- 50th anniversary of NZ’s biggest kapa haka and cultural festival takes place 22-25 February
Scotty Morrison and Mātai Smith lead TVNZ’s presenting line-up
TVNZ, together with Aotearoa Kapa Haka Limited, Pango Productions and with funding from Te Māngai Pāho, is proud to bring Te Matatini Herenga Waka Herenga Tangata 2023, New Zealand’s largest cultural festival, to Aotearoa television screens this February.
The finest kapa haka talent will battle it out as part of the biennial festival and all the action will be aired on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+.
The four-day competition, held from 22nd to 25th February, brings together the traditions and stories of hapū, iwi and waka, while placing great emphasis on originality and diverse expressions of Māori artistry within the kapa haka disciplines. Kapa haka involves a combination of singing, movement, synchronicity, and choreography.
The highly anticipated event – which will this year celebrate its 50th anniversary - has been cancelled multiple times in recent years due to Covid-19. This year there will be 45 teams competing, including one from Australia.
Te Reo Tātaki TVNZ’s Deputy Content Director – Local and Commissioning, Nevak Rogers, says, “We’re so proud to be the exclusive broadcast partner for Te Matatini Herenga Waka, Herenga Tangata.
“We felt strongly it was important for this very special event to be broadcast widely and are grateful to be able to bring this extraordinary display of Māori language and culture to the largest scale New Zealand audience possible on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+.
“Te Matatini festival has been fundamental to revitalising Te Reo Māori over its history and TVNZ is proud to be supporting this by providing a platform for high-level, high-quality Reo Māori.
“We know Te Matatini will capture the hearts and minds of not just Te Ao Māori but all of Aotearoa.”
It’s been 20 years since Te Matatini last screened exclusively on TVNZ, where it had aired since its inception in 1972. There has been a growing interest in kapa haka in New Zealand and globally, and Te Matatini festival has continued to rise in significance and popularity.
Te Reo Tātaki TVNZ’s Manukura Māori, Scotty Morrison, and Mātai Smith will lead the presenting line-up, alongside Seven Sharp's Te Rauhiringa Brown, Sunday’s Tāmati Rimene-Sproat, and Stephanie Fong from Te Karere. A rotating panel of kapa haka experts will also be in studio to provide analysis and highlights in between performances, ensuring that novices and die-hard fans alike are entertained.
Held at Ngā Ana Wai Eden Park, it is anticipated this year’s festival will be the largest crowd ever assembled for a kapa haka competition. The stadium will transform into a village with stallholders from all over Aotearoa showcasing creative products and sharing kai.
Selwyn Parata, Chairperson of Te Matatini, says, “We’re so excited to be partnering with TVNZ to bring kapa haka to new audiences who have never been exposed to this artform until now.
“Te Matatini is the equivalent of the Olympics when it comes to kapa haka and it involves thousands of hours of gruelling training. But the honour and prestige of performing for 30 minutes on stage makes the personal sacrifice worth it.”
In the lead-up to the festival, ‘The Road to Te Matatini’, hosted by former NZ Warriors player and Te Matatini performer, Wairangi Koopu, will air on TVNZ+. Wai takes us on a journey around Aotearoa, demystifying the world of competitive kapa haka and uncovering just what it takes to join the best of the best on that incredible stage.
Parata says, “Make no mistake; Te Matatini isn’t just sweet waiata and twirling poi. This is a platform that reveals the pulse of the Māori nation and an incredibly important environment for Māori to raise awareness around the issues that directly affect them.
“It’s vital we platform Te Matatini so there can be a better collective knowledge of the power and purpose of kapa haka amongst our general population and society.”
Te Matatini Herenga Waka Herenga Tangata will be broadcast live on TVNZ 2 and live streamed on TVNZ+ throughout the three preliminary days (Wednesday 22nd, Thursday 23rd, Friday 24th) and finals day (Saturday 25th) and will be available on TVNZ+ for catch-up viewing.
For the first time ever, television viewers will be able to tune in to Te Matatini’s Haka Translate service to hear translations and the meaning of compositions of all the waiata in English. And on the final’s day, Haka Translate will be available in five additional languages: Mandarin, Tongan, Samoan, Fijian and Cook Island Māori, via the Matatini Festival app.
About Te Matatini Festival
Te Matatini is New Zealand’s largest cultural festival and the pinnacle event for Māori performing arts. Held every two years, the four-day celebration is one of the most highly anticipated events for performers, their whānau and the mass of passionate Kapa Haka fans throughout the world. Hosted in a different city each time, the festival draws thousands of people who come to witness the best of the best.
www.tematatini.co.nz/
About Te Māngai Pāho
Te Māngai Pāho is first and foremost a Māori language agency. Its aim is to whakanui te reo Māori and Māori culture so that te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are spoken, heard, seen and valued. Te Māngai Pāho provided funding for Te Matatini Festival.
www.tmp.govt.nz/
About Pango Productions
Pango Productions Ltd is a Māori-owned television production company with a vision to be the leader in the way Māori are perceived locally and globally. A story-telling content company that aims to unlock the incredible potential that New Zealand holds. It was founded by CEO, Bailey Mackey, of Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Porou, and Ngāi Tūhoe descent.Pango tells stories with heart, and believes that in doing so, will positively influence the way the world will see and engage with Māori people and culture.
www.pango.co.nz/