November

New Zealand's best battle for national kapa haka title

New Zealand’s best kapa haka teams will gather in Palmerston North for the biennial Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival in February 2007.

Te Matatini means ‘the many faces’ and is a celebration of art and culture, and a chance for 32 of New Zealand’s finest kapa haka teams to compete for the coveted national title.

From the fierce chants of the haka to the harmony of choral and dance, teams must perfect every discipline of traditional Maori performing arts. Haka performances will be powerful, deafening and punishing.

Kapa haka represents all the skills and intricacies of Maori performing arts - dance, drama, storytelling, poetry, movement, coordination, laments to mourn and remember, and songs to inspire and entertain. Teams combine all of this into a polished 25 minute performance.

In 2007, the festival will have the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). UNESCO will promote Te Matatini through its global networks and United Nations agencies as a premier cultural event on the international festival calendar.

The festival theme for 2007 will be ‘Making the good things last - Kia mau tonu ai koo nga hua pai’. It will be a part of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD).

‘We are honoured to be working in partnership with Te Matatini. Maori traditional performing arts is a national treasure that we are proud to celebrate and promote on the word stage,’ says UNDESD New Zealand Coordinator Christine Robertson.

‘Making the good things last is something we are confident that all Kiwis will be able to identify with. The decades is about those things we treasure, safeguarding our taonga (treasures) as a nation, those things we are willing to fight for to make sure they are there for future generations.’

‘UNESCO’s extraordinary support propels Maori performing arts and the New Zealand festival scene into the international arena. We are proud to stand beside UNESCO and promote our nation,’ says Te Matatini General Manager Wayne Johnson.

For the first time, onsite English translation broadcasts will be available allowing non-Maori speaking members of the audience to understand the performances.

Performers at the festival are not just competing, they are representing their people and their honour. When teams face crowds of up to 35,000, members of the audience will at times leap to their feet in haka to support their team.

Making it to Te Matatini is in itself a challenging process. Teams must first compete within their own tribes to qualify. More than 100 teams contest at 14 regional competitions, including one in Australia.

Teams at Te Matatini practise for thousands of hours to perfect their performances. Team members will often practise after work, and then live together on training camps at the weekend.

For many, the passion for kapa haka stems back many generations. Grandparents and grandchildren have been known to compete in the same teams.

Kapa haka is steeped in tradition. Every movement from the flick of a wrist to a stamping challenge is motivated by customs and protocol.

Groups are judged on correct pronunciation of the Maori language, time keeping and innovation while adhering to tradition, original composition, leadership, unity, energy and costumes.

Te Matatini will again be hosted by the Rangitane tribe and be held at Arena Manawatu in the lower North Island from 22-25 February. The festival will also feature traditional and modern art exhibitions, weaving and ta moko (tattoo) demonstations, food stalls, and guest cultural acts.

Further information:

Iulia Leilua
Te Matatini
Phone +64 9 578 1366
Mobile +64 21 378 639

Christine Robertson
UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
Mobile +64 27 506 3370

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