Kapa haka crews take the stage for Te Matatini 2025 day 1

A blessing was held for Te Matatini earlier this month, ahead of the crowds descending on the Bowl of Brooklands from today, for the biennial national kapa haka champs. Photo: ANDY JACKSON

The first haka groups are taking the atamira (stage) for the opening day of competition at Te Matatini 2025 - the national kapa haka championships, and the gates to New Plymouth's Bowl of Brooklands are open to welcome crowds of spectators.

More than 2000 performers, representing 55 groups from across Aotearoa and Australia, will compete before the end of the competition on Saturday.

Auckland stalwarts Te Rōpū Manutaki have the honour, or perhaps the challenge, of kicking off the first day of preliminary competition at Te Matatini 2025.

Defending champions Te Kapa Haka o Te Whānau-a-Apanui and Waikato's Te Pou o Mangataawhiri are among the groups performing on Tuesday afternoon.

The next four days are set aside for preliminary competition, before the 12 finalists compete again on Saturday when a winner will be crowned.

Activist and long-time kapa haka performer Tāme Iti says he's looking forward to the competition getting under way.

"I love the energy [because] its not often you see thousands of us in one space. I just want to see the magic and feel it, touch it, eat it, smell it... all of that vibration."

Iti told RNZ it did not really matter who won the competition, but he did have his favourites.

"It doesn't really matter who wins the title because we're all here to participate, whether or not we get to the top... but of course I'll support my Rūātoki Kapa Haka - that's been my team since the 60s," Iti said.

Local kuia Kura Niwa performed at yesterday's pōwhiri with her son, daughter and granddaughter, and said she was looking forward to people from all over the country coming to Taranaki.

"You can just feel the beautiful wairua that's around us and in our area - it is lovely," Niwa said.

"Everyone is smiling and I can't wait for the big event to start."

Māori warden Nemo Wansbrough had some advice for those coming to the Bowl of Brooklands to watch the performances: "Its very hot, so make sure you slip, slop, slap and wrap!"

"It's going to be an amazing vibe... it already is and it hasn't even started yet!" he said.

Te Matatini will be broadcast live on TVNZ 2 and live streamed on TVNZ+, with catch-up viewing available on TVNZ+. Viewers can also watch live on Whakaata Māori and online at Māori+.

There is also a multilingual translation service available for Te Matatini, led by Te Tai Tokerau iwi media station, Ngāti Hine FM.

Haka Translate provides six simultaneous translations during live stage performances of each kapa haka. Audio description is being introduced this year alongside English, Mandarin, Cook Islands, Fijian, Samoan and Tongan translations, which will stream on the Te Matatini app and select channels.

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