Something to watch today: Tuesday 25 February

Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga 2025 (25 February to 1 March)

Back in 2017 I was working as Marketing Manager for Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School and one of my responsibilities was student recruitment.

Many of our students got their first taste of performing arts through the kapa haka (traditional Māori performing arts) movement at school or through iwi (tribe) or hapū (sub tribe ) and it was suggested that taking a stall on the grounds of that year’s biannual national festival and competition, Te Matatini, might be a good way to reach potential future artists.

As an English-born pākehā, my experience with Te Ao Māori (the Māori world) was limited but, thanks to the Toi Whakaari whānau (family) it was growing.

That event was held in Hastings, Hawke’s Bay, and it was about as mind-blowing an occasion as I’ve ever experienced. Five days in the summer heat, a stadium crammed with up to 30,000 audience members, extraordinary performance after performance. It was incredible.

As it happened, we got very little interest in our stall – everyone was there for the show – but I’m so glad I got to experience it.

This year’s event is in Taranaki and starts today. It’s streamed live internationally* through TVNZ+ or Māori+ and it’s a great thing to have on in the background while you are working. As it gets closer to finals time on Friday and Saturday, the tension will really ratchet up and you might not get any work done.

If you want to know more, I can recommend this “beginner’s guide” at The Spinoff, and here’s a short video from the 2023 event in Auckland:

And here are the winners from 2023, Te Kapa Haka o Te Whānau a Apanui:

They won in 2017, too.

---

---

Where to watch Te Matatini 2025