Staff + Student LoginTe Matatini attracts thousands as competition starts in Gisborne
17 February 2011
Kapa Haka Bonds: King Tuheitia (left) and Māori Party co-leader Pita Sharples at the official opening of Te Matatini o te Ra 2011. Photo: Paul Rickard.
The Te Matatini International Māori Performing Arts Festival is now underway with thousands of people converging onto Wai O Hika Estate in Gisborne for day one of the most contested kapa haka competition in the country.
An estimated 30,000 people are expected to attend the four-day event, which runs from 17 February – 20 February. The biennial event, dating back to 1972, will see more than 1500 performers making up 42 teams and representing 13 regions across New Zealand and Australia competing in what is regarded as a dynamic display of Māoridom at its finest.
A strategic partner of Te Matatini for the past two years, the University of Waikato will have one of the largest stalls, and university staff will be able to interact with the public through innovative activities and onsite enrolment facilities. A number of the university’s students, staff and alumni will also be participating at Te Matatini as performers, tutors or judges.
Waikato University will also be hosting a breakfast for secondary school principals on Friday. The breakfast is an opportunity for the university to engage with its key stakeholders in the East Coast region.
See the University of Waikato at Te Matatini o te Ra 2011.
Check our Facebook Page for video and photo updates and follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/waikato (#TeMatatini) for live updates.
Photographs: All images are published with the permission of Te Matatini Society Incorporated.
Darrin Apanui, Executive Director of Te Matatini, talks in below video about the benefits that Te Matatini and Waikato University bring to each other.
