The outgoing chief executive of Te Matatini says building up an online audience for kapa haka has been a highlight of the job.
Darrin Apanui is leaving to pursue oportunities overseas after six years helming the Maori performing arts body.
As well as coordinating the biennial national festival and the regional competitions leading up to it, he had to develop new business models to put the organisation on a better financial foundation,
That included new ways of recording and licensing performances for broadcast and online streaming, which has allowed Te Matatini to reach out to the audience who are most passionate about kapa haka, the rangatahi.
"A critical element of being able to access such a big audience such as them was to be able to create a show that was not only visually spectacular for those audiences that turn up at it but also to make it accessible through online and broadcasting and to do it in such a way that people want to watch it all the time," Mr Apanui says.
He's also excited at the international opportunities that have opened up for kapa haka groups in the past few years.
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