Te Matatini fans are in for a treat this weekend when kapa haka groups from across Australia will gather in the Gold Coast for the regional competitions to find the groups who will qualify for Te Matatini 2025.
Te Matatini Te Whenua Moemoeā delegate Ihaka Cotter says kapa haka teams from Australia have always looked forward to competing at the bi-annual Te Matatini competition in New Zealand because kapa haka provides the 180,000 Māori who work and live across the ditch a connection to Aotearoa.
“As Māori living away from home, it’s important that we are represented at Te Matatini. We also have a longing for home and so it always gives us that grounding and connection,” Cotter says.
Nine kapa haka teams from across Australia will perform at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre in Carrara on Saturday - one from Western Australia, two from Victoria, four from New South Wales and two from Queensland, with five new groups set to make their debut.