February 21, 2013
Te Matatini size stretching timetable
Organisers of Te Matatini are starting to consider whether they need to cap the size of the biennial Māori performing arts competitions.
Forty one rōpū will be seen on stage at the Rotorua International Stadium by the time the competition ends on Sunday, because of a system where the number of teams qualifying from a region rises if more teams enter in that rohe.
Darrin Apanui says this year it means a four-day event, and if the number gets up towards 50 it could mean a week of kapa haka.
“For all of our whānau that come, this isn’t a paid performance art. It’s done out of love, its one that’s done voluntary so all of our whānau has to take leave from work. It does cost alot of money but we will get to a point where we will have to ask the question one day, are we getting too big and do we have to look at other ways of being able to showcase our art?”.
Darrin Apanui says there are a number of overseas media covering the festival, and organisers would like to give kapa haka a higher international profile.
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