Te Ahikōmau a Hamoterangi are the second host group to perform today at Te Matatini 2015 at Pūtaringamotu, a group steeped in kapa haka history.Te Ahikōmau ki Hamoterangi started from their senior team Te Ahikāroa. Male leader of the group, Raniera Dallas told Te Kāea in a recent interview, “The main focus of Te Ahikōmau and Te Ahikāroa is family. That's what's important to us, family, from the babies to the adults to the elders. That's what we are all about." Performer Waipounamu Te Karu told Te Kāea, “Te Ahikōmau started in 2012 but Te Ahikāroa, the senior group, started in 1993, so there are two groups. Te Ahikāroa is for the elders and the youth. Te Ahikōmau o Hamoterangi is the competing team for the most part.” The group was part of the huge Waitaha contingency who welcomed the nation in yesterday's pōhiri ceremony; a very emotional experience for the hosts.

Te Matatini 2015. Every two years, Te Matatini organises the Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival, where top kapa haka teams from New Zealand and Australia compete for the honour of being crowned the best of the best. The festival started in 1972 and is now the world’s largest celebration of Māori traditional performing arts, attracting over 30,000 performers, supporters and visitors. The competition is held over four days with 45 teams split into three pools, Te Ihu, Te Haumi and Te Kei. The three teams with the highest combined marks from each pool will compete in the competition finals. The nine finalists are then judged afresh to determine the new Toa Whakaihuwaka - overall agreggate winner. Kapa haka teams are required to perform six disciplines within their performance piece - whakaeke (a choreographed entry), mōteatea (traditional chant), poi (light ball swung on the end of a rope), waiata-ā-ringa (action song), haka and whakawātea (exit). They must perfect every discipline in a polished 30 minute performance.