With just six weeks to go until the world’s largest kapa haka festival, Te Matatini, kicks off in Taranaki, final touches are being made to ensure the smooth running of the competition.
That’s according to Te Matatini Chairman, Herewini Parata.
“Kei te moe hū ngā kaimahi katoa o Te Matatini, ngā taraketi kei ngā tōpito o te motu, tae atu hoki ki ngā kapa haka, me te iwi kāinga o te kāhui maunga.”
It’s been 31 years since the last Te Matatini competition, known as the Aotearoa Māori Performing Arts Festival, was held in Taranaki.
It was also the first time the competition had a finals format.
Parata says it’s important that the competition goes to every region in Aotearoa.
“Ki te whakamana i te iwi ake, me kī, te iwi kāinga o aua rohe. Tā rātou whakaatu, pupuri i te reo o ō rātou maunga, ō rātou awa, ō rātou taiao, ā, te reo o ō rātou mātua, o ō rātou tīpuna i runga i ngā tikanga tuku iho a rātou mā.”
He papa whakatū waewae hōu
Hāunga rā anō ngā mahi whakariterite hei tutukihanga mā te iwi kāinga, he atamira hōu kua whakatauria, hei papa whakataetae mō ngā kapa rima tekau mā rima.
I tōna tikanga, he rua tekau mā rua mita te whānuitanga o te atamira, ā, he tekau mā whitū mita te hōhonutanga, heoi anō, he mea whiriwhiri nā te iwi kāinga, kia whakamahia kētia te papa tūmau ki Pukekura, te papa e tū ai te taiopenga nui o WOMAD.
Hei tā Herewini, ahakoa he papa hōu tō te whakataetae, ka tautara tonuhia te māhau nui o Te Matatini ki te atamira.
“Ko te māhau o Te Matatini, ka tae atu ki roto o Ngā Motu, engari ko te atamira, he atamira hōu mō ngā kapa haka.”
“Engari, ka whai wāhi ngā kapa haka ki te whakaatu i ō rātou āhuatanga katoa i runga i te atamira hōu.”
Stage dimensions provide kapa with plenty to consider
New stage dimensions mean that some groups will need to reconsider their strategies and movement to fit with the atamira provided for this year’s competition.
Kapa has been accustomed to a rectangular-shaped stage in previous iterations of the competition.
The stage at Pukekura is 22 metres wide, but its depth narrows as it extends back, tapering to 14 metres at the rear after 7 metres.
Parata believes that kapa will have some concerns but doubts that stage dimensions will adversely affect kapa, given the high standard of all 55 teams that will take the stage.
“Mehemea kei runga pātītī, mehemea kei runga maunga, mehemea kei runga atamira o te haka, ko ngā kapa o nāianei, ka tarea e rātou te whakarerekē i ō rātou āhuatanga, kia eke ki runga i te atamira o te haka.”
