February 20, 2013
Translation option for Te Matatini spectators
The best in kapa haka will be at Rotorua International Stadium over the next four days vying for who will be Te Matatini champions for the next two years.
Up to 60,000 people are expected to witness the spectacle, which will be framed by the country's largest whakairo, a mahau carved by staff and students at the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in Whakarewarewa.
Organising committee member Darrin Apanui says all are welcome at the festival, and this year non-speakers of Te Reo Māori can get help to understand what is being said on stage.
“We have a translation service called 'Hakarongomai’. That translates the waiata and haka that’s happening on the stage in real time. Those people that don’t understand reo, they can buy these little head sets for $2.00 and they can tune in to Hakarongomai which is a Te Matatini service. They are getting translated and right up to speed with what’s going on with each group up on stage”. Darrin Apanui says.
First onto the stage is Te Kotahitanga, with other leading contenders today including Te Whanau a Apanui, Opotiki Mai Tawhiti and Waihirere.
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