‘Forgotten their roots': Te Matatini risks alienating regions
Te Tauihu kapa haka team Te Kuru Marutea secured the People's Choice award in Taranaki in 2025, but won't be able to perform at home in 2027.
Photo:
Supplied/Te Matatini
Te Matatini risks alienating the regions with its decision not to host the 2027 event in Te Tauhihu, Whakatū Nelson's Māori Ward councillor has warned.
It was announced on Monday that the next national kapa haka competition
will not be hosted in the Top of the South
, as had been planned since 2013.
Society heamana (chair) Tā Herewini Parata said the decision was not a reflection on Te Tauihu (the Top of the South Island).
"As the festival continues to grow in size and significance, the planning and delivery of Te Matatini must reflect that scale," he said.
"While this decision is heartbreaking for many, we have had to be realistic and seriously re-evaluate the risks of holding Te Matatini in its current format in our smaller regions."
The festival had seen "unprecedented growth" and despite Te Tauihu working hard to find solutions, Parata said concerns remained, particularly around accommodation and transport - about 70,000 people attended the 2025 event in Taranaki.
Te Matatini was now inviting expressions of interest for hosting the 2027 event.
Nelson's Māori Ward councillor said the news was "outrageously disappointing".
"We had quite a few options on the table that we've got plenty of time to be able to deliver on those, but… they're not interested in trying to keep Te Matatini connected to the regions," Kahu Paki Paki said.
Nelson Whakatū Māori Ward councillor Kahu Paki Paki says the decision to pull out of Te Tauihu risks alienating other regions around the motu.
Photo:
Andrew Board/Nelson Weekly
"They run the risk, a very serious risk, of isolating some of the regions that won't even get a chance to host."
He acknowledged that there were some "challenges" in hosting Ngā Kapa Haka Kura Tuarua, the national secondary schools' kapa haka festival, in 2024 but they had provided "good learning lessons" for local organisers and ultimately the event was a "great success".
Kapa haka was community-focused and community-building, and so the prospect of iwi and hapū around the motu missing out on hosting Te Matatini in favour of the main centres was "really sad", Paki Paki said.
"If Taranaki could do it, and they did it really well, there's no reason why we couldn't have done it just as well… they have forgotten their roots, they've walked away from the regions. It's a real shame."
Parata was not able to respond in time for publication, but on Tuesday morning he told
Waatea News
that he acknowledged that the decision was "disappointing" for Te Tauihu.
"There's over a million people in New Zealand that have got an opinion on Te Matatini - and their opinions are all right - however it's the board's decision to make," he said.
But he added that there was still "a lot of goodwill" for the regions.
"Maybe, I can't say outright, we need to look at the whole festival and ways of hosting Te Matatini in the smaller rohe."
That could include potentially reducing the number of kapa haka groups that participate down from the current 55 so areas like Te Tauihu could host the festival in the "near future".
Nelson and Tasman's mayors are also disappointed in the decision, but understood the capacity concerns from Te Matatini.
Tasman Mayor Tim King said even though the two youth kapa haka events Te Tauihu previously hosted were "very successful", there were still challenges with many people travelling daily between Nelson and Marlborough.
Nelson Mayor Nick Smith said the benefits of hosting Te Matatini outweighed the costs for the council, and that the organisation had supported hosting the event locally "at every step".
Both hoped Te Tauihu would be able to host the event in the future and would be keen to see the return of the youth competitions again.
"We… are keen for this uniquely New Zealand art to still be very welcome in the city and region," Smith said.
Sonny Alesana, chair of the local Te Tauihu o Te Waka-a-Māui Māori Cultural Council.
Photo:
Supplied
Sonny Alesana, heamana (chair) of the local Te Tauihu o Te Waka-a-Māui Māori Cultural Council, was hopeful the region could have the opportunity to host again sometime in the future.
"We are disappointed, but we also understand the pressure Te Matatini is under, both in terms of its growth and the financial implications of that," he said.
"We are committed to continuing to work with Te Matatini to ensure Te Tauihu does have its time in the sun and that smaller regions are not automatically disqualified from hosting."
Alexander Siebentritt, president of Hospitality NZ's Nelson branch said hosting Te Matatini would have had "very positive effects" for the local economy - the 2023 event in Tāmaki Makarau Auckland generated more than $26 million.
"We just simply have to carry on and focus on how we can find alternatives to fill these gaps."
He said the region was "fantastic" and able to cater to large events.
"This is a great opportunity for another great event to be hosted in our region, if there's anyone out there, I've just heard some dates in February 2027, became available."
Concerns about the region's ability to host the event in 2027 were thrown into the spotlight in March when Te Mauri o Te Matatini was not passed from Taranaki representatives to Te Tauihu.
Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
The Politics Panel
Journalists Ruwani Perera and Dan Brunskill join Wallace Chapman to discuss all the big politics news of the week. Also in the studio is former NZ First MP Tracey Martin. Tonight they examine the Gaza floatilla headed by Greta Thunberg and the NZ sanctions placed on two Israeli ministers. They also discuss the tren dfor more right leaning and alt poltical organisations to film their interviews - David Seymour recently took hi own camera to an interview conducted by John Campbell. What to our journalists think of that? And finally, MMP, has it had it's day? Are we basically running a first past the post system anyway? To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
'We're quite excited': Fieldays farmer spending tipped to hit new highs
The southern hemisphere's largest agricultural event is a ritual for many farmers, but this year it's hoped there'll also be record spending. Huge numbers are rolling into Fieldays in Hamilton which kicked off today, with an estimated 100,000 people expected to attend between Wednesday and Saturday. With a farmgate milk price of $10, record beef prices and strong sheep meat returns - the rural sector is on the up. Combine that with the government's recent move to allow farmers to deduct 20 percent off new farm equipment from their taxable income , and the prediction is sales could reach new highs. The Minister of Agriculture also announced a $4 million boost to rural wellbeing, and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said during his visit to Fieldays that he wanted farmers to know they were "deeply loved" by the government. That's certainly something that agricultural machinery companies are feeling, down at the Husqvarna stand there were plenty of smiles and national sales manager Steve Middleton told RNZ there had been a recent uptick in spending and mood amongst farmers. Steve Middleton says sales are on the upward curve. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi "We're seeing an improvement, there's been a lot of signals in the market place in the rural sector that we're seeing signs of the times getting better and farmers are looking to spend some of the cash they've built up. "We're definitely seeing it come through particularly in robotic auto mowers and lawn tractors - it's positive and we are on the upward curve now," he said. Palmerston North dairy farmers Christian Allen and Anna Maley believe the 20 percent tax reduction will make a difference. "Farm owners I think will be more willing to spend a bit more money and upgrade some gear considering it's 20 percent off you can get back. Palmerston North dairy farmers Christian Allen and Anna Maley. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi "Farmers with older tractors that have done seven or eight thousand hours, it'll be more appealing to trade it in and get a new one, less hassle," he said. A sentiment that has businesses feeling optimistic. CNH business manager John Gilbert told RNZ that sales of Case and New Holland tractors were likely to be high at this year's Fieldays. "We're quite excited, I think there's a sense of a mood shift. Last year we sold 40 tractors at Fieldays and this year we're hoping to eclipse that. "With the tax boost announced a few weeks ago by government that's really got people talking and we've seen evidence of that already in the market - people are buying tractors," Gilbert said. John Gilbert is expecting this year's sales to eclipse last year's. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi However, that's not the case for all of the 1200 exhibitors at Fieldays. A few tents along at the All Trade Tools stand, key account manager Rodney Smith told RNZ their clients, many DIYers and tradies, were not doing as well as farmers at the moment. "It's been tough for us out there, we're down considerably year on year. We're finding the DIY market is non existent at the moment. "I think interest rates, mortgages - people don't have that money in their pocket to go out and spend a couple hundred dollars on something they really don't need," he said. A cautious approach the Jowsey family is taking, they farm sheep and beef in Raglan and mum Amber said even in the good seasons, they were always careful. "You've still got to stay within your limits but farmgate prices are pretty good so doesn't feel bad like last year... for sure," she said. The Jowsey family from Raglan on their annual trip to Fieldays. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi Husband Clint Jowsey is eyeing up solar water pumps, and is relieved to see the rural economy doing well. "I reckon it's going pretty good at the moment, it's ticking over," he said. Whangārei farmers Julie and Bruce Paton are also looking for some Fieldays deals such as water tanks. "We certainly feel we can spend a bit more this year. Because we're in dairy and beef, and both are up, so why wouldn't we be positive about that," they said. Whangārei farmers Julie and Bruce Paton on their annual Fieldays trip. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
Pita Tipene to step down as Waitangi National Trust chair
Pita Tipene. Photo: RNZ / Liu Chen The Waitangi National Trust's Pita Tipene is stepping down as trust chair after serving on the board for almost a decade. Tīpene has been a member of the board for nine years, the maximum length set out in the Waitangi National Trust Board Act 1932 before board members must step down. Fellow board members Jane Fletcher and Mita Harris will also close out their time with on the board. He joined the Trust in July, 2016 as a representative of the descendants of Maihi Kawiti, before becoming chair in 2018, taking over from Ngāpuhi kaumatua Pita Paraone who stepped down. The 14-member board will meet on Friday to vote on a new chair. Speaking to RNZ, Tipene said he and other departing board members were confident the Trust would in be left in safe hands. "The journey has been one fantastic experience, working alongside some very capable people." The now scrapped Treaty Principles Bill saw the heat turned up at this year's Waitangi commemorations, leading to protests by Ngāpuhi, ACT Leader David Seymour having his microphone taken away multiple times and threats by NZ First MP Shane Jones threaten to cut funding for the trust. Tipene said ensuring the Crown and Māori had an opportunity to speak with each other face to face was one of the most important parts of the job. "As there may be, as I describe it, 'heat' being brought to the situation we do our best as the Waitangi National Trust to provide an environment where we can bring more light that promise and allow people to have debate and discussion and understand perspectives. "We remember that we are kaitiaki of the grounds, the people on the ground and the wairua. We have to be ensuring everybody is safe to have that debate." Tipene said while he was sad his time on the board was coming to an end, he was a firm believer in refreshing and revitalising organisations. "Some people had suggested to me that I could be like Vladimir Putin and, maybe, change the constitution and stay there forever - obviously that's not going to happen." RNZ understand the Trust's deputy chair Tania Simpson is the frontrunner to take over the top job. Simpson holds a number of director roles across many New Zealand companies, is a member of the Waitangi Tribunal, was awarded the rank of Officer of the NZ Order of Merit in 2024 and has been Deputy Chair of Waitangi National Trust since 2018. Tipene said while there was absolutely "no doubt" Simpson was the go-to person to fill the chair position, her time on the board was also running out. "Tania's tenure on the board is coming up very quickly on the board too, I think it's only another 9 months," Tipene said. "That doesn't take away the absolute skills, wisdom and application and determination that Tania brings to any board, let alone the Waitangi National Trust. But this is how it works and, sadly, we're going to lose Tania too." Tipene said the highlight of his time as chair was the opening of the Te Rau Aroha museum in 2020, which remembers the men and women who risked their lives during the Second World War in the service of their country. Having the late Robert 'Bom' Gillies at the opening was something that "remains etched in my mind and my heart". "I'm leaving something that I'm very passionate about but its all been a great journey and I will arrive at the destination on Friday," Tipene said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
