, a new People’s Choice Award, was given to Te Kuru Marutea for their waiata tira.

The competition was fierce, with many kapa haka groups bringing unique styles and regional influences to the stage. Some performers and former judges raised concerns about the marking system, suggesting that minor errors should not significantly impact scores. Others acknowledged the fairness of certain judging decisions.

The 2025 finals featured outstanding performances from various regions, including Te Arawa, Tāmaki Makaurau, Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Tainui, and Te Tairāwhiti. Each group brought its own style and storytelling to the stage, making it one of the most memorable Te Matatini competitions to date.

Looking ahead, the location for Te Matatini 2027 is still undecided. Due to the event’s growth—this year saw a record 55 teams competing—organisers are reconsidering the planned host region. Discussions will take place over the next three months to determine the best venue for the next festival.

Article written by Milli Banbury

This article was written using AI as an assistive tool for research, writing, and proofreading.
The te reo Māori version of this article was translated with AI assistance. While care has been taken to keep it accurate, if you spot anything that doesn't read quite right, please let us know

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Digital Thinking

Learning Options

Recall Questions

Thinking questions

Digital Thinking

Janie wrote an account of a science project that she did at her primary school. Read her first draft. It contains some errors.

The Experiment

We had a library lesson at school. I read about a great experiment. It was for my science project. I decided to copy it. Before I could carry out the experiment, I had to collect a glass bottle, a hard-boiled egg, and some match’s. When it was time to present my project I told the class that I would make the egg go into the bottle. I asked my teacher to light the match and drop it in the bottle for me. Next, I put the peeled egg on top of the bottle opening. When the match had used up all the oxygen inside the bottle. The egg was sucked right in. I was so relieved that the experiment had worked. All my classmates were really impressed. My teacher said, “well done Janie!”