Ka whiti atu te Mauri o Te Matatini ki Tainui Waka

Te Kāhui Maunga have formally handed over the mauri of Te Matatini to Tainui waka, marking the transition from the very successful 2025 Festival held in Taranaki to the next celebration in 2027 at Hopuhopu. The mauri ceremony occurred at Ngaaruawaahia on the final day of the first Koroneihana of Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po.

The occasion signals the start of the preparation and excitement that builds in the regions as they look to select their top teams to stand as exemplars of Māori performing arts at Te Matatini 2027.

Two sacred stones embody the energy, history and spiritual essence of Te Matatini. The smaller, red stone, representing the mauri, originates from the Ruahine Ranges and was gifted to Te Matatini by Rangitāne when Palmerston North hosted the festival in 2005 and 2007. Protecting it is a larger stone of tuhua (obsidian), gifted by Tauranga Moana in 2009, which sits alongside it on a beautifully carved wooden base created by Te Whakatohea.

Read more here.