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Te Matatini is the biggest event in the Māori calendar – a festival like no other that celebrates the fierce spirit of kapa haka with a national competition made up of teams from throughout Aotearoa. This year Te Matatini ki te Ao was held in Te Whanganui-a-Tara from 20–24 February, and one whānau was proud to see six siblings stand across three different rōpū to represent their collective passion for kapa haka.
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Te Kerēme – The Ngāi Tahu Claim – was lodged with the Waitangi Tribunal in 1986, and in the ensuing years of negotiations with the Crown the iwi began to mobilise in preparation for the long-awaited settlement. The passing of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Act 1996 established Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu to protect and advance the collective interests of the iwi.
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Kataore was one of six groups representing the Te Arawa region at Te Matatini 2015. Their whakawātea (exit) – one of the many connections of Ngāti Pikiao to Ngāi Tahu – talked about the master carvers who traveled to Christchurch to help carve Ārai-te-uru Pā, the pā built in Hagley Park for the New Zealand International Exhibition 1906/07.
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Having applauded the innovative way Ngāti Waewae brought tradition to life through the wāhine mau rākau at the opening of Tūhuru Arahura Marae, I was taken aback to hear criticism of wāhine in these roles. I asked myself, “Is this really the 21st century?” as our history clearly shows wāhine took on these roles far earlier than this.
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The pōwhiri is about to begin. Two great encampments stand before the mānuka palisades, Ngāi Tahu to the east, the motu to the west. The Rātana band lines up. Warriors pad through the crowd to take their place out front, patu pounamu cradled in their arms. One breaks away to greet a kaumātua. They grasp shoulders in a quick fierce hongi, voices quiet.
Read MoreCrowds of up to 25,000 poured into Rotorua’s International Stadium for Te Matatini 2013, the world’s largest kapa haka festival.
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