Ko te huringa ā tau rima tekau tēnei a Te Matatini. The country’s biggest kapa haka festival Te Matatini celebrates 50 years today.
It began in 1972 as a celebration of Māori and Pasifika performing arts, formerly known as The New Zealand Polynesian Cultural Festival.
Te Matatini chair Selwyn Parata said over the years its become a platform for Māori to embrace their language, celebrate their identity and express their political views.
"Te Matatini has contributed significantly to the survival, revival and, more importantly for me, the practice of te reo Māori me ōna tikanga.
"The national stage has long been a platform for iwi, hapū, whānau, marae, and communities to tell their stories from their own perspectives. It's been a space to voice their political opinions, commemorate significant occasions, honour loved ones who have passed away and, above all, celebrating themselves as members of their iwi and members of te ao Māori."
Kawariki Morgan, the male leader for Ngā Tūmanako, said the festival has had an enormous impact on his life.
"All of these groups, for my generation, shaped how I saw the world back then," he said.
"They talked about things that were happening at the time, just as kapa haka does today. It's a vehicle for us to comment on things that are happening to Māori, what our aspirations are and also the difficulties.
"Te Matatini... it's the soundtrack of my life."
Ngā Tūmanako are currently the reigning champions.
"It's not like you win money at the end of this, it's for mana, and I suppose Māori people will move mountains for the mana of their iwi, of their hapū, of their iwi and their marae," he said.
"It was like winning the Lotto, it was like a dream come true."
To mark the 50th anniversary, Te Matatini is releasing a special album this year with the most iconic songs from the festival.
It's also releasing a web series and a book.
Te Matatini chief executive director Carl Ross said Te Matatini had grown so popular that next year’s festival would be held at Eden Park, the event’s biggest venue yet.
"I mean, we've got 2000 schools who actually have kapa haka teams.
“Kaihaka and kapa haka have actually become a major part of New Zealand as we are today.”
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