Aotearoa Maori Performing Arts Festival to Te Matatini o te Ra 2000-2009

Rotorua Kapa Haka Teams 

2000 – Aotearoa Maori Performing Arts Festival held in Ngaruawahia on 1^st– 3^rd February 2000.

Competing this time at Turangawaiwai were Ngati Rangiwewehi, Te Mātārae i Ōrehu, Nga Pumanawa e Waru and Tuhourangi/Ngati Wahiao. For a list of the performers and photographs, see pgs. 10-11 of the Daily Post 27^th February 2000.

The TOP 4 :

1. Ngati Rangiwewehi aimed to take back their winning title of 1996 and went into the festival as favourites to win. This group dates back to 1968 when they first performed at the opening of the Wharekai at Awahou Marae.

Ngati Rangiwewehi is the most successful of Te Arawa Kapa Haka groups.  National title holders 1983 & 1996 and featuring in the top six at the Aotearoa Maori Performing Arts Festival since it began in 1972.

In 1983 this group represented NZ at the South Pacific Arts Festival in Tahiti 1985 and Western Samoa in 1996. This kapa haka group also featured in the opening ceremony of the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.

https://www.facebook.com/Ngati.Rangiwewehi/

2. Te Mātārae i Ōrehu was formed in 1994. The group began under leadership from the late Te Irirangi Tiakiawa Tahuriorangi. The name chosen for the group is from a sacred headland on Lake Rotoiti, the home of Ngati Rongomai and Ngati Hinekura.

Group tutor and co-founder Wetini Mitai-Ngati revived old ancient traditions. On the occasion of their first performance in the Te Arawa Maori Arts Festival in 1995 Wetini was awarded the Kaitataki Tane trophy. This group were invited to perform at the Wellington Military Tattoo. 

3. Nga Pumanawa E Waru.

Leader Wiremu Williams & Taini Morrison started this group which includes Rewa Ututaonga, Vanessa Eparaima…

6^th place getter in the 1994 competition at Hawera

4. Tuhourangi/Ngati Wahiao. This group began competing under their tribal name in 1986. They have ranked highly since then, always in the top six. This year the Kaitataki Tane will be Warena Morgan and the Kaitataki Wahine will be Traysie Eparaima. DP 1^st Feb 2000 + 9 March 2000

And the Winners were - Te Mātaārae i Ōrehu, Rotorua.

2001 – Te Arawa Arts Festival held at the Sportsdrome on the 10^th March hosted by Temuera Morrison and Maureen Waaka. 

Seven teams vying for the top 4 places are Ngati Rangiwewehi, Te Mātārae i Ōrehu (current champions) Tuhourangi/Ngati Wahiao (3 teams), Ngati Pikiao and Te Wananga O Aotearoa, see Daily Post 27 Feb 2001.

2002 - Aotearoa Maori Performing Arts Festival held at Auckland: Representing Te Arawa were : Te Mataarae i Orehu, Ngati Rangiwewehi, Ngati Pikiao and Tuhourangi Ngati Wahiao.
Overall Winners: Waihirere.

2005 – Te Arawa boycott Matatini

In Daily Post on 29 Oct 2005 – “The inaugural Te Arawa Kapa Invitational Festival is less than a month away and organisers are preparing for an explosion of kapa haka talent.

The controversial festival is being held after Te Arawa boycotted the national festival, Te Matatini, this year amid concerns about the future direction of the competition.

Event organiser and deputy mayor Trevor Maxwell said Te Arawa kapa haka committee wanted to provide something for the iwi's groups who did not take part at this year's national festival.

Mr Maxwell said there were many good reasons for holding the invitational festival, including Rotorua's own historical celebrations. The competition's theme is The Birth of Rotorua - 125 Years Celebration.

The competition will be hosted by MC's Scotty and Temuera Morrison at the Rotorua Arena at Rotorua Girls' High School the following day.”

2007 - In Palmerston North on February 22nd to 25th.

Overall Winners 2007: Te Kapa Haka o Whangārā Mai Tawhiti.

Te Arawa Festival : In Daily Post on 20 Nov 2007 - "Eight Te Arawa teams took to the stage including Ngati Rangiwewehi, Nga Uri o Te Whanoa in their first public performance, Nga Huia Kaimanawa, Ngati Pikiao, Ngati Whakaue, Rongomai, Te Mataarae I Orehu and Ngati Wahiao. There were also five invited teams from outside Te Arawa's rohe (boundary) - Taniwharau, Taonga Mai Tawhiti, Te Iti Kahurangi, Te Rautahi and Tu Te Manawa Maurea" 

2009 – Te Arawa Regional Winners to perform at Te Matatini in Tauranga 21-22 February 2009. Tuhourangi-Ngati Wahiao; Te Mataarae I Orehu; Nga Uri o Te Whanoa and Manaia. in Daily Post on 18 Feb 2009. 
Profile : Nga Uri o Te Whanoa : "A group predominantly made up of recognised kaihaka and extended whanau that have been profoundly blessed through the teachings of Atareta Maxwell". in Nga Tatangi a Te Whare Karioi pg. 70 (this book is available from the Maori Collection on the 1st Floor of Te Aka Mauri Rotorua Library.

Overall Winners 2009: Te Waka Huia.

NZ Polynesian Festival to Te Matatini in Rotorua

1^st ever NZ Polynesian Festival 

Held 11^th – 12^th March 1972 in Rotorua.

Excerpts from the Daily Post :

The festival was planned to be held at Rotowhio Marae, Whakarewarewa.  DP 2^nd March 1972

Opened by Governor-General Sir Arthur Porritt. The event was attended by the Ministers for Maori Affairs and Tourism. Mr McIntyre and Mr Walker, High Commissioners of Britain, Canada & Australia, embassies of USA, South Africa, Germany and the Netherlands.  Also in attendance Maori Queen, Te Atairangikahu and Bishop Manu Bennett. 

