Maori culture festival dates unveiled
Friday, 10 Dec 2004 15:56
The All Black haka is just a 'tease' compared to a live performance at Te Matatini
Visitors to New Zealand hoping to experience some Maori culture should put aside the last few days of February 2005.
The biennial Te Matatini Festival brings together 1,500 Maori performers from across the country culminating in the kappa haka competition
While the All Black haka of the New Zealand rugby team has impressed many, organisers of this event say it is just a 'tease' compared to the full-blown live Maori performance in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
The 2005 festival will also give visitors the chance to explore traditional and contemporary fine arts, including drama, story telling, poetry, dance, music and others.
It was given the name Te Matatini - meaning 'the many faces - by Professor Wharehuia Milroy, a former professor in the Maori Studies Department of Waikato University.
He said: "Maori performing arts brings together people of all ages, all backgrounds, all beliefs, Maori and non-Maori alike, participants and observers. When I look at those performing I see many faces, young and old - Te Matatini."
The event takes place in Palmerston North from 24 -27 February 2005.