Te Matatini 2025: Stage set for New Plymouth as 55 teams battle for kapa haka supremacy

Te Kapa Haka o Te Whānau a Apanui were the overall Te Matatini winners in 2023.

• Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga will bring together 55 top kapa haka teams in New Plymouth.
• The Māori cultural event is expected to inject $27 million into the Taranaki economy and boost kapa haka’s growth.
• Viewership is predicted to surpass previous years, with performances broadcast in multiple languages.

Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga boss Carl Ross and his team won’t be sleeping much over the next week.

The planning to bring together the top kapa haka exponents in New Zealand and Australia takes a year to organise and implement.

They are on the final countdown to showtime.

Te Matatini is a nationwide Māori performing arts festival and competition for kapa haka (Māori cultural group) performers from New Zealand and Australia.

It is held every two years but the logistical thinking that goes into staging the popular event starts once the previous event has packed down.

Te Matatini CEO Carl Ross.

The energy levels rise a level when the regionals take place a year out from the main event.

“Excitement for me started when the regional competitions were held last year from February to May,“ Ross told the Herald.

“These were held across 12 regions in New Zealand and on the Gold Coast in Australia.”

From the hundreds of teams who entered last year’s regional competitions, the 55 best squads will assemble in New Plymouth for the February 25-28 qualifying. Twelve teams will continue to the final on March 1.

Ross, who has gone from performer to chief executive and has been involved in kapa haka for 55 years, said Te Matatini would inject millions into the Taranaki economy and highlight all that is good and healthy about kapa haka.

“When we finish one Matatini, we are pretty smashed,” Ross said.

“But our expectations are massive and we start planning for the next event and how we can improve ourselves.

Te Kapa Haka o Te Whānau a Apanui will be back at Te Matatini as defending champions.

“Our economists – the same company the Government uses – have forecasted [sic] $27 million coming into the Taranaki region, which will have a massive economic impact.

“That is one of the reasons why Te Matatini does travel around because it also allows us to learn about each rohe.”

The resurgence of Te Matatini and kapa haka is reflected in the viewing numbers, with the regional viewership in 2024 up 72% from 2020, with a TV audience of 225,000 and online viewership of almost 1.5 million.

Ross said within its Government agreement, Te Matatini must also foster kapa haka throughout the regions and that’s why it moves every two years to another rohe (region) and is not exclusively held in the big cities.

“We received extra funding from government and that was put in for us to increase kapa haka throughout the country,” Ross said.

The pōwhiri for Te Matatini at Ōkahu Bay in 2023 was Māori theatre at its best.

The last competition held in Auckland was one of the best. Who could forget the showdown when Tainui came to Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei turf as leaders from both tribes clashed.

Te Matatini has had a variety of names since its inception in 1972 but since 2004 has been called Te Matatini, which means “many faces”.

The name was given by Professor Wharehuia Milroy, a composite of te mata, meaning “the face” and tini, denoting “many”.

Keeping up with the changing times is also part of Te Matatini’s growth. This event’s theme song We Belong is a collaboration by top New Zealand bands Corella and L.A.B. – with most of the song in English.

Featuring vocals led by Joel Shadbolt (L.A.B.) and Pipiwharauroa and Ngawaiwera Campbell (Corrella), the waiata embraces the unity and togetherness Te Matatini brings.

Campbell – (Pipi) (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti He, Ngāti Pukenga) from Corrella – told the Herald kapa haka was in his whānau blood line.

“Kapa haka was a staple for myself growing up. Unlike my sisters, who have stood many times on the stage, I have yet to stand on the big stage of Te Matatini. One day I do hope to when life settles down,” he said.

While Ross is the frontman of Te Matatini and ultimately where the buck stops, he is surrounded by a great support crew who handle marketing and promotions, communications, festival administration, the competition – judges and kapa haka teams, broadcasting, finance and the build – and iwi relations.

Ross said growing kapa haka is an important part of Te Matatini’s strategic vision.

“What we can do better is to support the growth from preschool, intermediate, high school and anyone wanting to participate in the community from adults to seniors,” he said.

“Part of that support was to appoint 12 new fulltime staff members located in the different regions to help with the planning and co-ordination of activities.

“This funding has provided Te Matatini with the opportunity to strengthen the infrastructure of our regional kapa haka networks so that we can build a vibrant kapa haka movement across Aotearoa.

“That is why we still need to find sponsorship to fund our festivals.”

One of the challenges the event has going to smaller towns is accommodation. But Ross remembers one of the first Te Matatini he went to as a competitor, everyone slept in a large shed.

“I’m not saying we could do that now but we have tried to make allowances, like providing space at the racecourse for motorhomes,” he said.

“And as some whānau may not be able to afford to travel to the festival, we are providing fan zones at Te Papa and in Auckland, providing another opportunity to come together to celebrate and witness kapa haka excellence.”

He said while Auckland was a phenomenal success, each Te Matatini had its own special sauce, which has enriched the festival.

“This year we have 55 teams performing, which is the largest festival ever as 45 teams performed at the last festival in Auckland,” he said.

“In Auckland, we had one broadcaster. This year the event will be co-produced by TV1 and Whakaata Māori.

”We are also providing a translation service in real time of the performance in English for all the days and on the finals day, translations will be in Mandarin, Tongan, Cook Island Māori, Fijian and Samoan.

“We predict the viewership for this festival is set to surpass Auckland, with more teams taking the stage and coverage by two broadcasters.”

He also wanted to thank the hundreds of volunteers who will help make Te Matatini 2025 a success, saying they give their time freely to provide the support required throughout the festival.

“To the audiences who attend reminds us all why kapa haka is such a treasured part of our culture.”

Ross knows the event will brings smiles to a lot of people and come March 2, the day after Te Matatini 2025, he and his team can start it all again.

Joseph Los’e is an award-winning journalist and joined NZME in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori Editor. Los’e was a chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and prior to joining NZME worked for urban Māori organisation Whānau Waipareira.