Te Matatini Enterprises CEO Carl Ross says the early closure of tickets for Saturday’s finals is a sign of the festival’s growth.
Speaking to Te Ao Māori News reporter Riria Dalton-Reedy, Ross called it “a new trend with Te Matatini”, saying this year’s event “is the most tickets we’ve ever sold prior to the festival”.
Yesterday, the organisation closed ticket sales for the final day of the national kapa haka competition, with venue bookings reaching capacity.
Asked how the event is going, Ross said “A lot of work in the lead-up to this one”, but that it’s going “bang-on plan”.
He said people are travelling from across Aotearoa and the world “to be part of the atmosphere”, including 30 First Nations representatives arriving later this morning, alongside representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Te Kei (Thursday) and Te Awa (Friday) tickets are still on sale.
“If you want to be here and experience it, come along, because we still have a few tickets left.”
Finals will take place on Saturday, March 1, and will be streamed live and uninterrupted on MĀORI+ in Aotearoa, Australia, Fiji and the Pacific Islands.
