Tears and joy: Counting down to ‘the Olympics of kapa haka’.
Te Matatini, the biennial kapa haka festival, is screening live on Maori Television and presenter Matai Smith will be there. He tells Sarah Nealon about the importance of the four-day event.
‘The Olympics of kapa haka’ is one way to describe Te Matatini,a prestigious Maori performing arts festival held every two years.
Showcasing the skills and talent of New Zealand’s best kapa haka groups, the national competition takes place this month at Hawke’s Bay Sports Park in Hastings.
Thousands of spectators are expected to attend Te Matatini where 47 kapa haka teams from around New Zealand will perform after months of gruelling practice.
Each team, which is typically made up of around 40 members with an even gender split, will have qualified for the event at a regional level and will be hoping to impress the judges and win the competition.
The four-day event is being broadcast on Maori Television and on the network’s website (www. maoritelevision.com).
Matai Smith, who is based in Australia but works on both sides of the Tasman, is covering Te
Matatini for Maori Television. Other presenters include Rotorua couple Kahurangi Maxwell and Chey Milne. All three have competeted at previous Te Matatini.
Smith, who was born and raised in Gisborne, describes
Te Matatini as “the biggest event on the Maori calendar”.
“I’ve been (presenting) at the last two festivals and it’s just an adrenalin rush to see a celebration of Maori culture explode on to the stage,” he says.
Each team on stage must remain focused on its performance.
“You are singing, there can be some intricate choreography, and then, of course, for the men there is the haka, for the women there is the poi where they are showing the dexterity of the poi,” says Smith. “So there is a lot of movement, a lot of choreography and a lot of vocal stuff happening on stage as well so it does require you to be physically fit.”
All the teams must work hard leading up to the competition.
“There is a great level of commitment, much like the Olympics,” says Smith.
“If you’re going to go the Olympics and compete, and you live in Wellington but need to be in Auckland, that’s the sacrifice. A lot of people either fly up to practice or drive some distances.
“I know that there is a group up in Kaitaia and people are travelling up from Rotorua to weekend practices which is a big drive and a big commitment. Such is our commitment to our culture and performing arts.
“There have been a lot of fundraisers and sausage sizzles and all those kind of things in order to get to Te Matatini.
“It’s a great expense in terms of getting 40 performers on a bus, or on planes, into motels or staying out on the marae and all the catering costs that come with that.
“It would be an interesting exercise to calculate the cost of the festival.”
Smith, 39, whose on-camera roles include stints
on Good Morning, Native Affairs and Homai Te Pakipaki, estimates that the majority of kapa haka performers at Te Matatini range from their early 20s to mid-50s. However, he knows of one female performer in her 60s who has taken part at every Te Matatini since it began in 1972. As well as the celebratory aspect of the festival it is also tinged with sadness for Smith. “I dare say with this festival we’ve had a few kapa haka icons depart in the last year or so, so this festival I think will see some amazing tributes to those icons of the kapa haka world so I’m anticipating there might be a few tears rolling down my cheeks come this broadcast because I have a personal affiliation with a couple of them,” he says. Kahurangi Maxwell, who presents Maori TV’s Whanau Bake-Off, has travelled the world thanks to her family’s involvement in kapa haka. “I remember when I was five we were in Spain for a few months, living in a village and Mum and Dad were performing kapa haka every day. I’d go and watch and stand on the stage and occasionally I’d get to jump in with them. It’s just been my life really,” she says. Maxwell, who is in her late 20s, took part in her first Te Matatini when she was just 14 years old. She says when performed overseas, kapa haka makes a big impact. “People know the haka, they know the All Blacks but when they see it in full costume I think sometimes it’s more well received overseas than it is in New Zealand,” she says. “People appreciate it and enjoy it and want to know more. It’s definitely a hit.”
“It’s just an adrenalin rush to see a celebration of Maori culture explode on to the stage.” – Matai Smith