Hundreds of ākonga [students] gathered at Wairarapa College for the Whakaoriori [Masterton] Schools Kapa Haka Festival yesterday.
Twenty-three groups of tamariki and rangatahi [young people] from 18 schools performed emotional and powerful combinations of waiata-ā-ringa [action songs], poi, and haka.
Other important features of kapa haka like waiata, karanga [art of calling], pao [short impromptu topical songs], and whaikōrero [formal speech-making] were also performed.
Wairarapa College ākonga performed their own haka in response to each group’s performance before the next one took centre stage.
Every performance was met with deafening applause that shook the floors as friends and whānau celebrated the groups’ achievements.
The festival, organised by REAP Wairarapa, was supported by Masterton District Council through its creative communities funding.
REAP school liaison Trudy Sears said she was impressed by the turnout and that it was an awesome day.
“It’s always a great turnout. It’s a great opportunity for whānau to come together and celebrate,” she said.
The annual festival has been run by REAP Wairarapa for over a decade. To allow every group time to perform, it is split between Masterton and South Wairarapa, where it was hosted by Pirinoa School this year.
