2007 Te Whanaketanga judges

All of the 2007 judges are from New Zealand, although one has been partially raised in Hawaii. All have extensive experience in Maori kapa haka or traditional songs and dances of Aotearoa.

Donna M. Grant, chief judge (she was also chief judge in the PCC's 2006 Whakataetae), of the Te Arawa, Ngati Toa and Ngati Awa tribes. Grant is frequently called upon to both judge and perform. She has been a kapa haka teacher since 1979 and was selected through national auditions for the 1980 Aotearoa Maori Cultural Group tour of North America and the 1992 World Expo in Seville, Spain. She is the founder and CEO of Manaakitanga Aotearoa Trust Private Training Establishment, based in Rotorua, that aspires to be the "premier facilitator of kapa haka for people of exception." Her PTE works with groups to qualify for the New Zealand National Certificate in Maori Performing Arts.
Anaru Grant, Donna's husband, of the Te Arawa and Tuwharetoa tribes, is a fluent Maori speaker who lives in Hamilton, New Zealand. Grant has previously judged primary and secondary school kapa haka competitions. Like his wife, he was selected through national auditions for the 1980 Aotearoa Maori Cultural Group tour of North America and the 1992 World Expo in Seville, Spain. He currently is co-tutor and leader of the Mai i Maketu ki Tongariro group; and tutors both the Waikato Police and National Police kapa haka groups.
Jojo Rangihaeata of the Te Tairawhiti tribe, is a fluent Maori speaker who lives in Gisborne, New Zealand. Rangihaeata is a member of the Whangara Mai Taiwhiti group which won the 2007 national Te Matatini competition, and has performed in the nationals since 1994. She has also previously performed in Japan and Hawaii. Rangihaeata currently tutors in schools and the Te Tohu Paetahi group at Waikato University.
Aaron Campbell, J.D., of Kahungunu, Nati Porou, Te Arawa and Tainui descent, moved as a child with his family to Laie, Hawaii. He was tutored in kapa haka by Tommy Taurima and has traveled around the world with the BYU Living Legends group as an ambassador of cultural performing arts. He has been involved in learning mau rakau, the traditional Maori martial art, and loves to perform the haka. Currently he is a consulting attorney for the Kia Ngawari Marae committee based in Utah.

2006 Whakataetae judges

All of the 2006 judges came from New Zealand are widely recognized for their cultural expertise:

Donna M. Grant, chief judge (see the description and photo above)
Paora Sharples of the Ngati Kahunungu and Ngati Porou tribes on the east coast of New Zealand was also a judge at the 2005 Whakataetae. He graduated from Waikato University with a degree in Maori language and is the highest-ranking person in the Maori fighting art of mau taiaha [a martial art using the traditional two-handed club] for Te Whare Tu Taua O Aotearoa or the National School of Maori Weaponry. He's also a prolific performer in New Zealand who has judged at all levels of competition for many years, and has been dancing on the national and international stage for the last 20 years. He's a member of the very well known performing group, Te Roopu Manutake, which he has led on several occasions in the National Maori Performing Arts Finals. His father, Dr. Peter Sharples, is currently the head of the Maori Party, a political party in New Zealand.
Robert Ruha of the Ngati Porou and Ngati Tuwharetoa tribes, was also a judge for the 2004 and 2005 Whakataetae at the Polynesian Cultural Center. He is a well-respected kapa haka leader of the Tairawhiti region in New Zealand, a prolific composer and a skilled weaver with extensive kapa haka tutoring experience. As a member of Te Here A Maui performing group from the east coast of New Zealand, Ruha is also a well known performer on the national stage. He currently teaches Maori weaving and language.
Priscilla Beach, of the Ngati Porou, Ngati Kahungunu, Te Arawa and Ngati Awa Iwi, is a member of Te Here A Maui group and was also a judge for the PCC's 2004 and 2005 Whakataetae Festivals. Beach, a former kapa haka teacher for Tihati Productions in Hawaii, has performed widely in New Zealand as well as internationally, and is known for composing waiata a ringa, haka and poi dances. She currently continues to develop and nurture the younger generations by working with local secondary schools and youth groups.
Delamere Rei of the Te Arawa and Ngati tribes has been a judge at the secondary school, regional and national level for over 20 years in both New Zealand and Australia. She was raised at Whakarewarewa in Rotorua, has been performing kapa haka since she was 4, and is an exponent of the poi. In 1970 she was selected, along with her husband, to tour the world with the National Theatre Trust Culture Group. Rei currently lives and works in Rotorua as a Maori teacher at the Rotorua Girls High School.
Kiriwaitingi Rei of the Te Arawa, Ngati Toa and Ngati Awa tribes has been a performer at the regional and national levels in New Zealand, appearing with the Rotorua-based group, Ngati Rangiwewehi in the 1996, 1998 and 2000 National Maori Performing Arts Festivals. At the most recent national competition, held in Palmerston North in 2005, Kiri performed with Te Waka Huia. She lives in Rotorua and is a solicitor specializing in family law and general litigation. She is married with twin sons.

2005 judges

All of the 2005 judges came from New Zealand and are widely recognized there for their cultural expertise. They include:

Paora Sharples, chief judge (see the description and photo above)
Robert Ruha (see the description and photo above)
Priscilla Beach (see the description and photo above)
Kiri Horua of the Ngati Porou and Ngai Tamanuhiri tribes, is another Te Here A Maui member who is a widely known performer and tutor in New Zealand with years of experience. She holds a diploma in Maori performing arts, is a skilled choreographer specializing in poi and waiata ringa. In 2002 she was the youngest tutor to take a group to participate in the Aotearoa Traditional Maori Performing Arts Festival. Horua is currently the kapa haka tutor for the Gisborne Girls and Boys High Schools, and also teaches Maori performing arts at the Gisborne Girls school in Gisborne, New Zealand.
Kim Makekau, originally from Maui, Hawaii, is a former Polynesian Cultural Center Maori cultural lead. He's a ngakau (heart) member of the highest level in Te Whare Tu Taua o Aotearoa, the same school that Paora Sharples is in. Makekau is also well known for his own Maori fighting arts school, has taught Maori performing arts at various levels since he left Laie over the last 15 years, has been running his own Maori education programs, and more recently has also been teaching Maori language.
Rahira Makekau, Kim's wife, is of the Ngai Tuhoe tribe of Te Arawa. She has been around kapa haka her whole life and is an original performer and tutor for Pounamu, which specializes in Maori cultural performances and tours both within New Zealand and abroad. Rahira is also an original member of of Te Waka Huia, one of the top performing groups in New Zealand, which has won back-to-back kapa haka championships. She currently tutors kapa haka in Tokoroa, New Zealand.

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