A Ngāti Whakaue kapa haka team will compete at this week's Te Matatini Kapa Haka Festival for the first time in nearly forty years - a huge achievement for the 40-strong team.

Among the estimated 60,000 crowd will be four special Te Arawa koeke (elders), all aged in their 90s, who will travel to Wellington with the group.

Te Matatini, to be held from this Wednesday (20th February) for four days, showcases the best kapa haka talent from around New Zealand. Teams compete in regional events to qualify, with only the top four or five teams making it through. Ngāti Whakaue head tutor Tenga Rangitauira says they have only been performing together since 2016 and have worked really hard to get to this point.

'It means so much to us for our koeke to awhi us on this journey. It will be an incredible experience for all of us to have them there. We are in good spirits, having completed and polished our performance last weekend. This is a mammoth job, which is why we, the tutors, appreciate the help from our whanau, our elders and our tribe,” says Rangitauira.

Te Matatini will see the team perform six compulsory items - a whakaeke (entry), moteatea (traditional chant), action song, poi, haka and whakawatea (exit). They also have the option of doing a choral and a formal speech, but Tenga says these are not essential.

'Te reo Māori is judged as an essential element of the competition because it is the cornerstone of our culture. This was implemented to put more emphasis on our language. I believe it has helped with the revitalisation of the Māori language,” says Rangitauira.

Some of the team in Wellington.

He also believes their success is due to a number of factors, including the financial support of Ngāti Whakaue Assets Trust, which has a sports and cultural grant fund available for tribal members. Trust chairwoman Katie Paul says $10,000 was put towards the kapa haka team and a further $7000 towards the 100-strong group of supporters travelling to Wellington with the team.

'Kapa haka is a bold and vibrant expression of our tribal cultural identity. Beneficiaries have asked our trust to support the marae, tikanga, reo and our traditions - the foundations of tribal identity. These events strengthen identity and build pride for generations to come,” says Paul.

Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust and the Ngāti Whakaue Endowment Fund also provided tribal grants to help the Whakaue kapa haka. Malcolm Short, chair of both trusts, said his boards have been supporting these cultural events for years, but this week's event is quite special.

For more information on Te Matatini visit https://www.tematatini.co.nz/te-matatini-festival/te-matatini-2019/