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RNZ News
13 hours ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Waikato announced as hosts for Te Matatini 2027
Tainui group Mōtai Tangata Rau at Te Matatini 2025. Photo: Te Matatini Enterprises Tākiri Tū Te Matatini will be hosted by Tainui, at Hopuhopu near Ngāruawāhia, following a two-day tono process involving Te Whare Haka o Tainui and Tainui waka Iwi. In May, organisers announced that the 2027 festival would not be hosted in Te Tauihu o te Waka-a-Māui / Nelson as had been expected. The decision came amid concerns around the ability of smaller regions to accommodate the rapidly growing festival. Te Matatini chairperson, Tā Herewini Parata, said the full board was overwhelmed by the depth and thought that had gone into the joint Tainui waka/whare haka proposal. "It centred on the key values of Kingitanga and was presented with the grace and strength of kotahitanga that this area is renowned for," said Tā Herewini. "The expression of interest received unanimous support from the Te Matatini National Board and we are looking forward to working together to deliver a successful festival in 2027." Waikato-Tainui executive Chair Tukoroirangi Morgan delivered an impassioned presentation based on kotahitanga. "As a waka we have a proud history of hosting the motu and we will pivot every resource we have and work with our partners to make sure it is a resounding success," he said. Te Whare Haka o Tainui delegate Tony Walker said this was an opportunity to remind ourselves of how mana Motuhake can evolve on a regional, national and international level. "This is an exciting time for our whare and the wider Tainui waka community because it provides stability for this kaupapa," he said. "I reflect on the words of our late Kiingi Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII when he challenged us all to think about the virtues of unity as a pathway to reconnect and flourish in this challenging world." "Te Matatini will now sit down and work through some of the logistical issues before confirming a date for the national competition," said Parata. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Man found dead in car in Waikato River had been missing since 2019
Victoria Bridge from where a person was seen in the Waikato River last night. Photo: RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod Police have formally identified a man found dead in a car in the Waikato River nearly a year ago. He was 44-year-old Michael Murdoch from Ngāruawāhia, who had been missing since 2019. His body was found in his car last August by a company that removed wrecked cars and other hazardous materials from the river. Police said the formal identification was a complex and lengthy process because Mr Murdoch had been in the river for so long. They were treating his death as unexplained and it had been referred to the coroner.
