New kapa haka group set for competition

Fledgling Dunedin kapa haka group Nga Tumu ki Otakou performs for a large and enthusiastic crowd at its final dress rehearsal in the Otago University union hall last night.

The 6-week-old kapa haka group flies north tomorrow to compete in the Waitaha regional senior kapa haka competitions, to be held at the Lincoln Events Centre in Christchurch on Saturday.

Nga Tumu ki Otakou was formed in February by University of Otago School of Maori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies staff and students and Dunedin kapa haka enthusiasts.

The group will vie with Te Iti o Tahuna, of Queenstown, and eight Canterbury kapa haka groups for three places in the Te Matatini national senior kapa haka competition, to be held in Christchurch next March.

Te Matatini is considered the world's largest annual celebration of Maori performing arts, drawing more than 30,000 participants and spectators.