Latest news with #TāHerewiniParata
RNZ News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
‘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
1News
12-05-2025
- 1News
Matatini 2027 festival pulled from Nelson: ‘We have to be realistic'
New Zealand premier kapa haka festival Te Matatini will not go ahead at the top of the South Island in 2027 with expressions of interest to host the event opening today. In a statement on Monday, Te Matatini Society Incorporated chairperson Tā Herewini Parata said the board made the decision on Friday. He said it was not a reflection on Te Taiuihu o te Waka-a-Māui (the top of the South Island) but a result of the festival's rapid growth and concern that smaller regions cannot accommodate burgeoning numbers of kaihaka and supporters. "As the festival continues to grow in size and significance, the planning, hosting and delivery of Te Matatini must respond to that growth. "While this decision may be disappointing for many, we have had to be realistic and seriously re-evaluate the risks of holding Te Matatini in its current format in smaller regions." The festival schedule was set over a decade ago with Te Tauihu initially confirmed as the 2025 host in 2013. However, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2021 festival in Tāmaki Makaurau which pushed the event in Te Tauihu out to 2027. Tā Herewini said the event had experienced unprecedented growth since then and was not a significant event on the national calendar. "While Te Tauihu had worked hard to find solutions to deliver the festival at its current size, concerns remained, particularly around accommodation, transport and freight capabilities." Sonny Alesana, chairperson of Te Tauihu o Te Waka-a-Māui Māori Cultural Council, said it was not the outcome it had hoped for but that they understood the decision and remained hopeful the region would have the opportunity to host in coming years. "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 there was still "widespread support, willingness, and commitment for Te Tauihu and the other smaller rohe to host in the future" once Te Matatini establishes a more sustainable format and framework for the event. "With the communities of Mohua, Te Tai o Aorere, Whakatū and Marlborough behind us, we are confident the region is up to the job of hosting Te Matatini in the future, and we look forward to continuing discussions to that end." Te Taiuihu o te Waka-a-Māui - the top of the South Island kaihaka - kapa haka performers rohe - district, region, area
RNZ News
12-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Te Matatini 2027 won't be held in Nelson, organisers looking for new host
Performers from Muriwhenua kapa haka at the 2025 event. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf The next Te Matatini festival - the largest kapa haka competition in the world - will not be hosted in Te Tauihu o te Waka-a-Māui / Nelson. Te Matatini Society Incorporated, which runs the biennial haka tournament, announced on Monday it was looking for expressions of interest to host the event in 2027. Te Matatini board chair Tā Herewini Parata said the board made the decision on Friday amid concerns around the ability of smaller regions to accommodate a rapidly growing festival. "As the festival continues to grow in size and significance, the planning, hosting and delivery of Te Matatini must respond to that growth. "While this decision may be disappointing for many, we have had to be realistic and seriously reevaluate the risks of holding Te Matatini in its current format in smaller regions." Parata said Te Matatini had completed a comprehensive evaluation and while Te Tauihu had worked hard to find solutions to deliver the festival at its current size, concerns remained around accommodation, transport and freight capabilities. Te Tauihi was originally scheduled to host the event in 2025, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2021 festival in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland, pushing the schedule out by two years. Sonny Alesana. Photo: Supplied Te Tauihu o Te Waka-a-Māui Māori Cultural Council chairperson Sonny Alesana said while the decision was disappointing, they understood and remained hopeful Te Tauihu would have the opportunity to host in the future. "Yes, 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. "We understand there remains widespread support, willingness, and commitment for Te Tauihu and the other smaller rohe to host in the future once Te Matatini has established a more sustainable format and framework for the event." Alesana said the region was committed to continuing to work with Te Matatini to make sure Te Tauihu does have its time in the sun and smaller regions were not automatically disqualified from hosting. "Te Tauihu can stand proud; we successfully hosted Te Mana Kuratahi in 2023 and the national secondary schools kapa haka festival, Te Huinga Whetū - Ngā Kapa Haka o Ngā Kura Tuarua o Aotearoa in 2024, welcoming a combined 35,000 manuhiri. Our work together with our iwi and our councils has strengthened our partnerships, our volunteer base and our kapa haka communities. For that, we are grateful. "With the communities of Mohua, Te Tai o Aorere, Whakatū and Marlborough behind us, we are confident the region is up to the job of hosting Te Matatini in the future, and we look forward to continuing discussions to that end." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Decision Made On Te Matatini 2027
Te Matatini, Aotearoa's premier kapa haka festival, will not go ahead in Te Tauihu o te Waka-a-Māui in 2027, as planned. Tā Herewini Parata, Heamana of Te Matatini Society Incorporated, said the decision, made by the Te Matatini board on Friday, was not a reflection on Te Tauihu, but a result of the festival's rapid growth and concerns over smaller regions' ability to accommodate burgeoning numbers. 'As the festival continues to grow in size and significance, the planning and delivery of Te Matatini must reflect that scale,' said Tā Herewini. 'While this decision is heartbreaking for many, we have had to be realistic and seriously reevaluate the risks of holding Te Matatini in its current format in our smaller regions.' Tā Herewini said since the festival schedule was set more than a decade ago, the event had experienced unprecedented growth. It was now a significant event on the nation's calendar, attracting strong global interest as well. He said Te Matatini had completed a comprehensive evaluation across multiple key areas. While Te Tauihu had worked hard to find solutions to deliver the festival at its current size, concerns remained, particularly around accommodation, transport and freight capabilities. Te Matatini would now invite Expressions of Interest to host Te Matatini 2027, Tā Herewini said. Te Tauihu was confirmed as the host region in 2013. The festival was originally scheduled to be held in Whakatū in 2025. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2021 edition in Tāmaki Makaurau, pushing the event in Whakatū out to 2027. Sonny Alesana, Heamana (Chair) of Te Tauihu o Te Waka-a-Māui Māori Cultural Council, said while it was not the outcome the cultural council, its iwi and council partners and communities had hoped for, they understood the decision and remained hopeful Te Tauihu would have the opportunity to host in the coming years. 'Yes, 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.' Alesana said the decision was not the end of the hosting journey. 'We understand there remains widespread support, willingness, and commitment for Te Tauihu and the other smaller rohe to host in the future once Te Matatini has established a more sustainable format and framework for the event. 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. 'Te Tauihu can stand proud; we successfully hosted Te Mana Kuratahi in 2023 and the national secondary schools kapa haka festival, Te Huinga Whetū - Ngā Kapa Haka o Ngā Kura Tuarua o Aotearoa in 2024, welcoming a combined 35,000 manuhiri. Our work together with our iwi and our councils has strengthened our partnerships, our volunteer base and our kapa haka communities. For that, we are grateful. 'With the communities of Mohua, Te Tai o Aorere, Whakatū and Marlborough behind us, we are confident the region is up to the job of hosting Te Matatini in the future, and we look forward to continuing discussions to that end.'