17 teams of 680 performers, 2 teams each from 8 Maori Districts, 2 Samoan teams from Auckland & Wellington. Teams from the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau were also participating.

10^th March 1972 DP pg. 1

The Festival had to be transferred to the Sportsdrome due to wet weather forecast for the weekend.

This meant that limited seating was available of 3,350. Owing to the change of venue there would be 2000 less seats for teams and supporters. The organisers hope to provide closed circuit TV coverage of the event. The Festival was covered by Northland Television and would be shown at a later date.

12^th March 1972, DP pg.1

‘Colourful opening to Festival’

The Sportsdrome was crammed to capacity and stiflingly hot with many fanning faces with their programmes.

Rotorua Photo News "new Sportsdrome is open, behind the Rotorua Museum", 1964.

The Formal welcome was on time at 10.00am. Sir Arthur & Lady Porritt were picked up at the airport by the Mayor Mr R. Boord and Mayoress Mrs P.W. Tapsell. 

The official party were welcomed by Mr R. Keepa and speeches were from Mr H. Rogers, Mr R Boord and Rev Kingi Ihaka. The speeches were followed by a hymn and karakia by Bishop Manu Bennett.

13^th March 1972, DP pg. 1

Mr McIntyre announced a $6,500 grant from government to send the winning team ‘Waihirere from Tai Rawhiti, Gisborne to the 1^st South Pacific Festival of Arts to be held in Suva, Fiji on 6^th-20^th May 1972.

‘Highlights from the first New Zealand Polynesian Festival Rotorua’ in Te Ao Hou 1^st July 1973, pg.61

Excerpt from Reviewer Alan Armstrong.

“…speaking as one of the large and appreciative crowd who attended the festival, I must say that the domestic organisation reflected great credit on the Arawa people. It can have been no small task to feed and accommodate such a large number of groups and their supporters. What was particularly impressive was the smoothness of the change of venue when the weather made it impossible to stage the festival out of doors”

He goes on “There were bad patches of course – an Arawa powhiri group dragged from preparing a hangi to welcome the Governor-General and appearing on TV in singlets and shorts”

“The Honourable Duncan McIntyre conducted an impromptu sing-song to keep the audience entertained, while the judges had their dinner, keeping thousands of people waiting for the night performances”

NZ Polynesian FESTIVAL 1973 

Held at Arawa Park.  The festival was officially opened by Sir Dennis Blundell followed by a speech by the Prime Minister Mr Kirk.

Arawa Park Racecourse, Rotorua. Ref: WA-36320-F.
 Alexander Turnbull Library/records/23529887

Excerpt from Mr Kirk’s speech:

His first announcement was that “the winner of the festival will perform at opening of the Sydney Opera House in October of this year (1973). He went on to say “The festival was a creative expression of the hopes of people…what they have been and what they are going to be… Maori people could be compared to a canoe in a harbour getting ready for a journey to another land. Before departing the crew has to know where the canoe has been and what it has done. The festival is like the harbour and the people are the canoe setting out on a path through society, they must know where they are going and what they have don, and what they have been”

The next speech was from Minister of Maori and Island Affairs, Mr Rata. In Te Reo and English.

He announced that “government was giving serious consideration to the establishment of a school for Maori music and that of the Pacific Islands… would like to see the establishment of a centre with emphasis on the music of New Zealand. Of a standard suitable for both under-graduate and post-graduate studies to be carried out there. “

The festival photographs appeared in the Daily Post on 26^th March 1973 pg. 1, 3 and 7.

There are more articles that document comments from Mr Rata, Mr A.M. (Murray) Linton, Mayor of Rotorua, Mr H.R. Lapwood M.P for Rotorua, Dr P.H. Jones President of the NZ Maori Council and Mr Young M.P for Taranaki, regarding the standard of the performances this year.

The Winning team was from Upper Hutt, Mawai Hakona Maori Club. A photograph appears on Pg.3 of Mr Rata presenting the McIntyre Trophy to Mr K. Tukukino. 

More photographs can be found here http://uhcl.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/19646 or Read the book "Mawai Hakona of Upper Hutt by Patricia Raney. Available in the Maori Collection at 781.62z RAI

Locations for Festival after 1973

1975 Whangarei; 1977 Gisborne; 1979 Wellington; 1981 Auckland; 1983 Hastings; 1986 Christchurch; 1990 Waitangi; 1992 Ngaruawahia; 1994 Hawera; 1996 Rotorua; 1998 Trentham, 2000 Ngaruawahia; 2002 Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland); 2005 & 2007 Rangitane (Palmerston Nth); 2009 Mataatua; 2011 Te Tairawhiti; 2013 Rotorua ; 2015 Waitaha (Christchurch); 2017 Ngati Kahungungu (Hawkes Bay). 

"In 1983 the Polynesian Festival became the Aotearoa Traditional Māori Performing Arts Festival and teams from other Pacific Island nations were no longer eligible to compete. 

In 2004 the Aotearoa Traditional Māori Performing Arts Festival was again renamed, as Te Matatini o te Rā national festival, held every two years. The name ‘matatini’ (’many faces’) was coined by Dr Wharehuia Milroy in reference to the number and diversity of the participants.  

In 2010 Te Matatini once again became an international event when a team from Perth ‘Manawa Mai Tawhiti were eligible to compete after defeating 8 other Australian Kapa Haka teams".

Valance Smith, 'Kapa haka – Māori performing arts - Urban groups and formal competitions', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/kapa-haka-maori-performing-arts/page-4 (accessed 6 March 2018)