March 23, 2014
TV bonus for kapa haka
A kapa haka advocate believes the screening of regional kapa haka will be a winner for both Maori Television and the Maori performing arts.
Six rohe are part of the agreement for screening of their finals in the lead up to next year’s Te Matatini nationals in Christchurch.
Willie Te Aho says it’s a tribute to the vision of the channel’s acting chief executive, Alan Withrington, and broadcaster Carol Hirschfeld.
He says each kapa haka clip uploaded to the Maori Television website and Facebook generates more than 1000 hits a day.
"It means that under our agreement we’ve gone from the days of $500 per kapa haka to $6000 per kapa haka performing at a regional, and also we use that as a template for Te Matatini ki te Waipounamu," Mr Te Aho says.
Interest in kapa haka can also be seen from the number of entries to the national secondary schools competition, which will be held in Gisborne from July 29 to August 1.
Schools have been separated into three pools, with the best three from each day making the final.
Copyright © 2014, UMA Broadcasting Ltd