2023 Te Matatini Herenga Waka Herenga Tangata Final

The "Olympics of kapa haka" — Te Matatini — is a major event in the Māori cultural calendar, taking place every two years in different rohe (regions). In this clip from the 2023 final, Mātaatua-based Te Kapa Haka o Te Whānau-ā-Apanui perform to a buzzing live audience in Tāmaki Makaurau. Their rousing 25-minute performance, featuring whakaeke (entrance), mōteatea (traditional chant), waiata-ā-ringa (action song), haka, poi and whakawātea (exit), wins them the supreme title of Toa Whakaihuwaka. The inaugural Te Matatini (then called The NZ Polynesian Festival) was held in 1972 in Rotorua.