The four-year wait for Te Matatini Kapa Haka Competition is no longer. This year, Tāmaki Makaurau hosted the event at Ngā Ana Wai – Mount Eden Stadium, where 45 rōpū | groups stood representing 13 regions across Aotearoa. Five rōpū from Te Arawa made finals day, a remarkable moment in history for Te Arawa Iwi, Hapu, Whānau.
Many believed this was due to these rōpū sharing their stories – pūrākau of Tāmaki and how some of their Tūpuna landed here in Tāmaki. Mairangi Bay in North Shore – Ohomairangi, a descendant of Pūhaorangi and Te Kuraimonoa and Okahu Bay located in Central Auckland, is one such example. Ohomairangi is named after Kahumatamoemoe, the son of Rangatira Tamatekapue of the Te Arawa Waka.
What is Te Matatini?
Te Matatini is a safe place for Māori to express their feelings on political issues, challenging the government through Waiata a ringa, Mōteatea, Haka. It is a place for Māori to showcase their history, and the stories of their Tūpuna who once walked these lands.
According to Newstalk ZB, more than 1.8 million Kiwis tuned in to watch Te Matatini Herenga Waka herenga Tangata 2023.
"Almost 730,000 New Zealanders watched the live broadcast on TVNZ 2, while 188,000 streamed the festival on TVNZ+.”
The Benefits of Kapa Haka
When we perform kapa haka, we are performing te ao Māori into existence.
Linda Waimarie Nikora, The Power and Purpose of Kapa Haka
The positive impacts of Kapa Haka are improved Māori health & well-being, boosted economy, Māori educational success and educational success within mainstream kura. Those who participate in kapa haka are revitialising te reo Māori – that in itself is beyond beneficial.
“Most meaningful thing to me was gaining an understanding of the profound impact of Kapa Haka on the daily lives of our performers. So many people we spoke to said it made them feel powerful.”
“There’s a sense of 'We’re all in this together, we’ve got to look after each other, we’ve got to help each other'.” It is in strong contrast with the Western approach where success as well as failure is up to the individual.
Overall, Kapa Haka enhances identity, language, and culture. It facilitates strong connections with peers, growing skills, dispositions and qualities that support well-being, success and achievement in school and in life. It provides learning and skills that are transferable to other subjects/aspects of life. It creates a culture of excellence and high expectations, thus developing a deeper understanding of Te Ao Haka.
